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ZenSoaps Ingredients
We use no additives or preservatives. The ingredients we begin with are all edible. We don't recommend that you eat our soap, since after the soap making process, the ingredients have become... soap. But this fact ensures that what you are putting on the outside of your skin has no ingredients that you would worry about putting inside your skin. Please see the 'ingredients' section on our individual soap description page (in our shop) for details.

Below are the main oils and components used in our soaps. The specific oils for a given soap will be given in it's individual description. Not every soap will contain every oil listed. This is an overview of the goodies we use to make our soap, what they are and what they do.

Basic Oils and Components of our Hand Made Soaps
Glycerin
Up to 25% of this expensive lotion component in each bar of our soap. Glycerin is a natural byproduct of the saponification soap-making process. Contains humectant properties -- it attracts moisture to the skin and then holds it down. Most commercial soap companies skim off the natural glycerin formed as a byproduct of soapmaking, and sell it separately for cosmetic use. We don't do that. Every bit of the natural oils and glycerin produced during the process stays with the soap you bought. Our soap is extremely mild. Try just one bar, you'll have a very hard time using regular commercial soap again. The difference is very very noticeable.

Aloe Vera Juice
The product is thick when the Aloe leaf is first cut, but after a few minutes, an enzymatic reaction causes it to become liquid. It is the consistency of water and is often used to replace water in lotion and soap recipes. Aloe Vera is reputed to be an excellent moisturizer. We use Aloe Vera juice in every single bar of soap we make.

Coconut Oil
Coconut oil makes soaps lather beautifully. It helps make soap hard and white with abundant, fluffy lather (even in very hard or even sea water). Coconut oil is a saturated fat. Coconut Oil is one of the most common raw material used in the soap and toiletry industry. It comes from the seeds of Cocos Nucifera and is primarily cultivated from Southeast Asia and the Philippines.

Castor Oil
Castor oil is extracted from the Castor Bean Plant. It is a thick, viscous liquid with a slight distinctive smell. It acts similar to glycerin, as a humectant, drawing moisture to the skin. Castor oil contributes to thick, large bubbles in soap and is used in most shampoo bar recipes.

Cocoa Butter
It acts to lay down a protective layer which holds the moisture to the skin, so it is an excellent skin softener. It has a natural chocolate scent which works well in many concoctions.This oil is a hard solid at room temperature, making the term "butter" a bit misleading. It is an edible vegetable fat that is obtained from cocoa beans. It has a mild chocolate flavor with a very chocolate-y aroma. Cocoa butter is one of the most stable fats (having a shelf life up to five years) and also contains natural antioxidants.

Lard
A nice lathery, white bar of soap, soaps that contain it tend to feel more slippery to the touch. Not included in all our soaps, but when it is, the soap is smoother and richer. Lard is the primary component of 'traditional' handmade soaps, and it is still the best 'main' ingredient today.

Olive Oil
Olive oil is frequently used as a base because it is extremely gentle. Castile soap is primarily or entirely composed of Olive Oil. It is usually used for an especially mild soap, good for babies (unscented of course). This soap is very soft, but has very little lather.

Palm Oil
Palm oil is a nice conditioning oil which also produces good lather as well as contributes to the hardness of the soap. It is used to replace lard or tallow in our all vegetable soap recipes because it provides similar benefits.

Rice Bran Oil
A nice conditioning oil which provides more lather than many other oils. Its most notable feature is its high level of components with nutraceutical value such as gamma-oryzanol and tocotrienols, which means it's similar to peanut oil in its conditioning properties, without the risks of peanut oil for those who are sensitive.

Safflower Oil
Safflower oil is another unsaturated oil, usually used in combination with coconut to harden it up more. It is valuable for its moisturizing properties.

Soybean Oil
Mild, and has a stable lather. It also contributes conditioning properties and contains higher amounts of EFA's, which are proven to repair dry skin conditions.

Sunflower Oil
It contains Vitamin E and is very gentle and mild in soaps. It is considered one of the more conditioning base oils in soapmaking.

Beeswax
The most commonly used wax in the toiletry industry. Beeswax is a substance secreted by the worker honey bees used for the construction of their honeycomb. In addition to making an excellent hardening agent in lip balm and lotion bars, Beeswax is a wonderful fuel for candles. We use it in our soaps that contain honey as a hardener and also because the wax helps protect the skin from elements.

Very Special Additive Oils
These oils are typically used alone or in creams, lotions or massage oils due to expense. The quantity of these additive oils is what determines the pricing of our soap. Commercial soaps contain none of them, and we use far more of each than other handmade soap makers. They add tremendously to the silkiness of each soap, alone or in combination, although not frequently used, again, due to expense. Please check the individual soap descriptions for which additional oils are included. The feel is worth the price.

