To make a super sudsy scrubber for bathing, make a slit in the edge of a sponge and insert small slivers and bits of soap. Happy scrubbing!
According to Wikipedia: The earliest recorded evidence of the production of soap-like materials dates back to around 2800 BC in Ancient Babylon.[5] In the reign of Nabonidus (556–539 BCE) a recipe for soap consisted of uhulu [ashes], cypress [oil] and sesame [seed oil] "for washing the stones for the servant girls".[6] A formula for soap consisting of water, alkali, and cassia oil was written on a Babylonian clay tablet around 2200 BC.
HAND-WASHING is the single most effective thing you can do to reduce the spread of colds and other infectious disease. Since ALL soap is antibacterial and bactericidal, it is your first line of defense against bacteria.
Does the soap/body wash you are using contain Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate?
Uses: According to DCI it is used as a detergent, wetting agent, and emulsifier About This Ingredient: This is a synthetic detergent. It may dry the skin out because if it's degreasing properties. Depending on where you look, this detergent is may be listed as a mild skin irritant. How It's Made: This detergent is chemically synthesized in a lab. The Bottom Line: This ingredient does not appear to have any beneficial properties for your skin (aside from cleaning it), and may dry it out. Does the soap/body wash you are using contain Stearic Acid? Uses: Used as a hardener in soap. According to DCI, it also gives liquid soap a pearly appearance. About This Ingredient: According to DCI and Cosmetics Info it is deemed safe by the FDA and CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) expert panel. DCI states that it is a possible sensitizer for allergic people. Stearic acid is a consituent in some vegetable oils. How It's Made: According to Wikipedia, Stearic acid is prepared by treating animal fat with water at a high pressure and temperature, leading to the hydrolysis of triglycerides. The Bottom Line: This ingredient does not appear to have any beneficial properties for your skin, and may sensitize you to allergens. Does the soap/body wash you are using contain Sodium Palmitate? Uses: Used for cleansing and creating lather. About This Ingredient: Sodium Palmitate is a salt of Palmitic Acid (according to Cosmetic Cop's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients. Palmitic Acid can be drying to the skin). How It's Made: Sodium Palmitate is made my mixing Palmitic Acid with Lye (a solution containing water and an alkali). The Bottom Line: This ingredient cleanses your skin, but may dry it out. Does the soap/body wash you are using contain Lauric Acid? Uses: According to Wikipedia it is a surfactant and cleansing agent. About This Ingredient: Lauric Acid occurs naturally in some vegetable oils like palm oil. It can be irritating to super-sensitive individuals at high concentrations. How It's Made: Occurs naturally. The Bottom Line: This ingredient cleanses your skin. It may irritate very sensitive skin and my cause cancer. Does the soap/body wash you are using contain Cocamidopropyl Betaine? Uses: Used as a surfactant. About This Ingredient: This is generally regarded as one of the more gentle surfactants, although some studies indicate it may be an allergen, according to wikipedia. How It's Made: I wasn't able to pin this down difinitively, but I gather that it is synthesized in a lab The Bottom Line: This ingredient cleanses your skin. It may also be an allergen. Does the soap/body wash you are using contain Maltol? Uses: Used as a flavoring agent, according to wikipedia. About This Ingredient: I wasn't able to find any information on the use of Maltol in soap. It occurs naturally in some types of plants. It does have a fragrance. How It's Made: I can't say definitively, but I would propose that it is probably harvested from plant material. The Bottom Line: This ingredient does not appear to have any beneficial properties for your skin. It might be used as a fragrance, but maybe not considering Dove claims this bar to be unscented. Does the soap/body wash you are using contain Titanium Dioxide? Uses: Used as a whitening agent. About This Ingredient: Titanium Dioxide is thought to have no negative side effects when used externally. However, I have read that people can be sensitive to it. How It's Made: Crude titanium dioxide is purified via titanium tetrachloride in the chloride process, according to wikipedia. The Bottom Line: This ingredient does not appear to have any beneficial properties for your skin. It may cause skin irritation. A quick note about saponification: Soap, in it's most basic form, was probably discovered a few thousand years ago by ancient priests. In those days, priests made sacrifices by burning the carcass of an animal on an altar built out of rocks. Wood was used to build the fire. As the carcass burned, fats would have dripped down to the bottom of the altar, and the ashes would have also fallen down to the bottom. Rain water mixed with wood ash creates sodium hydroxide, also called "lye". Fats saponify when mixed with lye and water. That is, a chemical reaction occurs, creating soap. So the soap found at the bottom of the altar was primitive, but it was soap - a basic necessity gift from God. How cool.
| AuthorSoaper, homeschooling mom, animal lover, living and learning Categories/key wordsAll ArchivesMay 2013 |
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