BUTTERS
COCOA BUTTER
Pressed from the delicious smelling cocoa bean. It is a rich emollient for dry skin. Softens and protects, particularly where skin is thin (eyes, lips and throat).Cocoa butter is one of the most stable fats known, a quality that, coupled with natural antioxidants, prevents rancidity, giving it a storage life of two to five years.[citation needed] The velvety texture, pleasant fragrance and emollient properties of cocoa butter have made it a popular ingredient in products for the skin, such as soaps and lotions.
The moisturizing abilities of cocoa butter are frequently recommended for prevention of stretch marks in pregnant women, treatment of chapped or burned skin and lips, and as a daily moisturizer to prevent dry, itchy skin.[14] Cocoa butter's moisturizing properties are also said to be effective for treating mouth sores.
SHEA BUTTER
Butyrospermum parkii. Moisture-rich butter obtained from the nuts of the Mangifolia tree in Central Africa, also known as karite butter or African butter. A superb emollient, high in fatty acids and other nutrients, it is an ideal ingredient for skin moisturizers, sun care products and hair conditioners.
HERBS
CHAMOMILLE FLOWER
Chamomile is a herb that people have used for centuries. People in the United States probably know it as tea to calm an upset stomach or to help with sleep. Two types of chamomile are used for good health: German chamomile (Matricaria retutica) and Roman (or English)chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). We use German type.
People use German chamomile to treat irritation from chest colds, slow-healing wounds, abscesses, gum inflammation, and skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, chickenpox, and diaper rash. For these conditions, you use chamomile in an infusion or bath, or as a tincture, which is a concentrated extract mixed with alcohol. People use Roman chamomile as a tea to treat an upset stomach, sleeping problems, or menstrual pain.
LAVENDER FLOWER
Lavender is credited with being anti-allergenic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antibacterial, antispasmodic, balancing, energising, soothing, healing, toning and stimulating. There doesn’t seem to be much that lavender cannot do for you. Lavender flowers are a great exfoliant in soaps and and also smell amazing when packed into aromatic sachets to refresh your room, car, give as a wedding guests gift or house warming gift. The scent is known to protect clothes against moths and repel mosquitoes.
FUNCTIONAL OILS
ALMOND OIL
Pure Almond Oil is an all-natural oil that's perfect for nourishing and reviving any skin type. Almond Oil is easily absorbed and won't clog pores, promoting clear, soft, healthy skin. This all-natural skin-nourishing oil is idea for the entire body. Almond Oil is an all-natural oil derived from pressed almonds. Vegetable-derived oils date back to Biblical times, when they were mixed with fragrant herbs to create traditional ointments.
HAZELNUT OIL
Expeller pressed from the kernel of the hazelnut, this oil contains vitamins, minerals and protein. It is said to be beneficial for oily or combinations skins and useful with acne.
Hazelnut oil has a light fatty, nutty aroma and darker color than the refined oil. It is also the newest addition to our culinary oils!
A wonderful astringent oil for skin care preparations, hazelnut oil is ideal for oily or combination skin formulas. It absorbs into the skin quickly, and should not leave an oily residue. It is often used as a carrier oil for massage oils blends and essential oil dilutions. This unrefined oil may add a light nuttiness scent to the finished aroma of a blend.
It can also be added to your favorite culinary creation. This low-heat oil is mostly made up of oleic acid which is classified as a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid. It may be used as a cooking oil at low temperatures, and makes a delicious addition to salad dressings and dips, adding a nutty flavor profile.
ST. JOHN'S WORT OIL (MACERATE)
Hypericum perforatum. Although this calming herb is best known as a natural antidepressant, its oil form is an excellent emollient and skin softener, widely used in sun and skin care products for its healing properties on dry, irritated skin. Also beneficial to damaged hair and dry scalp. Not phototoxic when used topically.
MARIGOLD OIL (MACERATE)
Calendula officinalis flower macerated in olive oil. The common Marigold, known for its healing and analgesic properties. It is a frequent ingredient in ointments and natural deodorants. Contains saponins. Sometimes used as a natural yellow color. Soothes, heals, restores. Calendula is an excellent anti inflammatory, and is very useful for eczema, dermatitis and irritated skin in general.
IMMORTELLE OIL (MACERATE)
Immortelle or Everlasting was reverred from the times of ancient Greeks for it s amazing properties in healing the wounds. Tradiotinally tt is used becasue of it's antiinflamatory properties and cell regeneration, pain relief, sootihing and uplifiting the whole organzim. It is even believed that it stimulates liver function. It can be applied on skin to remove scars, strechmarks and wound of all types. This is one of the most expensive ingredients in cosmetics becasue of its propereties in skin rejuvenation.
