I love jojoba oil! The benefits of this oil never seem to stop. We call it an oil, but it’s really a type of wax, called a “wax ester.” This results from fatty acids and fatty alcohol joining together. It’s all very scientific and delightful.

But I don’t care about the science, really. I care about the performance. What can jojoba oil do in your different products?

1. 1. It can add to the moisturizing benefits of handmade soap. Jojoba oil adds a quality to soap that is difficult to describe, but one word I can think of is “awesome.” The lather gets a rich, creamy feel to it, and the skin feels softer and smoother afterwards. I don’t recommend you use jojoba oil at more than about 10% in any soap recipe, as it will accelerate trace and make things difficult. This is where knowing that it is really a wax ester comes in handy—those molecules speed up trace, and can make the soap seize if you use too much. 10% is enough to see the benefits.
2. 2. It can enhance the performance of any lotion. Lotions will sink in deeper, as jojoba oil mimics our skin’s natural sebum. The oil sinks into skin quickly, but because of this, it does not feel very “glide-y.” Using jojoba oil in combination with a slicker oil, like avocado or apricot kernel oil, creates a synergy for the lotion: gliding on smoothly, and sinking in quickly. Fabulous.
3. 3. It can be used directly on the skin. Once again, because of its composition and our skin’s readiness to accept it, jojoba oil is a great choice for a facial cleansing oil. Some folks don’t want to use soap on their faces, opting instead for a cleansing oil. Combining a cleansing, astringent oil like castor or hazelnut with jojoba means the oil will clean the pores and then sink in to moisturize at the same time.  These cleansing oil formulas work with a hot, steamy face cloth. Massage the oil blend into the face, while running hot, hot water on a washcloth. Wring out the cloth, and slap in on the face. Steam the face until the cloth starts to go colder, then dip it in the hot water and steam the face one more time. After that, dip the cloth one more time, wipe off the excess oil, and rejoice.
4. 4. When used on the skin, the effect is near-immediate. This is just observational and not scientific at all. When I apply jojoba oil to my skin, I can see and feel a difference immediately. Because of this effect, I have chosen to use jojoba oil in my lip balm formulation. I want my lip balm to work right away, and I attribute its effectiveness in part, to jojoba oil.
5. 5. It is great for the hair, too. I use jojoba oil in a deep-conditioning hair treatment I make. Again, I don’t have science here, just experience, but when I put just a couple of drops on my hair when it’s wet, and allow it to dry, it makes the hair shiny but also adds to the body and curl. Try it. You’ll see.

What other uses do you see for jojoba oil?

Amy Kalinchuk makes and sells handmade soap in Denver, Colorado. She has written and published three books on soap making, including Making Soap in Your Own Kitchen, available at Craft e-Revolution.

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Soap Making brings together three worlds:

• Cosmetics
• Science
• Crafting

So how exactly do science and soap making come together in a peaceful and harmonious manner? The secret’s in a special and sometimes tough-to-pronounce word called “Saponification”.

Saponification is the hydrolysis of an ester under basic conditions to form an alcohol and the salt of a carboxylic acid (carboxylates). Saponification is commonly used to refer to the reaction of a metallic alkali (base) with a fat or oil to form soap. Saponifiable substances are those that can be converted into soap.

Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is a caustic base. If NaOH is used a hard soap is formed, whereas when potassium hydroxide (KOH) is used, a soft soap is formed. Vegetable oils and animal fats are fatty esters in the form of triglycerides. The alkali breaks the ester bond and releases the fatty acid salt and glycerol. If necessary, soaps may be precipitated by salting it out with saturated sodium chloride. The saponification value is the amount of base required to saponify a fat sample.

In a classic laboratory procedure the triglyceride trimyristin is obtained by extracting nutmeg with diethyl ether.^[1] Saponification to the sodium salt of myristic acid takes place with NaOH in water. The acid itself can be obtained by adding dilute hydrochloric acid.

In Other Words…

It’s literally how you make soap, and it’s the science of soap making. The name Saponification literally means “Soap Making”. The root word is “sapo” which is latin for soap. Each carrier oil or base oil is chosen based on which characteristics it imparts on it’s final product of soap.

Saponification Table and Characteristics of Carrier Oils / Base Oils In Soap Making

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(as seen on soap-making-resource.com)

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The palm oils that are now featured on our website are 100% sustainable oils, and our suppliers are members of the Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil. (RSPO).

You can View this Page Here.

To support this cause, and show that YOU use Sustainable Oils in your Soap Making, you can copy and paste the badge code and add it anywhere on your website by going to this page and copying the text in the box near the bottom of the page.

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Ingredients:

• 35 oz Coconut 76 Degrees Oil
• 20 oz Pomace Olive Oil
• 16 oz Palm Oil
• 15 oz Olive Butter
• 32 oz Distilled Water
• 12.5 oz Sodium Hydroxide

Create this soap, as you would a cold process soap.  Coloring can be added before trace, if desired.
Recipe makes 8 lbs.

