Shampoo Bars

As soap makers we are seeing a trend shift in the market. More and more consumers are becoming leery of the chemicals and fillers from their store and salon bought shampoos and conditioners. Mom has been making a shampoo bar for years now and I have been using it on my son since she started making it. It has worked wonders for him and almost eliminated his cradle cap without all the yucky treatments we had been using on him from birth. I was her biggest advocate for using it on children but I had never actually used it on myself and was afraid to answer questions from clients for use on their own hair... so I decided that it was time to give it a try on myself! I kept notes over the course of the first 6 weeks of my trial and I thought I would share with you the results of my experiment!

Week 1: I tucked my very expensive salon shampoo and conditioner into a cupboard for the duration of the trial... just in case! I washed my hair every second day this week with the shampoo bar with terrible results. My hair felt like I had been washing it with used fryer grease.

Week 2: I did some more research into what others have tried and gave it a go! I made up a paste of vinegar (any type will work) and baking soda. I massaged that through my hair and let it sit for a few minutes and rinsed it out. I washed it again with the shampoo bar. I was slightly dry this time, but that was definitely a step up from slimy! I also made up a vinegar rinse (2 tbsp vinegar to 2 cups water and several drops of Lavender EO) and put into a spray bottle. I spritzed my hair after every wash with the vinegar blend, let it sit for a minute and rinsed it out.

Week 3: I noticed that vinegar was a bit drying so I opted to use it every second washing and my hair was feeling much better this week!

Week 4: My hair was beginning to feel really good this week.... I have worked out the kinks and my hair has very little flyaway and I even started using less styling product on it with great results!

Week 5: I had started to notice by this week that my hair wasn't falling out nearly as much or coming out in clumps on my brush! My hair has started looking much shinier than it has in years, even when it had been freshly colored.

Week 6: I poured my expensive salon brand shampoo and conditioner down the drain... It took a few weeks for my hair to adjust to a point that I was happy, but I think the results speak for themselves!

SHAMPOO bar newbie??

• When you first start using a shampoo bar don't be surprised if you have 'bad hair day' syndrome. Your hair might be fly-away or look and feel slightly greasy... This is just temporary, we promise! You may want to prep your hair by creating a paste of vinegar and baking soda, massage it into your hair, let sit for a few minutes and rinse. This seems to help strip your hair of a lot of the shampoo residue and reduce the greasy feeling you may experience when switching from shampoo to a shampoo bar.
• Commercial shampoos & conditioners leave behind a coating on your hair. It might take a few days for the shampoo bar to strip off these excess conditioners.
• Thoroughly drench hair... to soaking wet. The wetter the better... it makes it much easier to work the shampoo through your hair.
• Rub the bar into a lather in your hands and then apply the lather directly, alternately the bar can be rubbed directly onto the scalp but I find this much harder to get a good lather! Massage lather into scalp... using only your finger tips and work suds to ends of hair.
• If your hair is long, curly or textured, I strongly recommend that you DO NOT pile hair on top of your head. This can be a recipe for an intense tangling disaster
• Finally... RINSE, RINSE and RINSE again! At this point you can rinse with a vinegar solution or use a natural conditioner if needed. Work this mixture through really well and rinse, rinse, rinse. We promise you won't smell like a pickle... just clean and fresh. We like to recommend that you rinse your hair with a mixture of vinegar & water and your favorite essential oil (we use 1 tbsp vinegar to every cup of water and put into a spray bottle) after every 2^nd shampoo.

Please Note: Shampoo bars aren't recommended for use with really hard water. The minerals in the water bind with the suds and make them impossible to rinse off cleanly.

BENEFITS of shampoo bars:

• Natural bars don't strip your hair like shampoo or leave a coating behind
• There are no added chemicals and fillers
• Hair feels thicker
• May eliminate any need for a separate conditioner
• May lessen scalp and hairline irritation
• May help lessen scalp dryness
• Convenient for travel

Oils and Your Skin!

When we started making handmade soap and began experimenting with other products we began doing research on the ingredients we were wanting to use.  We aren't scientists, so we have spent hours poring over books and the internet for information trying to distinguish between fact and hype about oils and their benefits to come up with blends that we believe live up to their claims.

