FACT FILES ON HANDMADE, PURE ORGANIC SOAP

Guess you’re wondering what the title has to do with soap. Nothing- it’s just how my brain associates things…sorting and sifting information- this time centred around numbers and pH values of personal care products…numbers being the associating factor.

The Thunderbirds TV series is a favourite from my husband’s childhood…that continues. A few years back, the series was being screened at 4.30 AM on Saturday mornings…so we’d go to bed with the TV tuned in. BAM...the minute the introduction countdown would begin, he’d be bolt upright and alert. This response was from a man who sleeps through our security system alarm blasting the neighbourhood…but to the sound of “5-4…”, he’d be wide awake in anticipation- imagining he’s Scott Tracy (TB1 pilot, modelled on Sean Connery). He sees me as Lady Penelope without question…a female puppet version of MacGyver in his eyes. I don't know whether I should take that as a compliment or not. I believe my husband’s dream job would have been as a set/model maker for this series.

We had a market customer on Sunday who bought our soaps for a neighbour’s son to try in the management of his eczema. “Eczema”…it’s a tag placed against a very broad range of largely unidentified skin rashes. Most skin irritations can be sourced back to metabolic issues- usually food allergies. Anything applied topically might assist in soothing skin irritations, but the problem will not be resolved until the source of irritation is identified through the skilled resources of a competent nutritional and environmental doctor.

Other factors leading to skin problems can indeed be irritations caused by personal care product ingredients. The customer above said that her neighbour was about to try ‘baby soap’ on her son. I mentioned in the last blog that I’d done an ingredient analysis of many commercial soaps- one of which is JOHNSON’S “Baby Soap”, as listed:
- Sodium Palmate- saponified palm oil
- Sodium Palm Kernelate- saponified palm kernel oil
- Mineral Oil- petrochemical
- Fragrance
- Titanium Dioxide- white pigment
- Water
- Tetrasodium EDTA- synthetic chelating agent- skin irritant, allergen & suspected carcinogen
- Etidronic Acid- bisphosphonate & chelating agent- skin irritant

Its main ingredients are cheap, harsh palm oils- in combination with the petrochemical irritant mineral oil- further enhanced by fragrance irritants of an unidentified source, to conceal the smell- with a potential carcinogen added, to combine the ingredients successfully. Hmm…does that really sound like something that you want to use on your baby now that you can identify what the ingredients actually are?

I don’t know if they still do it, but I remember being given a gift pack of baby products when leaving the hospital after having our children. I was told that these were the best and only products that I should use on my babies. Oh, to have the opportunity for an encore in life over that moment, knowing what I now know! We generally accept what we are told by those supposedly in authority of a subject. We accept, as they accept, nothing more than marketing blurb put forward by commercial companies- put forward by artful copywriters, to promote a product to the retail market. Oh dear- I started my career in Graphic Design/Advertising. One core subject of study was Copywriting- trust me, there’s nothing substantial to the process beyond the creative use of words…”secret ingredient XPY will…”

Marketing has led us to believe that baby’s skin is “delicate” requiring “gentle, mild” product ingredients. Shall we reflect on the ingredients in JOHNSON’S Baby Soap again? A very simple relevant fact is that baby’s skin actually has a pH 7…the same as water- the neutrality point on a pH scale. Adult skin has a pH range of 4.5-6 - depending on diet, ethnicity and the body area. So if marketing were to be true with reference to pH scales, a more appropriate statement to make with regards to personal care products would alternatively be “Harsh enough for use on adult skin”!

Other pH values to reflect on: human blood pH 7.4, dog skin pH range 6.2-8.62 depending on breed (pH 7.3 average), dishwashing liquid pH 7.3 (Palmolive), black coffee pH 5. Are you noticing something? Despite all the marketing claims used for baby and dog care products, dishwashing liquid would prove a good pH match to use on their skins. Hmm…guess that’s a bit alarming to promote- especially when two thriving, profitable industries have been built around specialist care products- promoting these skins as being sensitive and delicate.

However, we would not recommend using dishwashing detergent in either scenario, mainly because of its toxic petrochemical ingredients- but that is essentially what you are buying as the ingredients in these products. If I told you that instead of paying $20 for that 250mL bottle of dog shampoo, that you could make your own at a cost of lets say 10c a bottle maximum…you’d be feeling a little manipulated, cheated and angry- more on that next week!

Soap has a pH 9…alkaline in range. There are two outlooks with regards to the pH value of personal care products. Adult skin is in fact acidic. Most argue that any higher variation to this range creates a breeding ground for bacteria. Others argue that bacteria can’t breed within a more alkaline range. I’m a supporter of alkaline ranges for health generally.