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Due to increasing order demand, we have extended our shipping order time frame, to ensure that our team is able to get your orders out in an accurate and efficient manner.

Now, when you place your order by 2PM (Pacific Standard Time), your order is guaranteed to be shipped the very next day.

We strive to provide the best quality, service, and experience for our valued customers. If you have any feedback or input, we’d love to hear it!

Thank you for your patience and support as we grow in this wonderful market!

- Cibaria Soap Supply

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Here at Cibaria, we love planning our activities and promotions around what our customers actually need during those special times of the year. We want to know what kind of things you have in store for your special occasion soap making?

Do you plan out ahead of time what soap you’re going to make for the following year?

Are you kind of winging-it?

Do you have new areas of soap making that you’re looking to try out, but aren’t sure how it’ll work out?

We’d love to hear from you – and we’re sure the other soap makers that read our blog will add a great amount of their own ideas on things they’ve already implemented to become a more organized soap maker!

Note: The Soap photo above is an Olive Oil and Shea Butter Soap made by Catherine Filippelli

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• Cibaria Soap Supply Gets Social

Here at Cibaria we’re committed to helping spread the word about Handcrafted Soap and how wonderful it is.

It’s a great community to be involved in, and we’re so excited at the prospect of helping talent be seen, and processes be learned. We have some wonderful things in store for Soapmaking Oil and Soapmaking Supplies in 2010!

• We’ll be adding new Base Oils and Butters will be added to our list of products! Stay Tuned!
• We’re going to offer FREE Webinars on how you can market your Soap Making Business, Soap Website, properly brand your products, and get your soaps out there! We’ll be showing you all of the juicy details on how to set up a true e-commerce site that is easy to run, and cost efficient to maintain. These will be ran by an enthusiastic Internet Marketing Consultant with years of experience!
• Contests! Yes, we want to make someone a winner. A winner of what? You’ll have to wait and see!
• …and Much More!

We wish you all a very prosperous and safe New Year! Happy 2010~!

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Merry Christmas from Cibaria Soap Supply !

Please Note that Our Facility will be closed on December 24th and 25th, as well as on December 31st, and 1st.

Soap Making Oil – soapmaking oil – soap base oil – soap carrier oil - soap fixed oil – fixed oil – carrier oil

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Babassu oil or cusi oil is a clear light yellow vegetable oil extracted from the seeds of the babassu palm (Attalea speciosa), which grows in the Amazon region of South America. It is a non-drying oil used in food, cleaners and skin products. This oil has properties similar to coconut oil and is used in much the same context. It is increasingly being used as a substitute for coconut oil. Babassu oil is about 70% lipids, in the following proportions:

Lauric and myristic acids have melting points relatively close to human body temperature, so babassu oil can be applied to the skin as a solid that melts on contact. This heat transfer can produce a cooling sensation. It is an effective emollient.

Why People Love Babassu Oil

Babassu oil has been used for centuries to soothe dry skin, and comes from the seeds of the Babassu palm that is native to the south eastern Amazonian region of Brazil.  Babassu oil is a wonderful emollient that is beneficial for both dry and oily complexions, because it gently moisturizes the skin without contributing to oil production. It’s especially helpful for eczema, itchy, dry and inflamed skin.

Babassu Oil is often overlooked as a natural skin ingredient by soap makers and health + beauty experts. This wonderful oil is definitely not one that should be absent in any soap makers base oil collection, because it fits such a broad range of  preferences.

Babassu Oil contains  glycosides, vitamins and minerals. It can also make a great massage oil. Use it in lotion bars, lotions, balms and of course, soap making. It saponifies easily and yields a mild soap with good lather. It can be used as a large percentage of the fats or as an oil added at trace.  Babassu oil is white in it’s solid form.

Babassu Oil draws the heat from the skin to initiate melting. This heat transfer produces a cooling effect on the skin, which is great for summer soap making. Babassu also forms a protective, soothing coat when applied and provides a pleasant, velvety feeling.

The name ‘Babassu’ comes from the Tupis (an Amazonian tribe), whereas its genus name “Orbignya” comes from the French paleontologist A.D.d’Orbigny who first discovered the palm in the early 1800’s in South America. The fruit of the Babassu palm forms several clusters that bear 500 or so fruits that look like small coconuts. Its principal product is a clear, stable oil that may be used in cosmetics and toiletries after refinement. The oil becomes a soft solid at room temperatures (below 24° C), but melts readily upon contact with the skin.

Like coconut oil, Babassu Oil can be used as a large percentage of the fats at the start of the soap making process or to superfat the soap at trace.

INCI:Orbignya Oleifera (Babassu) Seed Oil

Suggested Babassu Oil Use Levels: Lotions & Creams: 3-5%, Balms: 3-10%, Bar Soaps: 2-7%, Hair Conditioners: 3-5%.

Cibaria Soap Supply sells 7 lb, 17.5 lb, and 35 lb quantities of Babassu Oil.

Click Here to View More of our Soap Oils

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