Ingredients

OLIVE OIL

Called "liquid gold" by ancient Greeks, olive oil hails from the olives which grow on the branches of olive trees, a symbol of abundance, glory and peace. Roman gladiators used olive oil as a salve for their wounds. Interestingly, since olives are fruits, olive oil is technically a type of fruit juice. Olive trees thrive in a dry habitat of sunshine, heat and minimal rainfall.

COCONUT OIL

Coconut oil is a solid, white fat used in cooking and cosmetics, especially soap. It is nice to add to hair sheens and lotions if you like a really rich texture. Coconut oil is also available in a fractionated version, meaning it has been distilled and refined so the solids are removed. Fractionated coconut oil is clear with a very long shelf life and is great to use in facial and body oils and in oil-based and semi-solid perfumes. Finally, coconut oil is available as "virgin coconut oil," meaning the fresh oil has been separated from the solids, thus producing an oil which retains the wonderful tropical aroma of fresh coconuts.

SHEA BUTTER

Shea butter is fat that’s extracted from the nuts of the shea tree. It’s solid at warm temperatures and has an off-white or ivory color. Shea trees are native to West Africa, and most shea butter still comes from that region.

Shea butter has been used as a cosmetic ingredient for centuries. Its high concentration of vitamins and fatty acids, make it a great product for smoothing, soothing, and conditioning your skin. Shea butter is technically a tree nut product. But unlike most tree nut products, it’s very low in the proteins that can trigger allergies.

In fact, there’s no medical literature documenting an allergy to topical shea butter. Shea butter doesn’t contain chemical irritants known to dry out skin, and it doesn’t clog pores. It’s appropriate for nearly any skin type.

CANOLA OIL

Canola oil is Loaded with vitamins E and K, canola oil can help to maintain the production of collagen in the skin, promote wound healing, keep the skin supple, and slow down the formation of fine lines and wrinkles.

SODIUM HYDROXIDE (LYE)

Sodium hydroxide is a chemical that, when added to fats and water in the proper proportion and at the right temperature, will facilitate the creation of soap and glycerin that we all know and love as "a bar of soap."

FRAGRANCE OIL

Fragrance oils are combinations of synthetically manufactured chemicals which are designed to "mimic" the aroma of natural materials. Some fragrance oil manufacturers use small amounts of true plant oils to boost and enhance the final aroma of their oil. For example, a small amount of pure rose oil is often used in rose fragrance oil because it is nearly impossible to create a synthetic material that does even a remote amount of justice to the scent of the real thing. Because fragrance oils are synthetically manufactured, they can be duplicated time and time again, and smell exactly the same each time a batch is manufactured. This is a very valuable thing for cosmetics companies because customers tend to like to use products that smell exactly the same each time they buy them, and essential oils simply do not fit this bill because they differ from season to season, harvest to harvest and batch to batch.

CASTOR OIL

Castor oil is a thick, odorless oil made from the seeds of the castor plant. Its use dates back to ancient Egypt, where it was likely used as fuel for lamps as well as for medicinal and beauty purposes. Cleopatra reportedly used it to brighten the whites of her eyes. Castor oil has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.

SOY WAX

Soy wax is a vegetable wax made from the oil of soybeans. After harvesting, the beans are cleaned, cracked, de-hulled, and rolled into flakes. The oil is then extracted from the flakes and hydrogenated.

KAOLIN CLAY

Kaolin (White Clay) is one of the lightest and least drawing clays making it especially suitable for sensitive, dry and mature skin types, and for children. It’s chock-full of minerals and detoxifying ingredients. Since it is gentle, it makes a suitable mild cleanser and detoxifying treatment for sensitive skin. For those who are looking to prevent signs of aging, such as fine lines and wrinkles, kaolin clay may help to tone and tighten the skin.

MICA

Mica is the name given to a group of naturally occurring minerals which are mined from around the world, purified, and crushed into fine powders. Mica accepts color very well and when color is added to mica, the effect can be anything from dazzling (using silver and gold tones) to muted (using opaque colors such as are used in foundations).

GLYCERIN

Glycerin is a clear, sticky liquid that is naturally produced during the soapmaking process. As a humectant, it attracts moisture, so is nice to use in products designed to provide additional hydration to the skin. Since glycerin attracts moisture from the environment, if a product contains glycerin, the product will attract moisture from the air and toward the skin.