AVOCADO OIL
Persea gratissima. Moisturizes, nourishes, softens. Unrefined Avocado oil, which is dark green in colour, contains vitamins A, B1, B2, D, Pantothenic acid and E as well as lecithin. It is excellent for dry and wrinkled skin. A good source of vitamins A, D and E, amino acids and sterols. Herbalists traditionally have used avocado oil in hair and scalp preparations and in the treatment of chronic dry skin conditions. Easily absorbed by the skin and scalp, it is very soothing and nourishing.
VARIOUS
SODIUM HYDROXIDE (LYE)
An alkaline salt obtained when electrolysis (positive and negative poles) is applied to sea water or salt water. Chlorine collects at the positive pole, and sodium hydroxide collects at the negative pole.
ACTIVATED CARBON
Persea gratissima. Moisturizes, nourishes, softens. Unrefined Avocado oil, which is dark green in colour, contains vitamins A, B1, B2, D, Pantothenic acid and E as well as lecithin. It is excellent for dry and wrinkled skin. A good source of vitamins A, D and E, amino acids and sterols. Herbalists traditionally have used avocado oil in hair and scalp preparations and in the treatment of chronic dry skin conditions. Easily absorbed by the skin and scalp, it is very soothing and nourishing.
GREEN CLAY
(Montmorillonite Clay) Commonly known as French green clay, rich in minerals and other nutrients. Used in deep-cleansing face masks to draw out impurities and balance and clear the skin.
HONEY
Light humectant and nutrient used as a thickening agent to give body to facial masks, creams and lotions. Produced by bees from the nectar of flowering plants. Composed primarily of the sugars fructose and glucose and consumed as food, honey also has applications when it comes to skincare. This is due to its amino acid, peptide, and vitamin content. The primary research on honey and skin has to do with its multi-faceted role in wound healing: it protects the wound and its sugars serve as an alternative food source for bacteria that may otherwise prolong healing or cause infection. For general skincare that does not involve wounds, honey has anti-inflammatory properties and also functions as an antioxidant. Dark honeys have a stronger antioxidant effect than light honeys.
BEESWAX
Natural substance made by bees to build the walls of their honeycomb. It is a thickening agent that has some emollient properties, and is often used in lip balms. Like any other wa, protects skin from drying out and first crems were made with beeswax in the times of Ancient Greece.
GOAT MILK
Goat's milk soap delays signs of skin again due to its high content of alpha-hydroxy acids such as lactic acid. Alpha-hydroxy acids break down dead skin cell bonds, removing dead skin cells from the skin's surface and leaving behind new cells on the surface that appear smoother and more youthful. Studies now show that goat's milk is effective for treating acne and skin conditions. This is primarily because goat's milk has anti-bacterial properties that delay the growth of microbial organisms that spur the spread of acne.
It reduces skin inflammation due to its fat molecule content. The cream present in goat's milk is a moisturizer, soothing dry and damaged skin, possessing an anti-inflammatory effect.
FLAX SEEDS
We use these seeds to fill our lavender and flax seed pillows. The pillows are meant to be used as they are, cooled or heated for various pain or stress relief purposes. Flaxseed provides a gentle, moist heat which promotes healing. The weight of flaxseed is gentle and comforting. As flaxseeds are flower seeds, rather than grain, they contain 30-40% oil which remains inside the seed to be warmed again and again. Other products loose their ability to retain heat as the water cooks out of them over time.
When heated, flaxseed pillows retain half their heat after an hour. Under covers the pillow will still be warm hours later.
BASE OILS
COCONUT OIL
Cocos nucifera. Rich emollient expressed from coconuts. It is naturally converted into a soap through a saponification reaction with an alkaline salt. Beware of cosmetics that bill themselves as "natural" and use a synthetically processed derivative, sodium lauryl sulfate, claiming it comes "from coconut oil." Accept nothing but the real thing in its natural form.
SOYBEAN OIL
Glycine max. Good emollient, high in linoleic, oleic, palmitic and linolenic acids, essential fatty acids necessary for healthy skin.
LARD
Lard is made from pork fat through the process of rendering. It is a traditional ingredient widely used before the new era of fine oil and vegetarian soaps came in the late 20th centry. It may actually benefit the skin because it is mild, moisturizing, and conditions very well. It ads a creamy lather, conditioning properties and some hardness to the finished product.
Consumers unfortunately associate lard and other animal fats with store bought commercial soaps that incorporate skin damaging chemicals. They don't realize that it's the synthetics damaging the skin, not the lard.
Soaps made from animal fats tend to have a creamy, stable lather, like soaps made with a high percentage of the butters I listed above. They are usually hard bars.
We use lard only in our Grandma's soap (Bakin sapun).
PALM OIL
Elaesis guineensis. Oil obtained from the seeds or fruit of the palm tree. Saponified with an alkaline salt, it is used in the manufacture of bar soaps. Palm oil is used in cold process soap to add to the hardness of the bar and is typically replaced for tallow in all vegetable oil recipes.
