Solid lumpy soap is now very popular. And not only as a cosmetic, but also as an element of bathroom decor. How to choose a really high-quality product, natural and safe for health?
WHAT IS NATURAL SOAP?
The first and main difference - natural soap does not contain any synthetic components. Various chemical ingredients that manufacturers often add to improve the consumer properties of soap can have a negative impact on the skin and human health in general.
In addition, regular soap is often made from cheap animal fats. Natural cosmetics manufacturers use only pure vegetable oils - palm, coconut, olive and others. Each of them affects the properties of the final product.
Soap with tea tree oil has a bacteriostatic effect and is therefore well suited for oily skin. Almond and argan oils, as well as shea butter are known for their moisturizing effect. Sea buckthorn oil promotes skin regeneration.
HOW NATURAL SOAP MAKE?
To create a natural soap, vegetable oils, caustic alkali and water are needed. Under the action of alkali oils break down into glycerol and acid. Next comes the reaction of acid with alkali, which is well known to all of the lessons of chemistry. Salt is formed.
This whole process is called saponification; as a result, two valuable products are added that complement each other - soap and glycerin. At the same time for every three molecules of soap, one molecule of glycerin is formed. The soap has detergent properties, and glycerin softens the skin.
At this stage, you can add various natural ingredients (essential oils, honey, milk, cream, vegetable and berry puree, beeswax, algae, clay, extracts of herbs and flowers), which will give the soap individuality. Then the whole mass is mixed, poured into forms, placed in heat.
The aging process of soap, during which the alkalization reaction is completed and the soap becomes non-aggressive, can take from one to two months. This method of manufacture is called “cold”.
There is another “hot method”: after the main reaction between the vegetable oil, alkali and water has passed, the mass is boiled (or rather, torn) in a special boiler in a water bath at 70 ° C for 4–8 hours, depending on the type . Only after that lay the other natural ingredients.
With this method, the alkalization reaction is significantly accelerated, and soap can be used immediately after it cools and hardens. The appearance of such a soap, as a rule, is “wild”, it may have uneven edges, it cannot be bright.
Over time, the color may change, since it does not use artificial dyes, stabilizers, fixatives. But those who know how to soap, appreciate this product.
Recently it has become popular to make soap from a finished soap base - this is a variant of home-made art. It turns out a product with a strong odor, transparent or bright color, various, sometimes very intricate forms, with drawings, various inclusions.
It can be very dangerous, as the soap base almost always contains a lot of synthetics - preservatives and detergents.
HOW TO CHOOSE SOAP? READ THE LABEL
According to the rules of the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients), the package should contain the components that make up the product, in the order of their descending order. That is, in the first place are written the names of the ingredients that contain more.
In the case of natural soap it is saponified oils (coconut, palm, olive). Sometimes they can be called “sodium salts of fatty acids of such and such oils” or “higher salts of fatty acids of oils”. All these formulations indicate that the basis of the soap - natural vegetable oil.
Further, all other components are indicated: essential oils, herbal extracts and other natural ingredients added during the manufacturing process of the soap, glycerin resulting from the reaction, water.
If the list is not limited to this, do not be lazy to read it carefully. Often, to improve consumer qualities, manufacturers add synthetic components that perform a particular function: surface active substances (surfactants) or detergents, preservatives, stabilizers, antibacterial components, dyes, fragrances, acidity regulators, and so on.
Each of these groups includes a variety of elements that may be contained in industrial soap. And often "synthetics" is listed in the first positions in the description of the composition. On sale you can find "soap", which does not contain salts of fatty acids, that is completely made on the basis of synthetic surfactants.
Unfortunately, most often it does not reach reading the composition, which is written in small print and replete with unfamiliar terms. However, there are simple ways to determine the degree of naturalness of soap. Pay attention to color, shape, smell and price.
Natural soap does not have bright colors and exotic forms. Its aroma is achieved solely through a combination of essential oils and herbal extracts that cannot smell like lilacs, strawberries, ice cream or caramel. Yes, and the price of natural soap is not low. It is justified by the cost of ingredients and laboriousness of production.
Particularly attentive is to be when buying soap, which is advertised as "handmade" or "100% natural." If the composition of the soap base and the components that are added there are not registered, then you can expect anything from such soap.
WHAT ARE DANGEROUS SYNTHETIC ADDITIVES?
The most obvious negative effects of the use of soaps with synthetic additives are dry skin, its irritation, peeling, and allergic reactions.
Thus, surface-active substances of petroleum origin, possessing good detergent properties, can shift the acid-base balance of soap to the acidic side (up to pH 5.5), providing foaming, regardless of the quality of water - it is hard, soft or sea.
But our skin is not adapted to contact with these substances, and sooner or later unpleasant symptoms appear. On the other hand, natural soap, although it has an alkaline balance (pH about 8), does not damage the skin, as it contains high-quality pure vegetable oils and natural glycerin.
They can even wash their face. For healthy skin, a short-term shift in its pH presents no problems. Just after soaping you need to thoroughly rinse your face.
In addition to the short-term there may be long-term effects of the effects of synthetic additives on the human body. Research in this direction is underway. So, there is evidence that:
1. flavors - artificial odorous substances containing polycyclic musk compounds can cause allergies.
2. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is a surfactant that can damage the upper layers of the skin and weaken its protective function.
3. polyethylene glycol (PEG) - a refined product used to stabilize the soap, preventing its cracking, makes the skin permeable to harmful substances.
4. Triclosan - a synthetic component with an antibacterial effect - destroys both harmful and beneficial bacteria, can cause their mutation, that is, contribute to the development of new bacteria.
OUR ADVICE
Carefully study the composition of the soap, which you are accustomed to use, its appearance, smell. Evaluate how natural it is, and decide what is more important to you - guaranteed quality or a bright appearance.
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