Homemade Soap

Angelina-M

bllipp wrote:

Just wanted to add that I work for Lush, and only about half of our soaps have SLS. It's actually not proven to be dangerous at all - some research has shown that it can be a skin irritant, however as you don't leave soap on your body (you wash it off), the SLS (which creates a foam) is mostly washed away. Besides the amount that is actually in soaps in the first place is very small - too small to have a major effect. In fact, I have a regular customer who has eczema who buys one particular soap as it doesn't irritate her skin.
Hope this helps.

Hi there.

Everyone is different and thats great, i'd hate loads of clones of me everywhere!

I have chosen to decide what I put in and on my body as much as I possibly can. I make my own beauty products and my own food items because I want the best for me. I could go up to Mcdonalds drive in and get a juicy burger for no effort at all, but i'd rather spend an hour mincing some beef and making my own. The satisfaction of feeding my family in this wholesome way is tremendous!

Same with soaps. I know not all Lush soaps have SLS in them, but there are other things in there too such as Titanium Dioxide and whilst this is classed as a safe additive, its also added to paint and cement and that makes me shudder.

Another thing that worries me is the colourings, the bright pink soaps look great, but I cant make anything like that with my natural soaps, the nearest I can get is bright orange from carrots, or white from using milks and light oils like shea butter. But thats ok because whilst my homemade soaps isn't flourescant, it is natural and that is what im looking for. And I do believe my skin thanks me as I really dont have a need for handcreams etc anymore as my skin is not at all dry.

Its a choice we all have. For me, the purest route is what drives me :-)

Babylonian_2

ooh - what a great thread
I too make my own soap - some of you have asked for some links - this site (known as Captain Ethel's) is a must http://freespace.virgin.net/michele.jack/index.html - pointers for absolutely everything you need to know about making your own soap or buying "real soap."

If anyone is interested in having a reference guide, then I recommend the "Real Soapmakers E-book" - this was written by members of the UKsoaping Yahoo group in response to other soapmaking e-books out there which either ripped off the free of charge links at Captain Ethel's site or promoted unsafe practices, e.g. ignoring the need for certification.

It is £5.99 and sold on Ebay by Captain Ethel (soappirate) here http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback&userid=soappirate&item=-1&frm=1883
All the writers and the editor worked free of charge to produce this and eveything apart from fees goes to charity

Seakay

bllipp wrote:

Just wanted to add that I work for Lush, and only about half of our soaps have SLS. It's actually not proven to be dangerous at all - some research has shown that it can be a skin irritant, however as you don't leave soap on your body (you wash it off), the SLS (which creates a foam) is mostly washed away. Besides the amount that is actually in soaps in the first place is very small - too small to have a major effect. In fact, I have a regular customer who has eczema who buys one particular soap as it doesn't irritate her skin.

I'm not plugging the company at all, however I think it's important to note that 'negative' research on SLS is few and far between. I personally prefer my soap to lather as it makes me feel cleaner (psychologically I suppose). I don't like putting chemicals on or in my body as much as the next person, however the company does do its own research and attempts to keep down artifical additives they use. It's like preservatives - we know they're 'bad' (or seen as) so it's always one of the very last ingredients Lush puts in any given product. We do our research and all staff know about concerns like these and can advise people on products we have that don't contain certain additives.

It's given me inspiration to make my own soap too, however working for the company gives me enough to last a lifetime you can always smell me coming haha

Hope this helps.

I do envy you your job - I adore Lush stuff! If you have any tips about the quantity of essential oils that are used then that would be appreciated, I've only made one lot of soap and although iused the suggested amount of oil the soap is not as smelly as the Lush ones!

If you do decide to have a go at making soap then I suggest that you use some coconut oil as part of your ingredients because (I have read) it promotes lathering in the finished article. Certainly, I used some and the results are good.

TKP_3

I have a question - do you need to buy the expensive oils, or are the supermarket equivelent the same thing?
e.g. 100ml grape seed oil is £4-45 online aromatherapy shop, but 99p for 500ml at Sainsbuy's. Is it the same thing?

Angelina-M

Well I dont know about grapeseed oil but I get my sunflower oil etc from the supermarket so I cant see why not!

The only reason I wouldnt get the oils from a supermarket is if it stated that the oils were extracted chemically... but hey you wouldnt want to eat them then anyway! Just make sure they are true oils and not a mixture of a couple of oils, otherwise you wouldnt know the true amount of lye to use

I'd say go for it

Babylonian_2

TKP wrote:

I have a question - do you need to buy the expensive oils, or are the supermarket equivelent the same thing?
e.g. 100ml grape seed oil is £4-45 online aromatherapy shop, but 99p for 500ml at Sainsbuy's. Is it the same thing?

Yes - you can use the oils - check out ethnic food shops for stuff like coconut oil - the olive oil which works best though is known as "pomace" - it is a lower grade olive oil - I used to get mine online from https://www.lefktro.co.uk.

Angelina-M

Babylonian wrote:

Yes - you can use the oils - check out ethnic food shops for stuff like coconut oil - the olive oil which works best though is known as "pomace" - it is a lower grade olive oil - I used to get mine online from https://www.lefktro.co.uk.

Any idea on a price for the pomace? I use olive oil and love it but I know pomace is a lot cheaper. Wouldnt mind giving the pomace a go.

JoeyEmma

Wow, this thread has really taken off. I;ve read about making soap in slow cookers, which I'm going to try and look up!

Angelina-M

JoeyEmma wrote:

Wow, this thread has really taken off. I;ve read about making soap in slow cookers, which I'm going to try and look up!

Yeah if I run out of CP (cold process) soap I make it in a slowcooker so that I can use it straight away. Its still nicer if you can wait a while as it gets harder and longer lasting but its great when im desparate!

tallulah_beaulah

Angelina-M wrote:

Thats right, but you are panicking me a little by saying add it to the lye. Never add anything to the lye as it could go up like a volcano. Always add the lye, little bit at a time to your liquid. (gosh I felt all grown up then, giving instructions lol!)

Sorry, careless typing ... I know you add the lye a little at a time to the liquid. I'm not setting off any volcanoes in my kitchen.

Thanks for the reminder, Angelina-M!