What soapy thing have you done today?

[Hendejm]

I'm not picking a horse in this race, 'cause I just don't know, but I will point out that some big companies, who are also governed by FDA and Health Canada regulation, do make such claims:

Yardley
Softsoap
SheaMoisture Coconut Oil Bar Soap
etc etc

Also, I could argue that a soap that has the properties of cleansing without stripping away natural oils is more "moisturizing" (as in "moisture-leaving") than a soap that does strip away more oils. I'm sure German has a word for "soap that leaves behind more moisture than another one", but perhaps the paucity of the English vocabulary leads us to make linguistic elisions when describing?
I wouldn't make such claims myself, but it sure doesn't seem to be hurting doTerra's bottom line....

In most cases ( as in the examples shown above)....they are not soap. They are a bar that resembles soap and shares some of the properties of soap. They contain chemicals and as such are technically cosmetics. Under cosmetics US law - labeling requirements are different and you are able to make claims as to their abilities. (whether true or not). The FDA explains it here:
https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductsIngredients/Products/ucm115449.htm

The US FDA requirements are mostly voluntary compliance. Meaning - claims can be made of a cosmetic without having to substantiate the claim. This is the case of Yardly, Softsoap, Dove, etc. They are NOT soap. When comparing those products to what we make - soap - they are 2 different products and 2 different distinctions and requirement. It’s really an apples/oranges comparison. They are similar but different.

So - if you want to make claims of a soaps properties and abilities - add some chemicals - call it a beauty bar - label properly - and make whatever claims you want to make. But if you are making soap and not adding chemicals to your product - then you cannot makes claims as to their benefits to/on the skin.

This is the United States only. Other countries are more strict and some are more lenient - while some may not address it at all.

DoTerra is a separate discussion. They are constantly in trouble for their practices and it will probably catch up with them, eventually!

Again - this is my opinion and interpretation of US law and of course, is subject to different opinions. I choose to err on the side of caution and not make any claims of my soap other than to clean. I cannot get into trouble if I follow this principle. Others will choose a different path and that is ok with me too!

 

[lenarenee]

I'm going to continue the OT briefly to correct a previous post that may suggest that a sunscreen soap is usable/effective for prevention of sunburn.

Its NOT. No way. Impossible and outright dangerous. There is no flipping way you can add enough sunscreen ingredient to a soap base, let alone equally disperse the molecules to ensure predictable coverage of sunscreen in relation to square inch of skin. And use your noodles people - why does soap clean in the first place?? Chemistry of electrical charges!! It lifts and separates the dirt and grime from the skin so you can wash it off. You can't apply a coating of something that's supposed to adhere to your skin....INSIDE A PRODUCT THAT IS MADE TO REMOVE ANYTHING THAT'S STICKING TO YOUR SKIN!

As is the notion flying around the internet that you can make your own sunscreen by mixing titanium or zinc oxide into oils/butters.

I'm a childcare provider who has had parent after parent hand me a container of their healthy homemade sunscreen. Yes, I'm going to yell again: IT DOESN'T WORK!!! Every single kid got sunburned. Every. One. Every. Time.

There's a great deal of work that goes into dispersing the molecules of sunscreen chemical uniformly throughout the product. This ensures that there is enough of the chemical to be strong enough to do its job and also that there is a prescribed amount of that chemical in every squeeze of the tube!!!!! Otherwise, you end up with less zinc oxide in squeeze 7, and more in squeeze 22. Therefore you wouldn't be able to rely on the product working.

 

[Meena]

Okay, haven't made soap since my last batch 10 days ago -- my first HP -- which i just love and am already using a bar of (and can only get better!); but I'm out of my primary hard oil (and so is my supplier), so last night I wrote a new recipe to use what I have on hand. It will be a 7 oil soap, including my last ounce or so of pastured beef tallow (at around 6% of the recipe), and my first time using mango seed butter! I have sample sizes of new mica colors, so gonna mix up some lye and while it's cooling, decide on colors. Pictures will be forthcoming.

Aw, heck -- gotta clean the kitchen first... and then prepare my work area ... such as it is (my horrible little galley kitchen! for a cook, no less!).

 

[lenarenee]

Back to the regularly scheduled topic:

I made soap yesterday for the first time in 343 days!! I had to - for my mental health and it worked because I feel more like myself again. The renovation is making progress, and there is now ONE completely furnished, usable, clean room in the house for us to use. But there's another delay of about 3 weeks overall. We've had 2 deaths in the family in one week, and a friend with a cancer diagnosis. (seriously. you can't make this stuff up).

Made two 2.5 batches of salt bars. Love WSP's Black Salt and Cedar - despite the reviews that say it behaves well - it doesn't in a 95% co recipe (but I would expect that anyway). There was some cracking because of the heat.

The other was Spiced Mahogany from BB, a remake for one of my boys. Once it's well cured, it really does smell like wood to me. Hope to make more tomorrow - but someone needs to wash the soap dishes first.

 

[Meena]

Oh, @lenarenee ! So sorry for all these tribulations and deaths, my word!! You can't make this stuff up...
I wish i had some perfect suggestion, but all i can come up with is 'take care of yourself'.
So glad you got to make some soap, and that it was helpful. *Hugs*

 

[jcandleattic]

Looks like this month's challenge soap to me....

exactly what i was thinking

 

[Marilyn Norgart]

i was gonna run after work and get the rest of the guitar strings for my banjo (soap cutter) and pick up more lye and fats and some orange FO...…………………………….but my feet hurt and its cold out...……………..so I came home and ordered a few things from Nurture. its supposed to get warm this weekend so I will get the fats, lye and guitar strings then. I am running the dishwasher with all my dirty soap stuff now but am kinda bored and really wanna make some soap.

