Palm Oil: Yes or No?

In doing research on ingredients for soap making, I discovered that Palm Oil, a commonly used vegetable oil, has quite a bit of controversy surrounding it. Palm Oil is extraced from the fruit of the Oil Palm which is grown primarily in southeast Asia. The problem is that when a new Oil Palm plantation is needed in countries like Indonesia and Borneo that natural forests are cut down and the peat bogs underneath are drained releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. These rainforests are also home to many endangered species like the urangutan.

On the other hand in Malaysia, 50% of the land is already protected rainforests. Instead of deforestation of the rainforest, new and expanding Palm Oil plantations are converting existing plantations from their previous crops to Oil Palms.

The easy way out is to stay away from Palm Oil altogether. But I also would like to support the Malaysian farmers efforts in their use of sustainable farming techniques. I believe that punishing them by a complete boycott of all Palm Oil is unfair.

What are your thoughts on the Palm Oil controversy?

Soap Making Spark

I have dabbled in soapmaking before. As a teenager, I  once made a batch of soap from scratch in my Mom's kitchen, much to her dismay. Years ago I made some melt & pour soaps for Christmas presents.

So the other night, I was thinking back on where my recent soap making obsession began (and it has been an obsession). It is thanks to my daughter and a you tube video she showed me of Emilie Autumn on a craft show making fairy wings and melt & pour soap. Emilie Autumn is a great alternative/punk singer with a huge voice and a very burlesque type style.

Soap Making Business?

I'm toying with the idea of starting a business making all natural cold process soaps. The plan is to sell them online and at a local open air craft market at the beach. Some of the soaps will be in shell/beach shapes and themes. Does anyone have any advice on starting a business? What kinds of qualities, scents, etc would you want in a handcrafted natural soap?

Cold process soap is made by the saponification of oils and/or fats with Sodium Hydroxide (more commonly known as Lye). Often fragrance or essential oils and botanicals are added to enhance various features of the soap. This is the way soap was made for centuries prior to the commercial "soap" we are familiar with from the local supermarket. Many of these commercially available "soaps" are actually detergents because they are created by a different method using chemicals. Just read the ingredient declaration on your bar of soap!

The first batch I am making to try out will be called Cafe au Lait. It is a goat's milk soap made with olive oil, coconut oil, lard (I will be replacing the lard in future batches with a vegetable oil - likely soybean oil), sodium hydroxide, coffee and coffee grounds. Olive oil makes a nice mild soap while coconut oil creates loads of rich lather. The goat's milk is for moisturizing and creaminess. Finally the coffee is great for deodorizing your hands in the kitchen after chopping onions or garlic. I can't wait to make the soap!