Very simply, commercial products that have been “pH adjusted” have had other chemicals added to reduce the end pH value…further adding to the chemical cocktail. One chemical produces undesirable side effects, so another is added to buffer it. Those 'gentle' baby shampoos that don't sting 'sensitive' eyes have another chemical buffer added to do so. Somehow, I find it alarming that products are produced that intentionally negate the natural instinct to protect one's eyes from a chemical element by closing them. No matter what the pH range of a product is, the skin will regain its natural pH again within 2 hours of use.

Here’s an ingredient list of another commercial product, frequently recommended for use on irritated skin-

REDWIN “Sorbolene Body Wash”, as listed:
- Water
- Sodium Laureth Sulphate- synthetic foaming agent & surfactant- skin irritant
- Ammonium Lauryl Sulphate- synthetic foaming agent & surfactant- skin irritant
- Glycerin- synthetic petrochemical
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine- synthetic surfactant
- Sorbitol- sugar alcohol & humectant
- Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate- synthetic surfactant- skin irritant
- Cocamide DEA-synthetic surfactant
- Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer-polyester resin- skin irritant
- Sodium Chloride- salt
- PEG-7 glycerol Cocoate- synthetic binder- skin irritant
- Citric Acid- organic acid & chelating agent
- Triticum Vulgare (Wheat Germ) Oil- but at this end of the descending listing, it's an insignificant amount to achieve any benefit
- Tertasodium EDTApolyamino carboxylic acid & chelating agent- organic pollutant
- Methylchloroisothiazolinone- preservative- skin irritant
- Methylisothiazolinone- preservative- mutagenic neurotoxin that can change DNA structure- 100% skin absorption

After reading that list, do you really think there is benefit to be gained through its use on an irritated skin? Yet go into a pharmacy and ask for guidance- you’ll be offered this or a similar product. Sorbelene…that’s purported to be mild, right? That might have been the case many years ago in its initial formulation, but the ingredients drastically changed over the course of time. Once you start reading labels and understanding what the ingredients actually are, you’ll begin to think very differently about products, marketing and advice given at pharmacies.

Commercial soaps are fairly harsh- being made from cheap oils and/or petrochemicals. Our handmade soaps are mild, moisturising and offer the beneficial qualities of the organic plant oils used. All of our organic soaps are chemical, colouring and fragrance free...the primary irritants used in most personal care products. Because we superfat our soaps- whereby not all of the oils are converted into a solid soap salt- a layer of the suspended oils used is applied to the skin with use. Our soaps are rich in natural glycerine content, as a by-product of the cold process method of soap making used. Glycerine is the most regarded moisturising ingredient in the cosmetic industry- being a humectant, attracting moisture to the skin.

It is not the pH range of a product that is generally an irritant to the skin, but more so the ingredients used. Our bodies were very simply never intended to process petrochemicals. The use of petrochemicals has developed through economics…a cheap waste product of the petroleum industry being put to use.

By caring for your skin with the natural nutrients of the organic plant oils that we use in our soaps, instead of synthetic chemicals, your skin will become healthy, naturally balanced and moisturised through the one simple daily task of bathing.

The resounding message is that our organic soaps are “F.A.B.”...the Thunderbirds' affirmative radio code for 'fabulous'!

FACT FILES ON HANDMADE PURE, ORGANIC SOAP

Quite a few customers at the markets on the weekend, quizzed me over soap making methods and safety issues...highly unusual. The odd person occasionally asks some questions- a few...tweaked my curiosity.

Then my memory likes to wander around and search for relevant fragments…triggered by words/associations. So now it’s replaying that infamous torture scene from the movie “Marathon Man”, where Dr Szell (Sir Lawrence Olivier) asks Babe Levy (Dustin Hoffman), “Is it safe?”…before wielding the dental probe into Levy’s decaying tooth. How could anyone attend a dental appointment thereafter, without apprehension? My memory grabs on to trivia and files it away.

Apparently, various soap making workshops have been run recently in Brisbane, & the take home message from that exercise in my opinion is that not enough information has been passed on to attendees over the importance of safety practices in handling caustic soda...with children attending these workshops also. I've refused to run soap making workshops because of safety issues...my business insurance would be promptly terminated!

As I’ve explained before, a caustic soda (sodium hydroxide/NaOH)/water solution or ‘lye’ is required to make soap. NaOH is a highly corrosive, caustic and reactive chemical, and it should always be handled with appropriate safety precautions in place.

Caustic soda is produced from an electrolysed sodium chloride brine solution. This process works in much the same way that chlorine is produced for salt water swimming pools- the salt water being passed over the charged plates of the chlorinator cell which breaks down the salt into its natural components…one of which is chlorine.