Almond Oil: Almond oil is an excellent emollient and moisturizer. As an emollient it nourishes and softens the skin helping to keep it smooth to the touch. Almond oil is similar in composition to the oil baby's excrete to keep their skin and hair healthy and is one of the least greasy oils that you will find in the facial care market. It will soak into your skin quickly and will leave only a slight residue, if it even leaves that. This composition is beneficial to protecting and conditioning your skin and may promote a more youthful skin complexion. 

Castor Oil: Castor oil is derived from the beans of the Castor Oil plant. It is a highly emollient oil, often used in lipsticks and other beauty aids. Castor oil is a great skin care product as it is naturally rich in anti-oxidants and works as a deep conditioner to heal both skin and hair. Ancient Egyptians used castor oil extensively in protecting their eyes and lips from the dry desert winds as well as in oil lamps for illumination. The Egyptians also believed the oil had special healing properties and included it in many medicinal rubs and poultices.

Cocoa Butter: Cocoa butter, also called theobroma oil or theobroma cacao, is a pale-yellow, pure edible vegetable fat extracted from the cacao bean. Cocoa butter is one of the most stable fats known, containing natural antioxidants that prevent rancidity and give it a lengthy shelf life, making it a good choice for non-food products. The smooth texture, sweet fragrance and emollient property of cocoa butter make it a popular ingredient in cosmetics and skin care products, such as soaps and lotions. Though many believe that cocoa butter has the ability to reduce or diminish the appearance of scars, this is a theory that is yet unproven. It does however, promote elasticity in the skin and will aid in the healing of chapped skin if it is used regularly. Cocoa butter is often recommended for treatment of skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis.

Coconut Oil: A gift to soapmakers as it replaces tallow for vegetable based soaps. It resists rancidity due to it's low molecular structure and produces a fluffy lather in soap. A percentage of approximately 10 to 30% is moisturizing but too much may be drying. Soap made from 100% coconut oil makes an excellent household cleaner but is not recommended for skin care.

Lauric acid, the major fatty acid from the fat of the coconut, has long been recognized for the unique properties that it lends to non-food uses in the cosmetic and soap industry recognized for its unique properties in foods which are related to its antibacterial, antiviral and antiprotozoal functions.

Hemp Oil: Hempseed oil is pressed from the seed of the hemp plant (i.e., non-drug varieties of Cannabis sativa L). This oil typically contains between 30-35% oil by weight, and is extremely high in essential fatty acids. Hemp seed oil is one of the world's richest sources of polyunsaturated fats, including both of the essential fatty acids (Omega 3 and Omega 6) and GLA (Gamma-linolenic acid), which makes it an excellent natural emollient and moisturizer. Body care products containing hemp seed oil can reduce skin discomfort by soothing & restoring dry or damaged skin and increasing the natural moisture retention capacity. With regular use, body care products containing hemp seed oil can help slow down the effects of skin aging and leave the skin smooth, soft and moisturized.

Jojoba Oil: The Jojoba plant produces a bean pod and it was discovered that heating the beans caused an oil to be secreted. The desert peoples of Southern California and Mexico had long been using this oil to treat skin conditions and cuts. Jojoba oil has similar chemical makeup to the sebum oil that our skin produces naturally. In fact, it is one of the most easily absorbed vegetable oils available today.

Olive Oil: Olive oil has a beneficial effect on the skin through its oleic acid content and its Vitamin E content. Oleic acid has regenerative properties that transfer to skin cells and help to rejuvenate skin. The Vitamin E in olive oil is an antioxidant that protects skin cell membranes from damage by free radicals. Vitamin E in olive oil also heals damaged skin cells and can lessen scarring from cuts.

Shea Butter: Shea butter or Shea nut butter is a slightly yellowish or ivory-colored natural fat extracted from fruit of the shea tree by crushing and boiling. Shea butter is widely used in cosmetics as a moisturizer and an emollient. It is also a known anti-inflammatory agent. Shea butter provides natural ultraviolet sun protection, although the level of protection is extremely variable, ranging from nothing to approximately SPF 6. Shea butter absorbs rapidly into the skin without leaving a greasy feeling. Shea butter can be found in many high-end moisturizing skin products. Shea butter is known for its skin softening effect.

