Newbie on the loose..... lol

[Gritty Pip]

Firstly, I start with an apology, because being a stereotypical newbie, I'm going to ask a Newbie question or three..... but in my defence, there is so much really good information on this site that I need to hone in, BEFORE I either blow myself up or go broke buying all the goodies on offer.....
I promise not to ask anything else until I have read at least one hundred threads........

so my first question is;

Books...... so many to choose from..... which ones are Gold Standard in your opinion

Fragrances.... are there suppliers of Food Grade Fragrances??
Yes, I understand the difference having worked in Food Business for many years, just hoping someone else follows the ethos of "if it's ok to eat, it's ok to apply to skin".... I know I will run up against someone who wants the 'impossible' ...... so I am chasing a rainbow here.... hoping to find a unicorn on my travels.....

And the key to unlock so much ......... is there a page of Commonly Used Abbreviations????
My level of understanding stalls at EVOO.......


Thanks Kind People.....

 

[amd]

abbreviations: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/the-acronym-and-abbreviation-definition-thread.51841/
There is a complete forum for beginners where this thread is also posted. I would make that forum a good portion of your 100 threads reading.

Food grade fragrances I can't help you with. For soapmaking we use skin safe fragrances. You can get them from a number of reliable sources by googling 'soapmaking fragrances' and finding those that are close to you for good shipping prices. If you are wondering if a supplier is reputable, you can always ask here! (My personal favorites are BrambleBerry and WSP, but I'm looking at other suppliers at the moment as well.)

Books: see this thread: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/posts/698029/

 

[dixiedragon]

I think for food grade fragrances, you can look for candy fragrances. For example, Lorann flavor oils I think work in lip balm. However, flavors tend to be more expensive than fragrances. Plus fragrances from soap suppliers have been tested for performance in soap. The lye monster might just gobble up a flavor.

 

[shunt2011]

I agree with dixiedragon. Food safe would be Lorann oils but they likely won't work in soap. I've not seen foodsafe fragrance. Fragrance oils developed for B&B tested for soaps and skin use.

 

[dixiedragon]

Brambleberry has Passion Fruit Rose which is both a fragrance oil and a flavor oil. https://www.brambleberry.com/passionfruit-rose-fragrance-and-flavor-oil-p3336.aspx

But that's the only one I've heard of.

 

[Gritty Pip]

Thank you for these great directions.....

 

[cmzaha]

Fragrances.... are there suppliers of Food Grade Fragrances??
Yes, I understand the difference having worked in Food Business for many years, just hoping someone else follows the ethos of "if it's ok to eat, it's ok to apply to skin".... I know


Thanks Kind People.....

Just a little note to the comment above, just because a person can eat something does not mean it is safe for their skin. You can be highly topically allergic to something and still be able to eat it, and the reverse can also happen. When food is digested it changes in the system so you may or may not be allergic to the product once it is in the system, this is why allergy testing for foods is not always accurate. As an example I am highly allergic to flax topically, but recently I accidentally ate some granola that I did not realize had flax and it did not bother me. Granted I am not going to push it, but it is possible I will never build an allergic reaction if I eat flax seed.

The other problem is you are just not going to get decent scents without fragrances or essential oils, and most EO's do not hold well in soap. Then there is the issue people like to smell the soap

 

[IrishLass]

Firstly, I start with an apology, because being a stereotypical newbie, I'm going to ask a Newbie question or three..... but in my defence,

No need to apologize or give a defense of yourself for asking questions.

so my first question is;

Books...... so many to choose from..... which ones are Gold Standard in your opinion

Besides the thread Amd recommended, See this thread also: https://www.soapmakingforum.com/thr...nce-material-for-cp-soap-body-products.63532/

For what it's worth, I have never read a soaping book yet that can compare either to the quantity and/or quality of (up-to-date) info found on our forum.

Fragrances.... are there suppliers of Food Grade Fragrances??
Yes, I understand the difference having worked in Food Business for many years, just hoping someone else follows the ethos of "if it's ok to eat, it's ok to apply to skin".... I know I will run up against someone who wants the 'impossible' ...... so I am chasing a rainbow here.... hoping to find a unicorn on my travels.....

