An Informational Interlude

Ever hear of Phenoxyethanol?  Yeah, neither had I.

We were researching online and taking a look at other soapers' ideas, products, and ingredients.  Among a list of organic ingredients used in American cosmetics, we found phenoxyethanol.  Eric and I both had some trouble pronouncing it at first, so he had to look it up.  We're curious that way.

What we found is frightening, at least to us.

Keep in mind, this ingredient is listed as organic and is therefore considered as acceptable in natural, organic items.  It's used by American cosmetics companies!  So what's so frightening?

If you look here, you'll see that it's known to cause:
Central nervous depression
Nausea, (excuse the impending grossness) vomiting, and diarrhea
Prominent headaches
Abdominal and lumbar pain
Acute renal (that's liver, folks) failure
and there's more.

Exposure methods?  Inhalation and dermal (skin) contact.  Interestingly, the site says, "If contact should occur, irrigate exposed eyes with copious amounts of tepid water for at least 15 minutes, and wash exposed skin thoroughly with soap and water.

That's interesting.  Now, keep in mind where we found this ingredient - on an organic soap website, being used in soap and shampoo!  You see the issue here?  Wash with it or wash it off?  Hmm.

There's a good debate regarding this chemical, found in many synthetic fragrances and used as a preservative here.

There's enough frightening information out there that we will not be using this chemical.  It also reinforces our decision to refrain from using synthetic fragrances and perfumes, since the chemical is present in many, and we'd have no way of knowing which.

Moral of the story?  Know what you're using!  "Organic" is not equivalent to "good for your" or even "safe."  As a face painting friend of mine in Minnesota is wont to say, habanero peppers are "non toxic," (and I'll add, that they can also be organic), but you wouldn't want to rub them all over your face!

It's Not Easy Being Green

OK, sometimes it is.  I am proud to announce that we have been approved by GreenPeople and have a listing in their directory!

What is GreenPeople?  It bills itself as the world's largest directory of eco-friendly and holistic health products and considers itself to be a community service.  Their motto is simple:  Buy Green, Sell Green, Be Green.

The requirement for listing in the directory?  That the store's products contain natural (nonsynthetic) ingredients or allowed synthetic ingredients as defined by the National Organic Program.

Reef Botanicals, because of our commitment to handcrafting only all-natural products, has qualified for a listing!

Among the items in their mission statement are their commitment to create a more compassionate world, to practice honesty in business, and to help like-minded people meet, network, support and empower each other to help us reach our potential.  They also care for safety, fairness, environmental protection, and accurate product labeling.  We can get behind that.

Kermit would be proud.

The Holidays Have Been Extended!

I was having a kind of "eh" day yesterday.  I wasn't feeling well and didn't get anything done that I intended while Eric was out all day.  So when the doorbell rang, I was not really keen on seeing who it was, but if I don't check, Meg (aka our "doorbell") doesn't stop barking.  If you have a dog, you know how that goes.

So I trudged to the front door, braced myself for the impending chill, and looked out.  The postman was just leaving, and in my vestibule was a fat padded envelope.  From the United Kingdom!

Did I mention I'm also a face painter and henna artist?  I am.  In fact, if you're at all interested in body art (or if you've got kids and should be interested in face paint safety for them), check out my blog on that subject.  This is relevant here only because I'm a member of several body art online discussion groups.  On one of those, many of us all around the world have become very good friends.  So a few years ago, someone suggested that we have a secret Santa exchange.

This was my gift!  What a pick-me-up for an otherwise ick sort of day.  In addition to some face painting supplies which I can't get here in the U.S., at least not easily, a beautiful card, and some wonderful organic chocolate, my secret Santa, a lovely woman, sent me a soap making book!

It's from a London publisher, and we haven't seen it in any stores here.  And man, has it got some good ideas.  We'll be incorporating those in the coming weeks and months, and you reap the benefits when the new stuff hits the store!  Well... of course, we reap the benefits too, since we do use our own products and creations, but we share, so you do also!

My favorite part of the gift, though, were the four essential oils she sent!  Lavender is a staple, so I was happy to see that.  We've got tea tree oil on order, but the order has been delayed and we really wanted to work with it this weekend, so that's a great boon to us.  And then there are cajeput and geranium!  Cajeput is a really interesting scent, close to eucalyptus, but a little bit sweeter, and with a hint of a menthol tinge.  It's used a lot in mixing henna, and is said to have beneficial properties.  It's used in aromatherapy because it's invigorating, purifying, and a natural expectorant.  It's also used topically to relieve arthritis.  I can't wait to try it!  I spent much of the afternoon researching good recipes for it and other scents that work well with it, because we like to mix.

I must say, I'm most excited about the geranium.  I really wanted some floral scents other than lavender, and was actually thinking of purchasing a geranium essential oil to play with.  It smells wonderful and will be showing up in several of our products, you can be sure.  Geranium essential oil also has been said to have various benefits, including promoting healthy cell growth, reducing scars, speeding up the healing of wounds, and in the treatment of various skin diseases.  Plus, it's scent is used for it's deodorizing properties and is an uplifting cross between flowers and mint.  I bet you can't wait for us to begin using it either!

Getting to the Root of the Matter

Root of the Matter soap, that is.  Our newest vegan-friendly soap is made with pureed ginger, beet, and carrot - three different roots.

The funny thing is, we originally did this soap because we wanted the ginger scent, and we wanted to try getting color from the beet and carrot, and didn't think much past that.  We obviously researched to make sure that none of those are harmful for topical use, and they're not.  So it was full steam ahead with the production.

The colors were obviously an experiment.  Eric was pushing for more of a mix of colors, like our Fudge Chunk soap.  I wanted to try the two-tone layering.  The ginger is present throughout the soap, giving it a very faint ginger smell when dry, that gets more pronounced and definitely noticeable while the soap is in use.  I know because I showered with it this morning, and it was heavenly.

Then we took half of the soap and mixed in beet, and half with carrot.  The carrot half - the bottom - gave us a nice orange color.  The beet, though, didn't turn purple or red, much to our surprise.  It's a nice, natural, earthy tone, but decidedly not red or purple.  We were sure that with the way the fresh beets were staining my hands as I peeled them the red would just pop.  Not so much.  As it is, I really like the way these turned out, it was just unexpected.  Gotta love experimentation.

Because of the way we make the hand soaps, we didn't do those two-tone, but they are damn cute!

When it came to writing up a description of the soap, I did some research into the ingredients to see what I should say about them.  Well, as it turns out, all three roots involved have virtues that are espoused for various health and well-being purposes among those who are into holistic remedies.

All three are said to have antioxidant properties and various other benefits, but the most surprising to me was the carrot.  I actually read that carrot is said to have some sun protection built in.  Apparently, when carrot oil is used in conjunction with regular sunblocks, it enhances the power of the sunblock.  I'd had no idea.  I hope it works and that our soap can provide some of that benefit.

In the meantime, I do know that I just love it for the smell, the feel, the lather, and the way it washes clean.

The best thing?  These are up on the site, just in time for the remainder of our promotion:  Free hand soap of our choosing with any purchase through December 19!  Finish your holiday shopping at Reef Botanicals!