Is Handmade soap Better than Commercial bars??

 Soap making is a real art and sometimes a risk too.It demands years of experience, solid theoretical knowledge about the process and quality parameters. There’s still debates on Which one is better among Hand made soaps and commercial brands. In my blog, I’m sharing the informations that I gathered from my personal experience with manufacturing industries, what I learned from theories and from few  people related to this field.

 First, let’s look at the reasons why it’s being said that Handmade soaps are better than Commercial soaps.

1.You can customize your soap.

It’s absolutely a plus point of handmade soaps.You can not ask a commercial brand to add your favorite fragrance/color/additives as per your preference. But you can get your soaps customized if it is handmade. 

2.Glycerin Content.

In case of handmade soaps , the most common manufacturing methods are 

a) Melt and Pour method

b) Cold process 

Melt & pour is the easiest method which involves melting the pre - made blocks of soap and adding fragrance/dyes/additives (like goat milk,coffee,oils,fruit extracts).

So, these pre-made soap bases MAY OR MAY NOT contain glycerin.

Soaps made by Cold Process method contain Glycerin.

At the same time, in soap industries Glycerin Recovery is a significant process. Glycerin is a valuable byproduct of soap.It is normally recovered and sold out to pharmaceuticals/ cosmetic industries.

But, today most of the brands add other additives like moisturizing agents in required quantity, not to leave the skin dry. 

3.pH factor 

The major concern is said to be the pH value. The pH of skin may vary person to person. Still, it lies between 4 to 6. If a soap is having a pH of 7 or below, it actually no longer capable of removing dirt. You may read that again!

A soap by definition and chemically is alkali. That’s why you are not advised to use soap on face as it could alter the pH of the skin and feel dryness.

Now, the pH of handmade soaps are generally 8-10. You can find a number of commercial soaps in the same range too.

 You can not judge anticipate the pH of any soap (handmade/commercial) unless it is tested properly.There are many factors that can affect the pH level of soaps.

For example: The amount of sodium hydroxide used.

Each fatty acid has different acid value. So, without a lab test on the acid value of the fatty acid, you can not assume and add the required quantity of sodium hydroxide for the reaction. If you add an excess quantity, your final product may have a higher pH which is enough to damage your skin.

In short, my findings on this topic :

1.Hand made soaps are better as they are cruelty free ( still you can not be 100% sure in case of melt & pour soaps) , sustainable, customizable and we can definitely support small businesses by opting them. 

2.You can not blindly believe the pH value of handmade Or commercial soaps unless they are tested properly. And there are less irritant soaps with a higher pH too ! 

3.The characteristics of final product completely depends on the Process,ingredients and stoichiometry.

“The actual list of ingredients and the specifications of ANY product is only known to the manufacturer. Based on this reality, I can not point out that One is better than the other in general . Instead, I can only find out which product is better for MY skin, than another product.”

Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum

 Here is a Vitamin C serum that’s gonna suit every skin type, even Sensitive skin. I use the mad hippie vitamin C serum twice daily , yes!You don’t have to introduce it slowly and can start using it twice daily without experiencing any side effects. What makes it less irritating than LAA serums is the Ingredients.

Click to shop the product

Let’s See the beneficial ingredients in the formula. 

🍃Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (10%VitaminC )

Sodium ascorbyl phosphate is considered to be one of the more stable forms of the vitamin C,  less prone to oxidation .And that makes it easier to incorporate into different product formulations.

In general, SAP is less potent than other forms of vitamin C. So it’s considered as safe for all skin types, though some people may experience mild irritation.

Benefits of SAP include Neutralizes skin-damaging free radicals, boosts collagen production, evens skin tone, and has antimicrobial benefits.

Sodium Ascorbyl  Phosphate works well with other antioxidants, in particular vitamin E and ferulic acid, as well as hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid. And that idea has implemented in this product.

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🍃 Vitamin E

A natural antioxidant that works synergistically with Vitamin C. Provides photoprotection against UV light

🍃Feluric Acid

Natural antioxidant that works synergistically with vitamins C and E.

🍃Hyaluronic Acid

It’s extremely effective at hydrating skin by drawing moisture from the environment, and gives a “plumping” effect that reduces fine lines and wrinkles. 

🍃Organic Aloe

It’s been used as a multipurpose skin treatment for over 3,500 years. 

🍃Konjac Root powder 

This comes from a nutritionally dense medicinal plant from southeast Asia and China. It has a ton of vitamins and minerals. In cosmetics it’s used as a natural alternative to carbomer to create a gel-like consistency.

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Okay... Now, there are more beautiful ingredients like clary sage, Chamomile extract, grapefruit extract, Glycerin etc. 

