# 100% Natural?



## hartleyandco (Sep 6, 2014)

My bar soap is made with natural ingredients such as palm and coconut oil. However, I use FOs because they don't fade like EOs and they leave a bit of scent on your hands which is nice. I would love to use EOs and advertise as 100% natural, how can I extend my EO scent?

Thanks a bunch!


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (Sep 6, 2014)

"Natural" is a very.......undefined term in soaping - you can pretty much call it natural and nothing apart from your ethics and reaction from the soap users can stop you. 

You are using bought lye, I imagine, and so that is man made and not natural. Your scents make up a rather small % when compared to that. 

But if the people who use your soap want natural, then they might have to deal with less of a scent. If they want a soap to still smell after a year, then they don't want natural.


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## hartleyandco (Sep 6, 2014)

That is precisely what I have come to understand on how they compare, thanks for confirming my thoughts. Ultimately I think customers want soap that smells pleasant and I could always offer a 100% natural scent free bar..


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## seven (Sep 6, 2014)

natural FOs by WSP

but the choice of scents are pretty limited.

like TEG said, natural is an unregulated term. i can call my soaps natural if i chose to compare them with commercial ones that contain sulfates and so on. if i viewed it from another angle, let's say EO vs FO, then i'd prefer to call the FO ones semi natural. that's just my logic regarding this topic.


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## hartleyandco (Sep 6, 2014)

I find it difficult to locate affordable EOs that have a strong potency. I've paid 18$ for one ounce of EO in the past, which faded completely within a few weeks. FO just seems to make perfect sense from a business point of view.


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## judymoody (Sep 6, 2014)

There are plenty of EOs that stick well that aren't too expensive if you order on line.  However, I wouldn't switch over just to claim "all natural."  "Natural" is a somewhat meaningless term - there is no standard legal definition.  Personally, I use "hand crafted" and sidestep the issue altogether.


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## kmarvel (Sep 16, 2014)

judymoody said:


> There are plenty of EOs that stick well that aren't too expensive if you order on line. However, I wouldn't switch over just to claim "all natural." "Natural" is a somewhat meaningless term - there is no standard legal definition. Personally, I use "hand crafted" and sidestep the issue altogether.



Judy, I have used "all natural" on my website.  But, I am rethinking that after reading these threads.  Would Tallow or Lard oil be "all natural"?  Even though you need lye to make soap, is it considered "all natural"?
 I think EG stated that "natural" would be a good term.

 But, hand crafted soap does sidestep the issue.  Thanks.
 Kathie


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## shunt2011 (Sep 16, 2014)

I too say handcrafted.  When asked if they are all natural I tell no as I use lye, FO's and Micas to make my soaps so beautiful.  Then I tell them that they are better than any store bought soap.


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## CiCi (Sep 16, 2014)

Some of the EOs that stick for quite a while are Lemongrass, Anise, Patchouli, peppermint and Litsea. They make great combination scents, as well. Maybe do a few "natural" batches and and stick to only the EOs that have lasting power.


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## KatsKreations (Sep 16, 2014)

I think the term natural is very misleading. Lots of natural things that are disgusting. I garden and I do not mind using 13-13-13 on my garden. I know it breaks down and is taken up into the plants the same way manure is. I also use organic additives as well to increase flavor. I do not put pesticides or herbicides, or fungicides on my plants. I consider my garden a more natural approach to buying non organic in the supermarket. So I feel about soap. We are way more natural in our approach to soaping than supermarket soaps. I like to go as organic as I can but I realize that it is not always possible. I do know mine even as new as I am is better than dial that I used to use a few weeks ago.


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## sassanellat (Sep 17, 2014)

'All natural' is very misleading, because pretty much everything is 'natural' - aka it exists because it was naturally derived, even if in small quantity, out there in the universe. Chemistry is natural. If you take natural materials, do natural chemistry, and create natural products, is it 'natural'? Oxides are an example of that - where the chemistry produces a superior, safer, and all natural product. I think most people mistake 'natural' for 'good' or 'healthy' where there is so assured correlation at all. In fact, it's interesting that most people (me included) prefer not to use petroleum, which is a natural plant breakdown product! For me, it's all about the trace contaminants and solvents which are not healthy that are a concern.


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## judymoody (Sep 17, 2014)

kmarvel said:


> Judy, I have used "all natural" on my website.  But, I am rethinking that after reading these threads.  Would Tallow or Lard oil be "all natural"?  Even though you need lye to make soap, is it considered "all natural"?
> I think EG stated that "natural" would be a good term.
> 
> But, hand crafted soap does sidestep the issue.  Thanks.
> Kathie



Tallow and lard, for me, are natural products (they come from animals that exist in nature).

I wouldn't call lye that is manufactured in a lab natural.  Lye that you make yourself from wood ashes, sure.  But the former is a much more reliable and consistent substance that will produce safe, consistent results in your soap.  For me, that's more important than how natural it is.  As was pointed out in the last post, man-made oxides are also safer than what is found in nature.  I would put safety above "natural" claims.


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## marilynmac (Sep 17, 2014)

kmarvel said:


> Would Tallow or Lard oil be "all natural"?



Of course they are natural.

They wouldn't be vegan.  
You can call them organic if they were fed organic feed, but the (legal) definition of organic gets pretty dicey.


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## Earthen_Step (Sep 17, 2014)

This is a snippet from our site:

We use 100% natural* earth-made ingredients where we can, the one and only exception is sodium hydroxide (lye) where we use a food grade product.  In the process of creating soap the sodium hydroxide is entirely saponified, leaving you with a product suitible for a baby.  We do not use any synthetic fragrances, colorants, exfoliants, fixidants or preservatives.  That does not mean every product we make is suitible for all skin types, some essential oils can cause irritation to some people.  If you do have a negative reaction, discontinue immediately.

*Just a note on our natural additives.  We do use ingredients that have been refined or processed in some way, they were derived from nature not synthesized.  Some ingredients have been ground up or pressed, some have been washed, and "activated charcoal" (wiki) has been treated.


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