Castor Oil Properties in Soap

Castor Oil in Soap


I thought it would be interesting to write about some of the oils I use in my soap.  After making soap for over 10 years I have found that different oils contribute different qualities. 


Castor oil is derived from the seed of the plant.  The castor plant is native to the southeastern Mediterranean basin, East Africa and India.  India is the largest producer of castor oil followed by China and Brazil.


Traditionally, castor oil has many other uses.  It is used as a laxative and to relieve stomache aches. It is also used as an industrial lubricant.  Castor oil is also used to promote hair growth and is good for acne prone skin.


What makes castor oil different from other oils is the high concentration of ricinolein making it extremely thick and viscous. 


In soapmaking, castor oil is invaluable. All of my soap contains castor oil.  Like all oils you need to find the correct percentage to use.  Too much castor oil will make your soap very soft and mushy.  A little goes a long way unless you are making a shampoo bar.  In shampoo bars a common usage rate can be as high as 25%.   Soaps made with this much castor take much longer to cure. Shampoo bars take at least two months to harden. 


In my regular bars I use 2-3% castor oil.  It has natural emollient properties that adds conditioning qualities to the soap.  The addition of castor oil creates rich, dense, thick bubbles.  The biggest benefit that I see in my soap is that the lather is thick and luxurious.  


Castor oil is one oil that I cannot go without! 

Why I Oppose the Safe Cosmetics Act

When the Safe Cosmetics Act first came out, I was definitely in agreement with it. Who would not be in favor of safe cosmetics?  One of the reasons I began making natural soaps and body care products was because I strongly believe in ethical products that are healthy not only for people but for the environment. I try and practice what I preach.  I use fair-trade shea butter in all of my products and buy organic whenever I can. I am a vegetarian not only for health reasons, but more importantly for the sustainability of our planet.  Even my business cards are made using recycled paper. With that being said, I have some real issues with the Safe Cosmetics Act. They have a top-notch website with all the bells and whistles (http://www.safecosmetics.org/index).  They have a really nice video featuring Annie Leonard - who reminds me of a modern-day June Cleaver. Who wouldn't believe June Cleaver?  However, just like June Cleaver is a fictional Hollywood character, this bill is also filled with fiction.

The bill sounds great on the surface but once you dig a little deeper you find many discrepancies.  The first question I ask myself after I read something is "Who is the author?" and, "What is in it for them?".  One of the founders of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics (CSFC) is Stacy Malkan, author of "Not Just a Pretty Face".  On the Skin Deep website their is a link to her website if you care to purchase the book for $15.95 - not including shipping. The bill is being backed by some powerful tax-exempt organizations including the Environmental Working Group (EWG). The EWG has not filed a tax return since 2008. Even though they are considered a charitable organization they are still required to file taxes.  The president of the EWG is Ken Cook. In 2008 (the last year a tax return was filed) his salary was listed as $219,401.00 along with an additional "estimated" $21,295.00 for other compensation.  You can read the entire article at "The Revealing Truth of the Money Trail of EWG".  If you are like me you will be amused - if not amazed - at the salaries of some of the members including Richard Wiles, Jane Houlihan, William Walker, Susan Comfort, Sandra Schubert, Alexander Formuzis and Christopher Campbell.  The combined salaries of these top 8 employees alone was $1,185,775.00.

One of the major reasons I do not support this bill is that it will require small businesses to conduct "safety" testing on all of our finished products.  This does not seem like a big deal, but it can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 just to test one product! Of course I would need to get my product tested in a "government approved" testing facility. So, when I change the name of "Apple Jack" to "Celtic Christmas" sometime in October, I can expect to pay an exorbitant amount of money to get my new soap tested.  When I decide that I would like to introduce a nice autumn fragrance like "Pumpkin Harvest", guess what?  Kaching, kaching, kaching..... another $8,000 to get it tested!  My annual "gross" income from my soap business in 2009 was $12,667.00.  I currently have 36 soaps, 12 flavors of lip balms, 8 lotion scents, 2 facial toners, 6 body sprays (give or take)....well, you get the picture!