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🍊 mad Hippie is a Vegan & Cruelty -free brand.

🍊 The packaging is all beautiful, the bottle and dropper dispenser are quite common.

🍊 This serum has a light floral scent that fades away quickly. That’s the natural smell of the ingredients. Mad Hippie didn’t add any scent to it. The serum is hazy and pale yellow in color.

🍊 The Serum has a runny consistency and little bit slippery in texture.

🍊 It’s non-drying, and the addition of hyaluronic acid and glycerin provide an additional boost of moisture which is great.

🍊 The product has a shelf life of 30 months and PAO is 4 months.And yes, the products of Mad hippie lies in the high end side but they are worth using.

Hidden fragrances in Perfumes

Perfume manufacturing is an ancient art. The world’s first perfume maker was a woman who was existed in the Mesopotamia. Perfume and perfumery also existed in Indus Civilization.Some of the fragrance ingredients that were used then was derived from Animals. And many of them and even more are still being used in  perfumes behind the label of “Fragrance”

Most of the high end designer brands are in to animal ingredients like Anal secretions, fecal matters etc. 

Let’s see the most common animal ingredients used in perfumes.

1.Civet 

2.Ambergris

3.Musk

4.Castoreum

5.Hyraceum

6.Honey

7.Milk 

Wow skin science foaming face wash

How do they derived? Let’s read a couple of examples.

Castoreum is a yellowish secretion from the caster sacs of Beavers. These castor sacs are located beneath their skin.

Musk is again taken from the little pouch just in front of the male sex organs of the musk deer. In both the cases, the animals are killed.

There are much more priceless fragrances like Ambergris, Civet, and Hyraceum. Ambergris is having a seductive oceanic fragrance which is basically a sperm whale secretion. 

Civet is a thick substance produced in the civet’s perineal gland. These scents are fecal when fresh, but it softens into an aromatic scent with age. Some animal mammary secretions, fossilized urine, etc are another examples of animal derived fragrance.

But yes, there are ver few alternatives for some of these ingredients. For example, there are some plants which produce musky smelling compounds. And there are synthetic musky fragrances called as “white musk”.  However, unless it’s labeled as Vegan there’s no way to be sure that any animal is hurt for making your perfume. 

The Body shop’s Banana Hair mask Review

See the Product As I said, I am not a kind of person who try  lots of products on my hair. What I do for my hair is oiling, Home made hair masks and hair washes by using my shampoo and conditioner. But I really wanted to try the Banana hair mask from the body shop as I had received a couple of requests to post the review on the same. 

So, in short these are what My hair felt using this product.

See the Product 

🍌 First of all, I should say this is a descent mask that helps your hair to get some relaxation from frizz and dryness. I could manage my hair better as the mask conditioned it well.It doesn’t play any Magic other than that.

🍌 The product is having a relatively thick consistency which turns the application more easier and less messier.

🍌 The points of attraction include the vibrant combo of yellow and black used for the packaging and the Sweet banana smell.

🍌 It would be great for the days when we feel to pamper the hair, and not having any bananas at home. Or being lazy to make the banana mask by own. Or when we are out of home. Or if we just don’t want to make a mess by DIY banana masks 🤓

🍌 Does this product perform better than DIY banana mask ? 🍌 

Be sure about your hair care products

Definitely yes, Because the product is having some more ingredients like Brazil nut oil, Cocoa Butter, Brazilian cupuacu butter, And Shea butter. They all together makes the product fit for a deep condition. And also this a 100% vegan product.

🍌 How I use it 🍌 

After the hair wash , I scrunch and squeeze the excess water from my hair,and then apply the mask on the damp hair. I leave the mask for 15 minutes and then rinse it off. 😊

Why “Cold Pressed” Oils??? What’s special with them?

I always give preference for the ingredients, the possible unit processes that can be involved in manufacturing, while choosing the personal care products. Many facts about the manufacturing processes of cosmetics may sound simple. But they’re crucial in predicting the nature and quality of the final product. Today, I would like to share something related to the manufacturing of oils.

Most of us are aware of the importance of choosing cold pressed oils for skincare and haircare. But many people may not know the reason why we insist on “Cold Pressed oils”. 

Our eyes keep striking on the term “Cold Pressed “ oils whenever we search for facial oils or carrier oils for hair. How do they differ from the other oils?

Well, this topic includes the different unit operations that normally used in the Chemical Process industries to extract oil from seeds.

By reading further, you would know why we should focus on “Cold Pressed” oils .

Normally oil is extracted from the seeds by any of these methods.

