Additives in soap -things that make med wonder

[Q-Lee]

Hi all. I've been member for a while,made some batches of soap but still consider myself as a rookie.
What puzzles me is the kind of stuff people actually are willing to put in their soaps.
Well,first of all - this post is kind of a sigh of frustration regarding a FB soap group
Is it just me that over react or is it safe and ok to put things like this in your CP soaps ?
(examples taken from a FB soap group)
Tallow from fox, moose reindeer,sheep etc - (It's hunting season where I live)
Berries- fresh, dried ,purred or as juice - blueberry,strawberry,raspberry,cloud berries etc- make your choice from the groceries berry department...
Attempt of "natural" colors - food coloring, eye shadow leftovers or cheap eye shadows in general

The FB site was really good in the beginning, but now a days it seem like it has become a competition of how much "stuff" one can put in a soap at once, and proudly present pictures of it. And everyone is applauding it

As written in the beginning...Perhaps it's just me...

 

[BattleGnome]

Any animal fat should be safe to put in soap. Lard and beef tallow are very common in modern soap making. When you think about historical soap making, you’d use whatever is available.

Berries are the same. If I remember right, the pH of soap is too high for most to grow. If you mix everything well then there shouldn’t be too much issue. That being said, not much survives the lye except color and even that doesn’t always last.

As for the color attempts... I wouldn’t call anything you listed natural, unless they’re using brands I’m unfamiliar with. Many companies use micas for color, so I shadow could work. The problem is there isn’t any ingredients list to know how much of the eye shadow is mica and what could be a cheap filler. Without knowing for sure what is in the eyeshadows or food colors there’s no way of knowing if they’ll work. @earlene has posted about attempting a soap with eye shadow as an experiment. I’d call food coloring unreliable at best but if it’s food safe there’s a 90%+ that it’s skin safe, so at least no one is hurting themselves.

 

[shunt2011]

I agree with BattleGnome. Any animal fat should be okay as long as you can find a Sap value for it.

I don't add weird organic materials to my soaps. I don't want floaties in my tub primarily. I use finely ground oatmeal and have used poppyseeds.

I only use colorants that are made for high PH soap from reputable companies. You can use some spices and infusions as well though I'm not good a planning ahead. Some here have used food coloring with varied results due to morphing and some have used eye shadow. For personal use it's fine but if at any time you ever decide to sell it would be a big no.

 

[Dawni]

Hi @Q-Lee!

I'm one of those soapers who likes experimenting with things I can find in my pantry or supermarket.. So far I've made a banana soap, and I've used a couple of those smoothie powders as additives/colorants. One of my favorite soaps to use n make has different forms of rice in it. Several of my soaps use turmeric or annatto.

Many here have used fruit purees and plant powders in their soap.. Some have also used eggs, honey is commonly used, and so is coconut milk n aloe juice, for example.

We like it either for label appeal (since we don't actually know how much of their benefits are actually left after the lye has been through them) or for color or texture, or if they add to lather and hardness n longevity. Actually, I HP and I add as much as I can after my cook, just in case any of those benefits remain relatively untouched lol

 

[DeeAnna]

I think putting various kinds of "stuff" in soap -- juice, fruit/veg puree, flower petals, seeds, various grains and starches, etc. -- is a bit of a fad that comes and goes. The popular additives change with the season and soapers. Pumpkin puree was the rage on SMF some years back. I seldom see it mentioned nowadays.

I don't think there's any great harm in this, although I personally won't use soap with big pieces of "stuff" in or on it -- I think that's kinda gross. IMO, it's important to puree food into a fine paste or powder before adding it to the soap batter, because fine particles are less likely to mold. And don't over do the amounts, so the soap functions well as soap.

As far as soap made from game-animal fats -- I have no problem with that. If someone is selling soap made with fat from game animals, they will run afoul of state/federal law in the US. But if the soap is for personal use, this fits with the ethos of using all parts of the animal, so nothing is wasted. It's fat and it will turn into soap.

As far as eye shadow and food coloring ... it's not my cuppa tea, but there's usually no harm in it. People mention these same things on SMF from time to time -- it's not just Facebook, although I do think there's more ongoing silly (or stupid) stuff discussed on FB soaping groups than here. If I think the soap will not be safe to use, I'll speak up, but mostly I just scroll on past.

 

[Q-Lee]

Thank's for replies. So..Mainly it's just me and how I think
And I must agree that most additives probably don't make any harm. (But they probably don't make any big benefits for the skin either regarding the lye)
And in many cases I agree it's a gimmick - I looks fancy at the label
Personally I would not wash myself with a hole lot of fruit 'n stuff. I keep my soaps simple and safe ( I do sell some soaps). And I basically do the same as you @DeeAnna - I scroll (a lot)
But ..a lot of the newbies at this FB group makes soaps that I'm not sure is 100% safe - as X-mas presents, to friends,family and markets. But not my circus and not my monkeys