The Safe Cosmetics Act is just another form of regulation that small business owners do not need. I already list all of my ingredients on my product labels. I file my taxes and pay them. This bill will bog me down in excess government paperwork and is just another form of censorship by the government. I urge people to read this bill between the lines!  Who benefits from this bill?  Big businesses that can afford to file all of the paperwork and pay for the filing fees.  Stacy Malkan who promotes her book on the Safe Cosmetics website. Ken Cook and his cohorts who collect huge salaries and don't file taxes.

This bill is not what it seems and I hope you will take a few minutes to read this petition and sign it.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/oppose-hr-5786-safe-cosmetics-act-of-2010

Menasha Market

The Menasha Farm Market is a great place to be on a Thursday afternoon!

The atmosphere is relaxed and the vendors are terrific. My soap business is not only about selling soap but, more importantly, the relationships that you form with the other vendors. Panhia sells right next to me. She has 10 children - 6 girls and 4 boys! She is so tiny you would never beleive that she has 10 children!

It is a real joy to be next to her every week. She gives me all kinds of great vegetables like carrots, beets, mint, strawberries, raspberries, scallions and the best cilantro I have ever eaten.

She asked me to give her a print of these pictures when I see her this coming Thursday. Panhia is Hmong and originally from Laos. The Hmong are here in the United States as refugees from the Vietnam War. They were recruited by the US and fought against North Vietnam. In general, the Hmong people followed an agrarian lifestyle - much like our European ancestors. Because they fought to preserve their culture and would not be subdued by the communists, they were targeted for genocidal extinction.
The majority of  Hmongs have settled in Wisconsin, Minnesota and California.  The Hmong people are very family oriented and hard working.  I feel honored to have Panhia as a friend!

My next picture is Syd who is on the other side of me at the market. He also has a unique story. Syd is from Stephensville, which is very close to Shiocton. Syd sells old insulators, rhubarb, dried out gourds and maple syrup. We share the same Maple tree and we both benefit from its shade. Syd had his own farmer's market going at the Columbus Club in Appleton for a long time. Because of all the politics, he is not selling at the Appleton Market on Saturday mornings. He is a really nice guy - except for the fact that he eats too much meat. I am working on him, though, and hopefully before the summer ends I will have him weaned from his evil ways. Although he thinks that I am the one who is nuts.

Here are some pictures of my set-up at the market:

Terry Naturally Farmer's Market

Me at the (NEW!) Terry Naturally Market

I started doing the market at Terry Naturally two weeks ago. I have such a good feeling about this market! Debra is the owner of Terry Naturally along with her husband, Terry Lemerond.  They have over 40 years of experience in the health industry. Terry is a prolific public speaker and gives regular presentations at the market.  This market is so well organized and well run. Debra spends much of the time passing out food samples using food produced from the vendors at the market.  They have great live entertainment featuring local musicians and a magician who performs card tricks.  The first week of the market a local radio station, WIXX, was there.

I bought perennial plants today from Bill. He has the healthiest plants I have seen and is very knowledgeable. I bought a Joe's Pye Weed, Orange Coneflower and a Prairie Blazing Star.  He threw in another one - I think he said it was a purple coneflower. 

I can't wait until tomorrow so I can plant them!

His website is Stone Silo Prairie Garden. He is located in De Pere, Wisconsin and has many native grasses and sedges as well as perennial flowers. 

This is my friend, Terry, who owns Navarino Valley Elk & Buffalo Ranch in Shiocton, Wisconsin.  The elk are all grass fed, and raised without antibiotics or hormones. He has a whole variety of products including elk jerky (terriyaki, spicy and regular), steaks, roasts and elk patties. 