Sweet Almond Oil
Excellent as a massage oil, this luxurious oil is also wonderful in soap. Sweet Almond Oil is renowned for its rich concentration of oleic and linoleic essential fatty acids which help to give it unequalled penetrating and restructuring properties.

Avocado Oil
Avocado oil contains vitamins A, D, and E, which makes it healing as well as moisturizing. This oil is a wonderful additive for all kinds of personal care products and seems to soak into the skin fairly quickly. Excellent for soothing dry or damaged skin and for wrinkle prevention. It has also been shown to be a most effective sun screen oil.

Emu Oil
Helps heal damaged skin tissues, and helps draw other ingredients (like Wintergreen) down into your skin so they are more effective.

Evening Primrose Oil
Evening primrose oil provides essential fatty acids that the skin absorbs quickly. These acids help inhibit bacterial growth and encourage antibodies so the skin is better able to defend against infection or inflammation. It can help retain water in the skin to fight against dry skin, eczema, scaly skin, and dandruff. It is not suited for oily complexions.

Jojoba
Jojoba helps to promote a stable lather and is good at conditioning skin. Because of its expense, it's usually used to superfat, or in shampoo bars. Used in other toiletries, it is an excellent emollient for skin conditions like psoriasis, because it has a chemical composition very close to the skin's own sebum. It is suitable for all skin types, beneficial for spotty and acne conditions, and good for sensitive and oily skin. Jojoba has been used for centuries by the native Americans for skin care moisturization and hair conditioning. It also helps to unclog the pores and remove any embedded grime. Jojoba is actually a liquid ester wax rather than a true oil. Renowned for its absorption and moisturizing abilities, jojoba oil is expeller pressed from the Jojoba Seed. Because of its fatty acid make up, jojoba oil is very resistant to oxidation (and rancidity).

Macadamia Oil
Macadamia is a luxury oil that is a little more expensive than some others, it is easily absorbed into the skin and acts as an emollient, and contains ingredients which some studies suggest may protect skin cells from deterioration, leading to better condition for your skin. Tones aged or dry skin, and is skin-softening and wound healing. In France is used as an aid against sunburn. Macadamia's fatty acids are helpful in maintaining the skins water barrier functions. It is self-stabilizing and requires no antioxidants.
Macadamia Nut Oil is obtained by cold pressing of the nuts (seeds) followed by a full refining process to render an oil which is light in color and mild in odor. Offers an exceptionally good emolliency and good dermal penetration.

Mango Butter
With basically no scent, it is a great moisturizer. Mango Butter is extracted from the fruit kernels of the Mango tree. The butter is solid at room temperatures but melt upon contact with skin (approximately 87 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit). The butter is carefully refined and deodorized and is usually used straight as a balm, creams and lotions.

Sesame Seed Oil
Sesame oil is good as a superfatting agent because it is very good at moisturizing, but has a strong odor, so is used sparringly.

Shea Butter
Shea butter is a truly superior superfatting agent because it contains a large percentage of elements which do not saponify, but instead remain in the soap to nourish your skin. We use raw shea butter that is hand pressed in Africa by native tribeswomen. It is a natural fat obtained from the fruit of the karite tree. We believe this is the absolute best possible oil for your skin that there is, and its use in the most expensive cosmetics in the world bears us out. Shea butter will start to melt on contact with the skin, and absorbs quickly. This butter has a high allantoic content which makes it great for creams, lotions and salves.
*Warning- if you are allergic to peanuts, you may also be allergic to Shea Butter!*

Tamanu Oil
Thousands of years ago, the natives of Tahiti found a large, strange tree growing near the ocean. They soon found that the dried nuts from this tree, which they name the "ati" tree, contained a special oil that they used to help protect their skin from the hot sun, humidity and sea winds. There is a very small supply of Tamanu oil in the world because of the small growing area. It takes a full 100 kilograms of Tamanu fruit (which is the annual production of one adult tree) to make just 5 kilograms of cold pressed Tamanu oil. Reputed uses by the people of Tahiti are wide and varied - from burns, to insect bites, to stretch marks this oil is truly multi faceted. Due to scarcity, we only offer soaps made with this as 'specials' from time to time.

Tea Tree Essential Oil
Tea Tree Oil is made from the Melaleuca Tree, common to Australia and other sub-tropical regions of the world. Tea Tree Oil has excellent antiseptic qualities and may be used in a wide array of product applications where natural anti-bacterial properties are desired. Exhibits a pleasant, menthol-like odor which is clean and refreshing. An excellent choice for use in toners and cleansers.

Wheat Germ Oil
This oil is one of the richest natural sources of Vitamin E, containing up to 10 times more of the vitamin than other oils, the largest percentage of natural vitamin E we know of. It also contains vitamin A and K and has high antioxidant power. It is said that when applied to the skin, it helps reduce acne problems, smooth skin and increase resistance to the sun. It also adds to lather stability and is very conditioning. We love wheatgerm oil in our soaps, and use it generously in our soaps which contain it.

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