Hi, I am new to soap making. Both my husband and I have been doing the hot process. We have been doing all natural products and essential oils. We have not tried using any colorants, and that brings me to my question. I have seen the clays and herbs but are the mica's and oxides considered all natural or not? Any help on this would be great. Thanks so much.
So confused..
- Thread starter rkestep
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Not really. Micas are mined from the ground but generally have synthetic colorants added to them. Oxides used to be "natural" but most are created synthetically now for consistent colors and safety reasons.
thefarmerdaughter
Well-Known Member
So confused.. Yeah so am I. I know originally the oxides were mined out of the ground, and still are for use in paint. The oxides we put in our soaps are made in a lab, and certified by the gov. they dont contain nasty thing like lead or mercury. Which can be found in trace amounts in the mined oxides. Heres what Im confused about some online retailers (handmade soapers mind you) who use the words nature and natural to describe their soaps, also admit to using oxides. Ive got nothing against oxides, Id love to get my hands on some (that'll probably be my xmas present to me :wink: ) But if they are made in a lab are they natural?
judymoody
Well-Known Member
I think oxides are a nice compromise. Assuming that you use commercial lye, which is not exactly natural. As Hazel mentioned, oxides are now produced in a lab because those mined naturally are often contaminated with heavy metals and other impurities. In this case, synthetic is better, IMO.
thefarmerdaughter said:
Technically, everything is is from nature and therefore can be marketed as natural. The word "natural" is over used and there isn't any regulations on what "natural" is so it can use be used legally to describe anything. That is, the FDA will ignore it when used to promote your soap. You can market your soap as 100% natural since lye is a chemical which is derived from a "natural" source - sodium chloride. Of course, sodium chloride won't saponify oils. It has to be processed by using electrolysis, etc. I'm not a chemist so I don't know the actual manufacturing process. All I know is sodium hydroxide is produced from the same mineral I like to sprinkle on mashed potatoes. Do I consider lye natural? No. I don't even consider table salt a natural product...but I consume it anyway.
I could also say soap isn't natural. It's manufactured by combining fats and an alkali base to create an exothermic chemical reaction. After saponification, there isn't any lye remaining in the soap since it's been chemically altered. Many of the oils and butters we use in soapmaking have been processed and refined. Are they still considered natural? But heck, let's not get too picky about semantics. Micas and oxides come from the earth and processed to remove potentially harmful substances, refine texture to improve usability and to achieve consistent coloration. Therefore, they are often considered "synthetic" or not natural. Also, iron oxides are added to some micas to create specific colors. Yes, they are from a "natural" source but they have been processed by people. If you think about it, almost all of the ingredients we use in soapmaking has been derived from natural sources then refined for more consistent quality and to be easier to use. An example is the different types of clay. I certainly wouldn't want to go out and dig it, dry it, remove impurities (minerals, metals, bacteria, fungi, etc) and powder it before I could use it. It is processed but it is still considered a natural product. I also buy cream from the grocery to add to batches. Is this cream natural? It's not from the original source and I didn't process it myself.
Everyone has an opinion of what "natural" is and some people have a narrower definition. Some people consider them natural, some people don't. It comes down to what you consider "natural". If you decide micas and oxides aren't natural by your definition, then you can still state your soap is 99.9% natural since you use such a minimal amount.
I like judymoody's comment that oxides are a nice compromise. You can also check with suppliers to see if they know how the micas and oxides are processed.
thefarmerdaughter
Well-Known Member
Ok Hazel I see your point,now. And I feel silly for getting caught up in the natural vs synthetic thing. Like I said I haven't had to chance to work with oxides, but I plan to. It's just like the word natural gets thrown around willy nilly. It doesn't seem fair to the people who strive to keep there products as "under processed" as possible. Maybe someone should come up with some new terminology
Don't feel silly! It's not something you really think about until you start researching and asking questions. We're bombarded by so much advertising/marketing propaganda that you have to tune out a lot and not consider it logically. It's too overwhelming. I used to think the same thing about natural products until I started reading more and this forum also helped when I read posts written by more scientific orientated members. I'd read a post and it would make me wonder so I'd do a little more research which took me further into more research and more. 
The problem is weeding out the articles and books written by people aren't qualified, haven't done the research, or take comments out of context to promote their products. One of my pet peeves is people who promote "natural" products and use scaremongering tactics to sell their products. I hate reading stuff about how "toxic" chemicals and preservatives are in everything produced by the big companies. :roll:
I was at a fair and there was a lady there selling lotions and soaps. Her lotions didn't list a preservative on the labels. I don't know if she just didn't use a preservative, didn't list it deliberately or if she didn't know enough to add it to the ingredients label. But my skin crawled at the thought of using a lotion without a preservative. I'd rather buy a commercially produced lotion than risk using a lotion that may have microorganisms breeding in it.
Using the word "natural" makes for great marketing terminology, too. The FDA doesn't regulate it and it creates a positive emotional association with "good" and "healthy". If something is "natural" then it must be better for you! People seem to have forgotten that many "natural" products were inconsistent in quality and some were actually dangerous before regulations were implemented.
The problem is weeding out the articles and books written by people aren't qualified, haven't done the research, or take comments out of context to promote their products. One of my pet peeves is people who promote "natural" products and use scaremongering tactics to sell their products. I hate reading stuff about how "toxic" chemicals and preservatives are in everything produced by the big companies. :roll: I was at a fair and there was a lady there selling lotions and soaps. Her lotions didn't list a preservative on the labels. I don't know if she just didn't use a preservative, didn't list it deliberately or if she didn't know enough to add it to the ingredients label. But my skin crawled at the thought of using a lotion without a preservative. I'd rather buy a commercially produced lotion than risk using a lotion that may have microorganisms breeding in it.
Using the word "natural" makes for great marketing terminology, too. The FDA doesn't regulate it and it creates a positive emotional association with "good" and "healthy". If something is "natural" then it must be better for you!
People seem to have forgotten that many "natural" products were inconsistent in quality and some were actually dangerous before regulations were implemented.
thefarmerdaughter
Well-Known Member
Thank Hazel great advice. Gee I hope rkestep's got an answer to their question
I hope so, too. I didn't mean to go on a rant about "natural" products.