Here is a partial list of some of the vendors at the market:

• Beaver Brook Maple Syrup
• Caprine Supreme
• Dalla Terra Pasta
• Drachona Gems
• Great Harvest Bread
• Kellner Back Acre Garden
• Keune Authentic Foods
• Mai's Flowers
• Makes Scents
• Mind and Body Products
• Native American Jewelry
• Navarino Valley Elk & Buffalo Ranch
• Oneida Apple Orchard
• Siefarm Grass Fed Beef
• Soap Dance (the best natural soap around!)
• Sweet Dirt Acres
• The Bridge Between Retreat Center
• Timms Garden and Canning
• Weeping Willow Produce

Business Cards

How exciting!  For the last few days I have been hyper focussed on creating a new business card.  In the past I have used two local printing companies and, more recently, Vistaprint.  I have a fancy new Mac with all the fancy new software (that I am struggling to learn how to use).  I figured that it wouldn't be a big deal to design my own business card just like the "big guys" - the high-paid graphic designers that I wish I had the money to afford!

I also wanted to create a "Green" Business Card.  Because of my personal beliefs I want to use recycled paper and soy ink.  I have struggled with using Vistaprint because the company seems to be strangely like an internet version of Walmart (wow, I love that analogy - you can quote me on that!).  Even if it costs a little more, I want my business card to reflect my own philosophy of being environmentally friendly.

This is a Jpeg of what I came up with. I actually did this in a pdf format, but it would not upload like that. My actual business card will have rounded corners.

If anyone is interested in where I ordered my cards, email me or give me a call!

Liquid Soap Update

This is what my liquid soap looks like 2 weeks later! This is normal - it will probably take another few days before it is clear. This process is called sequestering. I added more glycerin and borax to my liquid soap after I tested the ph level. Sequestering comes from the Latin word, sesquestrare, which means to remove, set aside or separate.  The clouding of the soap is caused by insoluble fatty acids.

Once the soap becomes brighter and less cloudy I will add the essential and fragrance oils. I plan on splitting this batch into three parts. One I will fragrance with Pink Grapefruit essential oil, one with Lavender essential oil and the last with Patchouli essential oil and Raspberry fragrance oil. When I add the various fragrances it will be interesting to see which ones will turn my soap cloudy again.

I think it is pretty neat to see the entire process of making liquid soap.  It is very different than when I make my normal soap!

Liquid Soap Adventure!

I am trying my hand at liquid soap again. I made it about two years ago using Catherine Failor's book, "Making Natural Liquid Soap". This is a great book to use as a reference.

This is a picture of what the soap looks like after you combine the oil and butter mixture with the potassium hydroxide and water.

I used the paste method where you end up with a very thick, paste like substance. Using a stick blender, it doesn't take long for the mixture to turn into a glue-like consistency.

You dilute this using distilled water and it can take up to three days. I started out using a version of my regular soap formula and ran it through the lye calculator at The Sage. One of the tricks to making clear liquid soap is to use a "0" superfat. This means that all of your oils are saponified leaving nothing extra. Normally you would want to superfat your soap somewhat so that your soap has the conditioning benefits of the oils. When I make regular soap I always superfat my batches so that my soap is more moisturizing (well, as moisturizing as soap can be while still being cleansing).

It is imperative that you have an accurate scale. I went to a soapmaking class a few years ago just to see how it was being taught (and I was nosy). I cringed when the instructor said that a few ounces here or there was no big deal. It is a big deal! In soapmaking you need to be very accurate or your soap will be either lye heavy or a greasy mess. I am sure everyone has heard stories about their grandmothers making soap out of lard. Lye heavy soap is extremely drying and hard on your skin. On the other hand, a soap too heavy on the oil/butter side will not be cleansing and leave an oily film on your skin. So it is extremely important to measure your ingredients very accurately!

I did superfat my batch of liquid soap. I plan on using opaque pump bottles so it is not important to me if my soap is clear or cloudy. I wanted to leave some of the oils and butters unsaponified to make my soap less drying and harsh.

The soap above is what the paste looks like. It is so thick that you can't stir it and can barely get the spoon out.  I used some lovely oils and butters in this batch so I hope it turns out to be a nice, luxurious soap.

The ingredients I used are: Babassu, Avocado, Sweet Almond, Castor, Shea, Cocoa and Kokum Butters, Macadamia, Olive and Rice Bran. I have now diluted my paste and plan to add some Jojoba.

I can't wait to try it! I plan on splitting this batch and doing half with Lavender and the other half Patchouli Raspberry.