About three weeks ago, I wrote a blog about soap and the concerns people have regarding glycerin/glycerol or what we put on our bodies. I am friends with a few naturalists and these people (God Love em because so do I) are my hardest individuals to please when talking pure, natural and healthy- oh and lets not get started on FDA/FDC (or government in general)----- We all know the government is considerably controlling. And while many people purposefully ignore the controlling things that are going on (Recent example- SOPA) there are many people adamant about sharing the truth.
So. To get back on track in regards to what I do- I am a candle maker and I like to make soaps.. amazingly though- soaps are a bigger hit than my candles right now. So, I decided... if soap is going to be something worth investing in.. then I want to provide people a product that I feel proud of. And because I know a few critical naturalists... I figured "well, only way to argue is to know what I'm talking about."
First. I want to clarify that I am not putting down my naturalist and truth seeking friends because they have a lot of great knowledge and without their critical skepticism, I wouldn't be doing my research.
This is going to be a fairly informational read so, if you don't want to learn today.. I will have other posts that are simple and sweet another day.
So here are some things I have found through my research from many different resources:
1. Glycerol is a pure alcohol mixed with many different other things to create its usage. Also, glycerol is actually naturally in ALL animal and vegetable fats and oils- only its in the form of an ester or glyceride (seen as maybe triglyceride). ANYTHING that even remotely has the "G-L-Y-C" in it is a form of glycerol.
2. Glycerin is a product that many people argue because of its "moisturizing" results... Natural (unmixed liquid) glycerin is so powerful that it can blister a tongue but when mixed with other products, it can actually make for important results. It is very popular in the use of soap as it does have purpose. It can help pull your own body's moisture from your pores to help keep the skin moisturized. A little bit goes a long way and just about any skin product has some form of glycerin in it... but because its not very extreme (like mentioned oils above and the form of esters) its not put on your ingredient list. Moisture can be locked (by oils) in or pulled out... some form of glycerol. Again, I mention that the closest oil to our body's chemistry is Jojoba oil (taught to me by Jolene Aguilar).
3. Our bodies are sponges and will absorb many things... Back in the old days- people used actual animal fats and plant ashes to wash their body... So, to think- their bodies were soaking in all that yummy fatty oils along with plant ashes to help "cleanse." -----These days, soap is much more subtle in their products and what we soak in (but can also be pretty harmful- which is why I have stated in my previous post "do your research. And be mindful of what you use." Our bodies even soak in particles in the air (which explains a lot about acne). Or you could talk about what we eat and how our skin responds to it... That's always a fun topic. Truth on that can make anyone not want to eat processed foods for awhile. "Just don't think about" is a few sentences you'd hear at the dinner table...
4. I did a little research on castile soap and even looked into Dr. Bronner- They mention their ingredients and I am happy to say that they use Sodium Hydroxide (a name used with lye. If lye is not melted properly...it is actually more harmful than glycerin. It is the result of saponification - fats/oils plus lye = soap) or Potassium Hydroxide- (mixture of sodium hydroxide and potassium) with a ** next to it... down on the bottom they state: "** None remains after converting oils to fatty acids and glycerin" - --- Yes you read right.. glycerin. Castile soap can be made by olive oil, cold water, and lye (you can choose to add essential oils if you want scent). (One more note on lye... if people state they have glycerin soap... lye still exists in it but it isn't the largest ingredient- this is because without lye.. soap is not possible).
5. I even went so far as to understand the extraction of olive oil (or vegetable oil in general)- Extracting oil is a process and while is widely understood as considerably pure- guess whats in olive oil---- triglyceride esters- in the name of fatty acids. What did I say earlier about triglyceride esters????
6. So. This is my conclusion of glycerin.... If used properly and scientifically combined properly-- it can in fact be a very useful product in your soap. It exists...whether people like it or not. The best decision you can make though is to be very clear on what you choose to use.
Hopefully I was able to educate some people and hopefully I haven't upset too many naturalists.. Remember, I have a high respect for your knowledge and if you can add any information to this topic... Please be my guest. I enjoy learning and will appreciate your support or arguments either way. We all need to learn how to better, naturally, take care of our bodies...
Have a great day to all you information seekers!
Kristi
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