Sunflower Oil: Sunflower oil is high in essential fatty acids. It helps to moisturize, regenerate and condition the skin. Sunflower oil can be used as the primary oil within lotion, salt scrub, bath oil and massage oil formulations. It is especially useful in formulations intended for mature, sensitive, dry or damaged skin. It is obtained from the seeds of the sunflower plant and can be helpful in relieving skin irritations such as acne. The oil from the sunflower seed is extremely rich in vitamins A,C,D and E. Because it is so rich in vitamin E this natural oil in very soothing and gentle when applied to the skin.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

The mad rush of market season has come to a close again! We would like to send warm thanks to all of you who made this market season such a success and we truly look forward to seeing you in 2009! We would also like to thank everyone for all their questions, as it has motivated us to do some more research and get blogging!

I have decided to write about Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) today because it is a product that is found in everything from toothpaste to bubble bath and shampoos, including products manufactured for children. It is also used in car washes, garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers.

WHAT IS SLS?

SLS is a harsh (caustic) detergent. Also known as a surfactant, which breaks down the surface tension of water. "It can actually damage the outer layer of the skin, the stratum corneum, causing dryness, roughness, scaliness, fissuring, loss of flexibility and reduction of the barrier functions of normal healthy skin. The lipid dissolving action of some detergents, including SLS cause damage to the moisture retaining ability of the cellular level resulting in water loss and loss of water-binding ability" - (Cosmetic Science, C. Prottey, 1978)

SLS and ALS may also damage the skin's immune system by causing layers to separate and inflame.

What does Science say?

The Journal of the American College of Toxicology states that Sodium Lauryl Sulfate has a "degenerative effect on the cell membranes because of its protein denaturing properties." It also states that "high levels of skin penetration may occur at even low use concentration."

The publication expressed these concerns (directly from their website):

• Other studies have indicated that sodium lauryl sulfate enters and maintains residual levels in the heart, liver, lungs and brain from skin contact. This poses the question whether it could be a serious potential health threat from its use in shampoos, cleansers, and toothpastes.

• Some experts believe that young eyes may not develop properly if exposed to SLS and ALS because proteins are dissolved. Especially children under the age of 6.

So why do cosmetic manufacturers use SLS? The answer is simple.... it's cheap and it's readily available.

For more information you may also want to check out Make Your Own Skincare. They have posted an excellent article about SLS!

Take Care!

Just an afterthought.... I am not an expert and I am not writing about SLS to frighten anyone, but I just want to make you aware of the ingredients that are in our everyday personal care products. There will always be differing opinons, so I encourage you to do your homework!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I haven't been very good about posting lately but I just wanted to post our upcoming Christmas market dates.  Please come visit us and check our our new products for the holiday season!

November 14 & 15 - Handmade Christmas Market @ the Medicine Hat Cypress Centre

November 29 - Strathmore Christmas Market @ the Ag Society's Exhibition Grounds

December - Old Thyme Christmas Market @ the Medicine Hat Cypress Centre

Take care and don't eat too much Turkey!

It Has Begun!

It is thirty degrees outside this evening but there is a dedicated crew of men outside building our new garage. While digging the foundation during a hail storm a few weeks ago, I kept looking at it and saying to my husband, there is no way this is going to be big enough. Then they came and poured the pad and I thought.... ok it's better than I thought. Tonite though, seeing the walls go up, in let than 2 hours I might add, I have come to the conclusion that the new garage is HUGE! I am so excited to get everything done and move our workshop out there!

As always we are busy at a Family Affair! We are still working our our new baby line of lotions and balms, and testing some new body scrubs of which we hope to have perfected by fall! Also we are getting prepared for the big outdoor Farmers Market on August 9. We are pretty excited as it is also the weekend of the Alberta Summer Games and the first outdoor market we have attended. It should be loads of fun! We hope to see our amazing regular customers there and can't wait to meet some new ones!

Cheers for now!

Take Care!

Jenn

A History of Soap

Once in a while while working on products we come across some interesting information..... and we like to share that information.

As you all know we make soap. Lots and lots of soap.  We thought we would provide you with a little history lesson today about soap.  We hope you find it as interesting as we have!

SOAP... A HISTORY

The earliest recorded evidence of the production of soap-like materials dates back to around 2800 BC in Ancient Babylon. A formula for soap consisting of water, alkali and cassia oil was written on a Babylonian clay tablet around 2200 BC.

The Ebers papyrus (Egypt, 1550 BC) indicates that ancient Egyptians bathed regularly and combined animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts to create a soap-like substance. Egyptian documents mention that a soap-like substance was used in the preparation of wool for weaving.