Many of the same vendors that supply fragrances that are safe for skin and that work well in soap also supply food-safe fragrances for use in lip balms. Some of these vendors also sell a few food-safe fragrances that also perform well in soap. Brambleberry is one of those vendors. As Dixie mentioned in her post, their Passionfruit Rose can be used in soap and is safe to use in lip balm. I actually keep that one on hand as a staple because it's a special favorite of mine (I love fruity florals!).


IrishLass

 

[SunRiseArts]

Fragrances.... are there suppliers of Food Grade Fragrances??
Yes, I understand the difference having worked in Food Business for many years, just hoping someone else follows the ethos of "if it's ok to eat, it's ok to apply to skin".... I know I will run up against someone who wants the 'impossible' ...... so I am chasing a rainbow here.... hoping to find a unicorn on my travels.....


Thanks Kind People.....

LOL You are too funny, and welcome!

I was going to say the Lori oils, but someone already answer. I have used them in lip balm.

Why can't you use regular skin safe FOs?

 

[Gritty Pip]

Thanks again for such information.... my basis for asking is that I suffer a number of allergies (food & skin) and am considering making soaps that are 'almost good enough to eat'... as my ethos is that you shouldn't put on your skin what you wouldn't put in your mouth.... my experience with food manufacturing has me a bit suspicious of GRAS classifications, I almost always used natural flavours rather than synthetically derived 'nature identical'.. paid exorbitant extra amounts but felt better for doing it. As my experience with foods is mostly on the acidic end of the pH scale, I am new to the effects of Alkali on flavours.... and I'm told that I can't avoid Lye, so I have already ruled out trying to make soap with some 'food ingredient' to achieve that alkali effect.... so my understanding at this stage although rudimentary is kind of relative in some areas... thanks again. It's been a fair time since I did anything remotely similar to this kind of work & I'm re-charging my memory banks..... trying to learn as quickly as possible and appreciating all the help .......

Just a little note to the comment above, just because a person can eat something does not mean it is safe for their skin. You can be highly topically allergic to something and still be able to eat it, and the reverse can also happen.

True, I relate to that, being terribly allergic to kiwifruit, both as a food and as a skin reaction.... the response I have when I eat it is extreme.... on my skin is just at nuisance level..... but I avoid, avoid, avoid.... as each time it happens it gets more extreme.... allergies are such horrible beasties.....

 

[earlene]

As a nurse I would be appalled to read anything on a soap label that even alluded to a claim that this soap is almost good enough to eat. Please steer away from the idea that soap can be 'almost good enough to eat.' It's a dangerous road to go down if you ever plan to sell. Even if you give soap away with such a statement or claim, you could be liable for soap poisoning should they eat your soap. In some areas, in fact, you could be in violation of consumer laws if you were to package a soap as if it were a safe food product.

I do understand the idea of using ingredients that are safe to put inside the body. But if that's what you want to do, then soap may not be the product for you to make. Lye soap is not food and never will be, as far as I can tell. Soap poisoning is a thing and there is a reason why many people include on their soap labels: 'Do not eat' or similar wording.

Eating soap can cause intestinal reactions that include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Eating lye-heavy soap can cause more severe poisoning and even lead to death. Lye-heavy soap is a very real concern, and can happen to any soap maker, given the right (or wrong) circumstances. (That's why we do the zap test, but you may have already read about that in your readings.)

 

[Gritty Pip]

thanks for your comments.... I have never intended to 'sell' using the claim that soap is edible..... Our NZ food safety regulations are strict enough..... soaps and cosmetic items are a completely different realm.... warning labels are lacking in information on many items imported and sold in my part of the world. We are a dumping ground for products that don't conform to other countries standards..... I'm re-balancing my approach after many years of ill health due to food additives and don't want to go further down a rabbit-hole because it is a horrible state to be in....

From what I read yesterday... the Zap Test involves putting the soap lather in your mouth.... so there is an area of concern for me as a beginner

 

[shunt2011]

You just work up a bit of lather with a finger and touch your tongue. Zap like that of touching your tongue on a 9 v battery. Only way to know if there is any excess lye. Don’t do it until after 24 hours. Not a big deal. In 7 years only zapped once

 

[Gritty Pip]

Seems I'm going to be wearing out the 'thanks' keys on my laptop...... lol.
This is where speaking with 'real people' really has it's benefits...... book learning is good but people power is amazing.