My ingredients
Soap making is an art of balance. Every oil and butter has special properties and characteristics that will give the bar more or less lather, hardness, cleaning properties, conditioning ect...
Here is the list of ingredients I use in my soaps and what super power they give the the bar :
Organic Shea Butter
The shea butter used in my soaps is unrefined, organic and raw, which means that it hasn't undergone any chemical refining process or extraction and haven't been sprayed with harmful pesticides. Shea butter contains vitamins A, E, K and F, which are degraded by the heat and chemicals used in the refine process, this is why I use raw butter. This shea butter is extracted in the traditional way by a woman's co-operative that is committed to empowering local women. Shea Butter is high in stearic and oleic acids, which will produce a long-lasting hard soap with a stable conditioning lather.
Organic Coconut Oil
The organic coconut oil I use is certified by the Soil Association. This oil is extremely useful in soapmaking, it offers a unique combination of cleansing, firming and skin-loving properties to recipes. High in Lauric acid it gives excellent lather to soaps. Moderately high in Palmitic acid, it also gives a hardness to bar soaps. It however makes the soaps very cleaning and this is why I combine it with other oils to make a soap that cleans while still being gentle for sensitive skins.
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Olive oil
Olive oil is widely used in soap making and cosmetics for its natural moisturising properties. Olive oil is a staple soaping oil that can be found in many cold process recipes. It contributes moisturizing properties to soap. It also gives the bars a gentle and creamy lather, making it a great choice for dry or sensitive skin.
Sweet Almond Oil
This sweet almond oil is a light, golden colour oil that is sourced directly from the producers. Sweet almond oil contains vitamins A, D and E as well as monounsaturated fatty acids, potassium and zinc. This makes sweet almond oil a valuable ingredient in soap making as it creates soap that are very gentle and moisturizing with a great lather, very well adapted for sensitive or babies' skins.
Rapeseed Oil
High in euric acid and very low in saturated fatty acids, this oil is slow to saponify in soap-making, which means it will help me to have a runny batch longer so I can make swirly designs. Even if the oil contributes to give moisturising qualities to soaps, it does not have much lathering properties and this is why I use it with other complementary oils.
Organic Castor Oil
The castor oil I use is certified by the Soil Association. It is extracted in India from organic castor beans by cold pressing only. The fatty-acid make-up of castor oil is unique. Castor oil is ideal to introduce to cold process soap recipe as it gives the bar a very dense and creamy lather. It also adds moisturizing qualities to soaps.
Activated Charcoal Powder
Some of my soaps contain activated charcoal powder made by the calcination of coconut shells. To become “activated,” the charcoal goes through a high temperature steam activation process. This process increases its surface area, which increases the charcoal’s ability to absorb and filter. Charcoal has been used in the beauty and medical industries for centuries. It is known for its ability to absorb and draw out oil from the skin. This makes charcoal a fantastic addition to soaps as it is great to effectively cleanses and detoxify the skin, unclogs pores, removes deeper impurities, and dead skin cells.
Mineral Micas
Cosmetic micas are natural colourants that are made from minerals from the earth - such as iron oxide and tin oxide to name just a couple. These cosmetic micas have not been chemically dyed (a process that is often used in cheaper, poor quality micas).
I also use titanium dioxide, to create the white colour, which meets all FDA and European E172 heavy metal requirements for use in cosmetic and product specification shows a particle size of typical 0.30 microns, guaranteed +- 0.05 microns.
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Fragrance Oils
The fragrances I use are specifically designed for soap making and are suitable for any type of skins. However, if you are known to have a very sensitive skin or some allergies, I have a range of allergen free, lyral free and even fragrance free soaps.