 

[lenarenee]

Oh, @lenarenee ! So sorry for all these tribulations and deaths, my word!! You can't make this stuff up...
I wish i had some perfect suggestion, but all i can come up with is 'take care of yourself'.
So glad you got to make some soap, and that it was helpful. *Hugs*

Thanks Meena, we're doing okay. One death was inevitable and I suspect was exactly what that person would have wanted. We're doing okay. Now that I will be able to soap a little - it helps a lot!

 

[Meena]

@Marilyn Norgart New AVI!! Love your pup!!!!!

 

[Hendejm]

You can't apply a coating of something that's supposed to adhere to your skin....INSIDE A PRODUCT THAT IS MADE TO REMOVE ANYTHING THAT'S STICKING TO YOUR SKIN!

This sums it up for me and I consider the discussion closed ( for me at least - no more rants on the subject)

 

[lenarenee]

Me too. I think. But I'm extra rant-ful today because I'm blocked in a room while the contractors spray something really smelly in the hall. No one told me this was going to happen today or I would have moved the pets into a safer place. The fumes could kill the guinea pigs!

 

[cmzaha]

This requires another thread
And skin is the biggest organ in the body with absoption rates which are medically documented.

It was actually proven this year the Skin is not the biggest organ.

 

[Jeboz]

View attachment 35633 @Susie - sorry to hear about your event -ridden holiday. Hope all goes well for you on Friday.
@Dawni - don't leave that soap in the mould too long before cutting!
@Chris_S - funny story about the lost stick blade - ya ning-nong!

I cut my new slab-swirled soap in the evening - it was very wet and sticky due to the humidity ( yes I had gloves on!) but I think it's going to dry out OK. My sister ( my best and worst critic) thinks it look like vomit. She doesn't like a whole lotta contrasting colours together. But I do and it's MY soap. Will edit soon with a pic. I think I'll try bevelling all of these though.

Looks like the new wooden slab worked a beauty! Any preference for slab or loaf moulds?

 

[Chris_S]

Looks like the new wooden slab worked a beauty! Any preference for slab or loaf moulds?

Hi @Jeboz if your new to soap making i personally would stick to a loaf mould with a silicone liner mostly because they are cheaper to buy and on all honesty i reckon if i had to learn to line a slab mold from day one i would of got frustrated and prob bought a loaf mold anyways lol. I think there are advantages and disadvantages to both really.

Well we lost the rugby so i started very slowly to sort out a 3 loaf batch its now 1.20am and im tired now. will it be ok to leave the butters in the microwave and finish tomorrow evening? its taking ages for the lye to cool arrrrrrrggggg

 

[Meena]

It was actually proven this year the Skin is not the biggest organ.

The fascia is, I believe. Is that what you're referring to?

 

[Dawni]

Awww guys, glad you liked my rebatch haha it helps that I put it in those nice molds lol

But no... I have something special planned for my first ever challenge, this isn't it.

@Chris_S when I try CP I start with cold water and stick my lye solution in the fridge while I every now n then stir the butters I melted under a fan.

 

[Meena]

Excuse me for a sec, friends, while I write a short note to my mother in Heaven:

"Hey, Ma! Remember when you always said, 'How can someone so smart be so stupid?'? Well, NOTHING has changed!! Just thought you'd like to know."

Miss BrainTrust didn't calc the volume of my mold and estimated 18.5 ounces to be enough. Well, it wasn't enough.
My loaf mold just became a skinny slab mold.

What an *****!! My best swirls yet and these 'bars' will be lucky to be 3/4" thick.

 

[Dawni]

Look on the bright side @Meena, they'll be pretty mini soaps that fit exactly in your hand and are the perfect size for display! Hehehe

Can't wait to see the cut, those colors are beautiful

 

[Chris_S]

Excuse me for a sec, friends, while I write a short note to my mother in Heaven:

"Hey, Ma! Remember when you always said, 'How can someone so smart be so stupid?'? Well, NOTHING has changed!! Just thought you'd like to know."

Miss Brain-Trust didn't calc the volume of my mold and estimated 18.5 ounces to be enough. Well, it wasn't enough.
My loaf mold just became a skinny slab mold.

What an *****!! My best swirls yet and these 'bars' will be lucky to be 3/4" thick.


View attachment 35734

Perfect guest soap size.

If it makes you feel any better my soap just now didnt go much better why oh why did i decide to take it past very light trace. Oh well only time will tell if it went well they are all tucked up in bed now so tomorrow will give me an answer as to how sucessful i was tried confetti soap not sure how that went either that was the start of the bad ideas i mixed to a thicker trace than normal partly for the purpose of the confetti soap then i dished it into a jug added fo and white mica and poured ect and then it occured to me it wasnt enough so i mixed some orange and did a coloured top without confetti. Then by time i got to my second loaf mould the batter had thickened to past what i had mixed it to so welcome to part 2 of have a go and see so mixed colours and fo in and tried a few little things to hopefully make them look good it ended with me tring to do an inpot swirl think first one was ok then tried it again and then realised i hadnt added the fo so added that and of course i had to whisk it up and of course that merged the colours so iv got a totally new and random colour on 2 different layers. i reckon it could be an interesting batch lmao well i had fun regardless of possible disasters lol

 

[Misschief]

And I was just thinking the other day about the great marketing claim: 1/4 moisturising cream. True or not, it's made them lot of sales.

One of the reasons they make that claim is because creams/lotions are made with oils and waters, two of the main ingredients in soap.