fragrance oil/soap question

November 12, 2006

Are fragrance oils safe to use or are they created with all kinds of

nasty chemicals we don't wan't to have around us? Also, I've been

thinking of trying to make soap and was going to start with some of

the glycerin bars you can buy and then add my own ingredients. I

thought I'd try this as an inexpensive and quick way to experiment

with scents, herbs and different ingredients to see how the soaps

would come out. How are these glycerin bars-good, bad or indifferent?

Also, I've read they the glycerin is a liquid so chemicals are added

to it to make it into a bar for the soap base. Is this true? Susan

November 13, 2006

, " susan " <ripple95 wrote:

>

> Are fragrance oils safe to use or are they created with all kinds of

> nasty chemicals we don't wan't to have around us? Also, I've been

> thinking of trying to make soap and was going to start with some of

> the glycerin bars you can buy and then add my own ingredients. I

> thought I'd try this as an inexpensive and quick way to experiment

> with scents, herbs and different ingredients to see how the soaps

> would come out. How are these glycerin bars-good, bad or

indifferent?

> Also, I've read they the glycerin is a liquid so chemicals are added

> to it to make it into a bar for the soap base. Is this true? Susan

-------------------------------

Fragrance oils rated as skin safe are skin safe. Of course there are

those who disagree, however, not all essential oils are safe either.

The fragrance industry does a lot of testing and research to determine

safety. There are chemical constituants in fragrances, but there are

chemical constituants in everything, including us.

Melt and Pour soap bases differ. Some good, some bad. Glycerin is a

liquid, it is a natural product of saponification. Chemicals? It will

depend on the formulation of the base. Keep in mind that making a

natural cold-processed soap requires adding a chemical; sodium

hydroxide. Chemicals are not automatically bad, natural is not

automatically good. There is not simple answer to your question. In

marketing of products the term " all natural " has no definition per the

FDA.

Also a fragrance that may be fine in a pre-made base may not survive

saponification, same with herbs.

Joanne

November 13, 2006

Chemicals are not automatically bad, natural is not

automatically good. There is not simple answer to your question. In

marketing of products the term " all natural " has no definition per the

FDA.

[Dave:] This was such a good answer! Over and over I get the impression

that some folks want an easy answer that covers everything...and it just

doesn’t exist. There’s no substitute for educating yourself. There is also

no substitute for wisdom, and one does not necessarily lead to the other. I

am quite sure that most FOs are “safe.” I choose not to use them but I

don’t have a problem with those who do. Choosing not to use FOs also does

not mean going hog-wild with EOs. In some ways I think EOs are more

hazardous than FOs, mainly because so many folks seem to think that because

they are “natural” (what’s natural about stuffing tons of plant material

into stills?) they are safe to use. Plants are natural, and some of them

are deadly poison. Some have healthful parts, such as seeds or flowers, and

still have other poisonous parts. In all areas of herbalism, caution,

knowledge, and wisdom are called for.

It’s never my aim to criticize the way people make soap. To some, it’s

merely a craft, like making quilts or birdhouses or decorating cakes. To

others, it’s an almost-spiritual thing, an art that one never stops

learning. To me the bottom line is: if you insist on bright colors and

strong perfumes, then synthetic ingredients are the only way to achieve

that. If your goal is to produce a product that truly nourishes and

benefits the skin while remaining in harmony with nature, there’s a way to

do that, too. But it’s difficult if not impossible to achieve all of the

above.

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Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.14.3/530 - Release 11/11/2006

November 14, 2006

, " susan " <ripple95 wrote:

>

> Are fragrance oils safe to use or are they created with all kinds of

> nasty chemicals we don't wan't to have around us?<

Hello. My name is Sue and I am the founder of the Natural Ingredient

Resource Center. The organization is now under new management and

they are doing a wonderful job! There is a particular page on the

site that I am especially proud of and I encourage you to read all

the data there about synthetic fragrances:

http://www.naturalingredient.org/syntheticfragrances.htm

> Also, I've read they the glycerin is a liquid so chemicals are

added to it to make it into a bar for the soap base. Is this true?<

Glycerin is a clear liquid so when you read 100% Glycerin

Soap...well...they don't really mean the soap is 100% Glycerin, they

call their product " Glycerin Soap " and " it " is 100% " Glycerin Soap " .