OLIVE OIL
Olea europaea. Rich emollient high in oleic acid, very beneficial to the skin. Used in skin care preparations for thousands of years for its softening and smoothing properties.
ESSENTIAL OILS
LAVENDER ESSENTIAL OIL
Lavender essential oil has a light floral aroma and it is clear in color. It really is a wonderful oil which helps you feel more relaxed, easing sore muscles and joints, relieving muscle stiffness, clearing the lungs and sinuses from phlegm and for wound healing and dermatitis. It is really a very good oil to include in a massage blends or natural soap recipes. Popular and effective ingredient with versatile use and an amazing aroma.
ROSEMARY OIL
Rosmarinus officinalis. Essential oil beneficial to both hair and skin for its antioxidant, toning and purifying properties. In hair care products it is said to stimulate hair follicles to grow and encourage circulation to the scalp. Used in hair rinses, particularly in combination with sage, it soothes and conditions the scalp and helps remove buildup and prevent flaking.
TEA TREE OIL
Melaleuca alternifolia. Essential oil with powerful antiseptic and germicidal properties, similar to eucalyptus oil. Due to its strong odor, it must be used in small amounts in cosmetics, but makes an excellent addition to dandruff shampoos and therapeutic masks and moisturizers and is excellent for the treatment of acne.
CINNAMON OIL
Cinnamon, which has the scientific name Cinnamomum zeylanicum, originated in tropical Asia, and was particularly widely used in Sri Lanka and India. Now, the shrub is grown in almost every tropical region of the world. The herb, owing to its vast medicinal uses, has found a prominent position in traditional medicines, especially in Ayurveda, which is the traditional Indian medicinal system. Traditionally, cinnamon has been used in many cultures for treating a variety of health disorders including diarrhea, arthritis, menstrual cramps, heavy menstruation, yeast infections, colds, flu, and digestive problems.
SAGE ESSENTIAL OIL
Salvia officinalis. A purifier and tonic, its antibacterial action makes it ideal for sensitive skin or scalp and antidandruff preparations. It is often combined with rosemary in hair and skin care products, and like rosemary, it has antioxidant properties and is very beneficial to the skin and scalp.
MINT ESSENTIAL OIL
Mentha piperita. Excellent antiseptic frequently used in shampoos and rinses for its toning effect on the scalp, and in bath oils for its warming/cooling properties on sore muscles. A natural antiinflammatory, very soothing to the skin and scalp. Peppermint has a powerful, sweet, menthol aroma which, when inhaled undiluted, can make the eyes water and the sinuses tingle. Aromatherapy benefits: vitalizing, refreshing, cooling.
LAUREL (BAY) LEAF ESSENTIAL OIL
Laurus nobilis. Essential oil obtained by steam distilling the leaves of the bay laurel tree indigenous to the Mediterranean. Often used as a spice or fragrance, it also acts as a scalp clarifier and tonic.Know for a very strong anti-fungus action. In cosmetics, it is used in preparation for greasy skin and acne treatment.
SILVER PINE ESSENTIAL OIL
(Fir Oil) Pinus sylvestris. Aromatic essential oil with antimicrobial and skin-purifying properties. Often used for its cool, pleasant fragrance and invigorating effect on the body when inhaled.
ANISE OIL
Anise’s therapeutic benefits and licorice-like flavor were recognized and used by many ancient civilizations. Today, many pharmaceuticals seek to take advantage of anise’s benefits by adding the herb to certain drugs, like cough syrup and throat medications.
Anise essential oil is derived from the perennial herbal plant anise or aniseed (Pimpinella anisum). Although anise originated from Asia, it is prevalent in Mediterranean nations. Today, it is produced in Spain, France, and Russia, but also grows in the wild in other countries.
This oil is widely used to clean wounds and protect against infections.
GERANIUM BOURBON ESSENTIAL OIL
Astringent, softens, soothes, and balances. The pure essential oil obtained from the Geranium leaf and stem is antiseptic, astringent and toning. It normalises sebum production and stimulates the lymphatic system, making it excellent for seborrhoea, rosacea and inflamed conditions. This oil is one of the most important perfumery oils and is an important ingredient in all types of fragrances. It has a powerful, leafy-rose aroma with fruity, mint undertones. Bourbon oil, from the island of Reunion, is considered the finest grade, and has the best staying power. It is used in skin care products for both its fragrance and its toning, cleansing properties. Aromatherapy benefits: soothing, mood-lifting, balancing.
CLOVE ESSENTIAL OIL
Steam distilled from the Clove flower buds. Clove oil is antiseptic, stimulating and pain-killing. Strong antibacterial function is recognised in dentistry where it can be rubbed around an aching tooth to stop the pain or even used in tooth filling instead of common dental medication.
CITRONELLA ESSENTIAL OIL
Steam distilled from Managrass or Lemon Balm grass. Uplifting and clearing. Good for oily skin and excessive perspiration. Insect repellent.