1.Solvent extraction

2.Expeller extraction 

3.Cold pressed Process 

Let’s take the most common methods carried out in the industries.

In Solvent extraction, to be very simple, the seeds are first ground up into a paste and then washed with a solvent (mostly Hexane - a petroleum distillate). The solvent is used to extract all the oil from the seed. So, the next step is the removal of this solvent from the extracted oil. It includes further processing like heating ( higher temperatures like 100’c )bleaching, deodorizing etc.

At the end of the process, there are chances for the final product (Oil) to contain a very small percentage of hexane (or the solvent ) in it. And also, the oil may get oxidized by the influence of high temperature which can alter the chemical properties of the oil.But, this method is of high efficiency and the yield is up-to 99%. Which makes the process and the product  the Cheapest.

Now, let’s read about cold pressed oils. Cold pressing is carried out at a lower temperature (27’-30’). In this process, the seeds are pressed under high pressure in a hydraulic press or any other presses. There is no chemicals or temperature involved in this process. And the efficiency is usually 60-70% or less. Hence the final product is more expensive.

What is facial oil? Does it cause pimples?

This is how Cold Pressed oils are superior and expensive than the solvent extracted oils. It is safe to use cold pressed oils for skincare / haircare. The carrier oils which are not labeled as “Cold Pressed”may be processed under solvent extraction or Expeller extraction.

Review on Tree Hut Shea Body Butter

Who doesn’t have love for body butters?

Even though the whether is not going to make the skin dry anymore, body butter will help to keep the skin soft and moisture locked. And the love for them never ends because of the all day long fragrance. 

Today’s review is on Tre huts Shea body butter in the variant Coconut Lime.Tree hut is such an international brand that doesn’t need an introduction. They are focused in the manufacturing of body butters, body scrubs, lip scrub,lip butters and much more! I didn’t forget to grab my favorite products from tree hut and here I’m sharing the review on their coconut lime Shea body butter.

Best Moisturizer for oily skin

🥥 The product comes in a container having a volume of 198g, with a screw lid. And it costs $5.88 which is around INR450.

🥥 As my preference,this is also a brand free from parabens,formaldehyde’s, and other harsh ingredients.and it’s cruelty free too.

🥥 Tree hut products smells good enough to have a tendency to eat them ( 🤪 but they are meant to use only for external application)

🥥 The body butter is pure white in color and reveals a blended smell of coconut and lime that stays for the whole day.

🥥 The texture is bit thicker than other body butters I’ve used before and I felt it didn’t glide over the skin that easily. But once the skin absorbed the product,it stays hydrated for almost 12 hrs.

🥥 This product is an absolute match for extremely dry skins as it gives intense moisture lock for the skin.

🥥 This product is perfect for the summer skincare collections. 

🥥 Tree hut skin care products are easily available on amazon. And you can have a look on their products at treehutshea.com

Anyways, this body butter have made me fall in love with the brand tree hut. And I’ll be reviewing more of them soon! 

Review on Aroma magic juniper berry oil free moisturizer

Summer is here with so many skin concerns. I’ve had a number of trials with oil free moisturizers that is perfect for summer. Almost every cream based moisturizers are not going to leave your face matte during summer days. And I won’t prefer a single day without moisturizer. So the next choice is to stay with any gel based or water based ones. Here, again a majority of gel based products makes the skin a kind of sticky. Then what....? Investing in a good water based moisturizer would be perfect for oily skin especially during summer.  

Here is again my all time favorite skincare brand aroma magic. This Juniper berry oil free moisturizer is the best water based moisturizer I’ve ever used. And the only one moisturizer that hasn’t give me even a single break out. Let’s see the product  in detail.

🍒 Aroma magic Juniper berry oil free moisturizer is a water based moisturizer having a watery texture and runny consistency.

🍒 The color of the product is a kind of hazy but transparent.

🍒 The pump dispenser is more convenient for use as it is more hygiene and always have a control on the quantity of the product you take every time.

🍒 The moisturiser has a faint flowery  smell, which lasts only for seconds.

🍒 The product is extremely light in texture enough to give you a sensation like you are applying clear water on your skin.

🍒 It leaves the skin hydrated for almost 8 hours.

🍒 The multi tasking extracts of Juniper Berry and Cucumber act as efficient anti-aging, anti inflamatory and anti oxidant agents protecting the skin from the Sun by guarding it against harmful free radicals.

🍒 Together with aloe vera juice, its non greasy gel formula help heal acne and lighten blemishes leaving your skin well nourished.

🍒 But anyway, this particular product not at all suites dry skin. At the same time it is the perfect match for oily skins especially during summer days.

🍒 The product is available online and it costs 190/- for 100ml.