Caustic soda is a strong alkali and highly corrosive. When it is used commercially, stringent safety precautions are required:
-       chemical resistant clothing/apron, shoes, protective gloves and safety glasses/face shield must be worn
-       the area must be fitted with a fume exhaust hood, safety shower and eyewash fountain
-       NaOH must be stored in a dry place- away from metals, and locked away from child access.

Now there are some clues that should be observed with good reason.

NaOH is:
-       both colourless and odourless
-       slippery when wet
-       exothermic, generating extreme heat when exposed to moisture…heat sufficient to cause skin burns on contact
-       capable of melting some plastics from the generated heat when mixed with water
-       unstable when combined with anything other than lukewarm water…if the water is either too hot or cold, a volcanic reaction can occur
-       corrosive as a generated vapour/mist, and a respiratory irritant…severely damaging nose, throat and lung tissues
-       highly corrosive and capable of dissolving animal proteins…causing severe skin burns on contact
-       reactant with several metals…causing the highly explosive and flammable hydrogen gas to form- only stainless steel can be contacted safely
-       capable of producing deadly carbon monoxide gas, when in contact with any sugar.

That’s quite an extensive list of cautionary notes to be mindful of whilst handling NaOH in soap making. Accidents happen…without question. I have visions of spilling the lye on the floor- then falling over on the slippery surface and having my clothes drenched in the burning solution…and unable to get up! Only once have I had an accident- a tiny NaOH grain went unnoticed on a fingertip while I worked. It burnt a tiny deep hole through all layers of skin quickly.

Never become complacent over handling this chemical. I am acutely aware of safety issues always- even after making soap daily for several years. I wear protective items. I mix the water and caustic soda outside in fresh air. I use thermometers. I keep a bottle and bowl of vinegar on the bench- ready to neutralise any splashes/spills. I have the security of a swimming pool a step away from the workroom to jump into immediately. I take no obvious risks ever- one splash of the solution in my eye could cost me my sight.

I have taken issue over soap making kits being sold and promoted as an activity to be done by children. I find this prospect outrageous. Even with adult supervision, accidents happen in a split second. Children do not develop acceptable levels of thought processing and physical co-ordination skills until after the age of 10 years.

Beyond the potential recipe for disaster in a child handling NaOH, a child is curious and impatient. Once the soap is mixed and poured, it is left to firm up for 24 hours. The process of saponification continues during this period. The soap mixture goes through various stages as the molecular changes occur. The mixture generates its own heat, and gradually goes in to a clear gel state- starting at the centre and gradually expanding outwards to the edges. During this period, the mixture is still highly corrosive- it could in fact be used as a paint stripper. Do you really want a child impatiently poking their finger in to the mixture to gauge how firm it is?

Anyone using caustic soda to make cold process soap for public sale is required to be registered with NICNAS- National Industrial Chemicals Notification Scheme, Australian Government Dept. of Health and Ageing. Anyone not registered is liable to hefty fines- $33K for an individual/$165K for a company. If a soap maker makes a mistake in their calculations or measurements of caustic soda, severe burns could result.

Soap makers are also required to carry product insurance to protect the buyer’s health interests. Unfortunately, soap is now viewed as a high risk insurance item- largely because of claims brought about through many body-washes, which have a high margin for error in mixing. Product insurance for soap has escalated- with few insurers prepared to cover soap/related products- with insurance costing me 40% of every sale. That doesn’t leave much scope for profitability in the equation.

So my take home message to those thinking about making their own soap…please take note of the safety issues surrounding the use of caustic soda. Never treat it casually…ever!

Some safety tips in soap making to always observe:
-       wear protective chemical resistant gear
-       work in a well ventilated space
-       measure ingredients accurately
-       only use hardened glass and stainless steel utensils
-       have ready access to a water supply for emergency use
-       have ready access to vinegar…the acid will neutralise the alkali caustic soda
-       use thermometers in both the lye solution and oils before mixing at same lowered temperature
-       add caustic soda SLOWLY to lukewarm water- if added too quickly, corrosive vapour will form…which should not be breathed
-       never add water to caustic soda…a volcanic eruption will occur, causing dangerous splashes- only add NaOH to water
-       wash hands thoroughly after soap making
-       wash equipment used in isolation of anything else
-       reserve any equipment used solely for soap making
-       keep caustic soda and poured soap mixture out of the reach of children.

As I’ve explained before, caustic soda- although used to make soap- does not exist in the final soap product. It is a part of a manufacturing process, and it is rendered inert within 24 hours of combining the ingredients…resulting in a solid soap salt and glycerine as a by-product instead.

Back to “Marathon Man” and its relevance to safety in soap making. Levy answers, “No, it’s not safe- it’s very dangerous- be careful.” The memory dots are connected!