Oftentimes, the product is primarily a synthetic detergent with a bit

of glycerin thrown in. There are VERY few glycerin soap bases that

are free of synthetic detergents.

I also used to be the Secretary/Treasurer & Office Manager/Webmaster

for the Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild and as such, was in a position

to learn an awful lot about handcrafted soap. Some of what I learned

I applied to the NIRC site as well;

http://www.naturalingredient.org/resources.htm

" Q. ~ Is glycerin a natural ingredient?

A. ~ It depends. The glycerin formed during the process of making

soap, is the result of the saponification process. In cold and hot

process soap making, that naturally occurring glycerin is left in the

raw and finished soap. That glycerin would be considered part of

the " true soap " rather than a separate ingredient. It occurs as a

result of the natural biological process.

However, the process necessary to remove glycerin from raw soap, is

not considered minimal processing. It requires more processing that

that which could take place in a household kitchen, stillroom, on a

farm, or vineyard. Glycerin removed from raw soap and sold as a

single ingredient, is not natural, however it would be considered

naturally sourced. "

Personally, I don't think you are going to benefit much as far as

learning to make soap by buying bars of soap then adding your own

ingredients. Maybe start with a CP Kit...then you know you are

starting with the correct weights and measurements of raw materials,

and you will actually learn important skills like what a " trace "

looks like and what soaps are like fresh, lightly cured and fully

cured. Good luck!

Sue

www.ctherb.com

November 14, 2006

See my last reply on this: Message #44938

-- In , " susan " <ripple95 wrote:

>

> Are fragrance oils safe to use or are they created with all kinds of

> nasty chemicals we don't wan't to have around us? Also, I've been

> thinking of trying to make soap and was going to start with some of

> the glycerin bars you can buy and then add my own ingredients. I

> thought I'd try this as an inexpensive and quick way to experiment

> with scents, herbs and different ingredients to see how the soaps

> would come out. How are these glycerin bars-good, bad or indifferent?

> Also, I've read they the glycerin is a liquid so chemicals are added

> to it to make it into a bar for the soap base. Is this true? Susan

>

November 15, 2006

Susan,

The melt and pour glycerine soap (most of it is soap, however there are some

out there that are syndet bars (they are surfactant bars. All soap is a

surfactant, but not all surfactants are soap) If you make soap from scratch

(Lye/fats/cooking/molding etc.) you know what's in there. I'd suggest

requesting information from the supplier on what is exactly in the soap if

you are going to buy melt and pour soap. Tell the supplier that you need to

know in order to label your products (even if you don't sell them ask

because you really want to know what's in it.), most manufacturers are glad

to help that way. I know that Life of the party's soap is soap from the

information they sent me. The process to make it into melt and pour base

that you can add your goodies too is easier to do with major equipment (Tim

the tool man Taylor type stuff) and there's a lot of steps that go into

making it clear (I've tried making clear soap at home.... UGH!and stink I

don't have the patience for it at all)

Glycerine is a byproduct of the soap making process. (The big companies

that sell soap usually press the glycerine out to sell to the government {or

that's what I think they do} to make Nitroglycerine. (Nitric Acid(Not sure

if that's it or if it's straight nitrogen)+Glycerine+ some other things {I

don't know what} make it) into Nitroglycerine (heart med/ explosive) {how

someone came up with the Idea of taking something like Nitroglycerine for

heart problems ???? Baffles me.} but I'm sure a good chemist could tell me.

..

Now that I've made that clear as mud If I can help any further let me know.

I know someone else on here can explain it much better than I can.

Jennifer

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aromamedical2003

11/14/2006 4:44:00 PM

Re: fragrance oil/soap question