It had been reported that a factory producing soap-like substances was found in the ruins of Pompeii (AD 79). However, this has proven to be a misinterpretation of the survival of some soapy mineral substance, probably soapstone at the Fullonica where it was used for dressing recently cleansed textiles. Unfortunately this error has been repeated widely and can be found in otherwise reputable texts on soap history. The ancient Romans were generally ignorant of soap's detergent properties, and made use of the strigil to scrape dirt and sweat from the body. The word "soap" (Latin sapo) appears first in a European language in Pliny the Elder's Historia Naturalis, which discusses the manufacture of soap from tallow and ashes, but the only use he mentions for it is as a pomade for hair; he mentions rather disapprovingly that among the Gauls and Germans men are likelier to use it than women.

A story encountered in some places claims that soap takes its name from a supposed "Mount Sapo" where ancient Romans sacrificed animals. Rain would send a mix of animal tallow and wood ash down the mountain and into the clay soil on the banks of the Tiber. Eventually, women noticed that it was easier to clean clothes with this "soap". The location of Mount Sapo is unknown, as is the source of the "ancient Roman legend" to which this tale is typically credited. In fact, the Latin word sapo simply means "soap"; it was borrowed from a Celtic or Germanic language, and is cognate with Latin sebum, "tallow", which appears in Pliny the Elder's account. Roman animal sacrifices usually burned only the bones and inedible entrails of the sacrificed animals; edible meat and fat from the sacrifices were taken by the humans rather than the gods. Animal sacrifices in the ancient world would not have included enough fat to make much soap. The legend about Mount Sapo is probably apocryphal.

True soaps made from vegetable oils (such as olive oil), aromatic oils (such as thyme oil) and lye (al-Soda al-Kawia) were first produced by Muslim chemists in the medieval Islamic world.  The formula for soap used since then hasn't changed (Nabulsi soap). From the beginning of the 7th century, soap was produced in Nablus (West Bank), Kufa (Iraq) and Basra (Iraq). Soaps, as we know them today, are descendants of historical Arabian Soaps. Arabian Soap was perfumed and colored; some of the soaps were liquid and others were solid. They also had special soap for shaving. It was sold for 3 Dirhams (0.3 Dinars) a piece in 981 AD. The Persian chemist Al-Razi wrote a manuscript on recipes for true soap. A recently discovered manuscript from the 13th century details more recipes for soap making; e.g. take some sesame oil, a sprinkle of potash, alkali and some lime, mix them all together and boil. When cooked, they are poured into molds and left to set, leaving hard soap.

In semi-modern times soap was made by mixing animal fats with lye. Because of the caustic lye, this was a dangerous procedure (perhaps more dangerous than any present-day home activities) which could result in serious chemical burns or even blindness. Before commercially-produced lye (sodium hydroxide) was commonplace, lye (sodium hydroxide), potash (potassium hydroxide), and soda ash (sodium carbonate) were leached from the ashes of a hardwood fire for soap-making at home.  Castile soap was later produced in Europe from the 16th century.

 In modern times, the use of soap has become universal in industrialized nations due to a better understanding of the role of hygiene in reducing the population size of pathogenic microorganisms. Manufactured bar soaps first became available in the late nineteenth century, and advertising campaigns in Europe and the United States helped to increase popular awareness of the relationship between cleanliness and health.

Jenn - Spring is in the air.... I hope!

It is March 5 and it is snowing.... again.  

But I have spring fever! I go out every morning and think about blowing up the wheelbarrow tire, digging the leaves out of the lawn mower that wouldn't fit in the shed and wonder when I can haul my mini greenhouse out.  I have bought seeds, pots, and organic fertilizer in the hope that I can start planting soon..... We have also been finalizing plans for our new garage and workshop.  Hopefully we will quit making changes.... every change we make seems to add several feet to the size.  My husband is getting excited over the 'manly' garage all his friends will drool over!

On the business side of things we have been busy ordering samples of summery fragrances to add to our ever growing line up.  I have been busy making bath bombs and we have added two new Da' Bomb fragrances and after getting several requests, we have decided to keep Cinnamon Heart as a permanent fragrance.  We have also been busy updating our website and adding new products.

We will also be attending the Seven Person Spring Tea and Craft Show again this year.  We love going out there as the local response is amazing.  We will be bringing an assortment of goodies just in time for Mother's Day!

Take care!

Jenn