Hello and welcome to all our new subscribers since the last issue. In keeping with the theme of organizing and de-cluttering, I started tackling my kitchen cabinets to make room for some new oils I recently bought for cooking and making dressings. My two favorites so far are the Roasted Walnut and Toasted Sesame oils –both very aromatic, flavorful, and healthy (my favorite combination!). I know it sounds a little crazy, but any time I buy a new type of culinary oil, I always rub a little onto my skin to familiarize myself with the texture and see how it feels, smells, etc. It's part of my ongoing process of identifying potential ingredients for new product ideas!
But seriously folks … if you want to become savvy about buying natural products and especially moisturizers, you can learn a lot about what a finished product might feel like and how it will work for you before you buy, if you dabble in a little kitchen science yourself. To see what I mean, read this week's article which gives you an overview of what goes into making a basic moisturizer and how you can identify a quality product based on it’s ingredients --many of which you can find (surprise, surprise!) in your own kitchen.
Yours in health and prosperity,
Donya
p.s. If you like our products then help us spread the word! Follow us on Twitter or become a fan of Dropwise on Facebook.
Anatomy of a Moisturizer: Understanding the Efficacy & Safety of Lotions & Creams
Reading and understanding labels is an important first step to identifying what ingredients to avoid in moisturizers and skin care products in order to reduce or eliminate your exposure to toxins. If you study the ingredient panel on your moisturizer or on many of the moisturizers on the market today, you will find a laundry list of ingredients --many of which you probably can't even pronounce-- all in addition to the basic elements of a cream or lotion. In most cases, these are synthetic chemicals or petroleum additives designed to enhance the look and feel of the lotion, it's spread-ability, and its shelf life. These ingredients are widely used because they are readily available and they also happen to be inexpensive to produce.
To deepen your understanding of what products can help rather than hurt your skin, it helps to know what lotions and creams really are and how they are made. A lotion or cream is basically a combination of oil (or several different oils but not essential oils) with water and an emulsifying agent (like beeswax or lecithin) to bind the two elements together.
Typically
lotions have a ratio of approximately 70% water to 25% oil and 5% emulsifiers, thickeners, and preservatives. Creams tend to have a little less water (say 60%) and a little more oil (say 30-35%) and are emulsified (mixed) for longer periods of time to thicken them up. The principle is similar to making whipped cream dessert topping, the longer you whip it, the stiffer and thicker it gets, and varying the speed of the mixer can also affect the result.
With creams and lotions, the feel, texture, and shelf-life of the finished product will vary depending on a variety of things including the viscosity (thickness) of the oils used, whether the oil was introduced into the water (in industry lingo this is referred to as O/W) or vice versa (W/O), and how much and what types of emulsifiers and thickening agents are used.
Lotions and creams that are made by introducing water into oil tend to be heavier and oilier in feel while products made the opposite way have a lighter feel. The type of wax used to emulsify can mean the difference between a lotion or cream that has a uniform texture and feel vs. one that is runny and needs to be frequently shaken because the oil and water tend to separate --a common problem with some natural products. Too much wax can result in a lotion with a tacky residue, while too much glycerin can contribute to a sticky after feel.
The quality of the finished product is only as good as its base ingredients. This is especially true of the base oils. You can get a good idea of how a finished product will work if you know how the base oils used to make it behave when applied directly to your skin.
You can conduct a simple experiment yourself to illustrate this point. Take a teaspoon of baby oil (which is 100% mineral oil) and apply it to the back of your forearm or inner arm. Now rub it in. Notice the thickness of the oil and how long it takes to penetrate your skin. Do you have to rub it for a long time before it is absorbed? Does it ever become fully absorbed or does it just leave a film or residue that sits on the surface of your skin? Wash your hands thoroughly with soap so there's no lingering residue.
It can sometimes be hard to distinguish between a botanical and a chemical name in the case where the botanical name of a plant-based ingredient is derived from the underlying chemical composition or structure (usually referred to as the chemotype) of the plant. For example, the term methyl salicylate sounds a little suspect. On the one hand it describes the aromatic compound found in essential oils of wintergreen or sweet birch, on the other hand it can also be produced synthetically. There's really no way to know for sure unless the manufacturer lists it as an essential oil or a component of an essential oil.
Now go to your kitchen cabinet and find a common cooking oil like Canola, Safflower, Peanut, or Olive and repeat the same test on your other arm. Notice the difference in the thickness of this oil compared to the mineral oil, how fast it’s absorbed and what kind of residue if any it leaves behind. Pay attention to how the skin on each arm feels after the application. Then notice how long it takes before the skin on each arm feels dry again. This gives you an idea of how a lotion like Lubriderm or Vaseline Intensive Care compares with a natural brand.
You can repeat this experiment with different vegetable and nut oils to get an idea of how different natural brands made with these various types of oils might feel and which would probably best align with your preference. Again, the base oils will determine the overall feel and performance but
additional ingredients will impact the finish and how it feels going on.
Likewise, a common ingredient like glycerin or glycerol can be produced synthetically from propylene alcohol or derived naturally from vegetable oils. Usually natural product manufacturers will list glycerin as vegetable glycerin or glycerin (derived from vegetable source), but if they don't then there's no way to know by simply reading the label.
As a general rule of thumb, less is more. If a product is made with high quality ingredients then it should do the job with fewer ingredients and fewer applications over the long run. Say goodbye to those jumbo 32 oz bottles of lotion! They may look like a bargain based on the price but if they were really doing the job they claim to do, then there's no way you would need to buy or use them in those quantities.
Copyright 2009 Dropwise Essentials
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Donya Fahmy, is a green business owner and the creator of Dropwise Essentials' spa-quality aromatherapy body products that help you safely relieve stress, increase vitality, improve confidence, or simply manage your emotional state any time or place without popping a pill. For more free tips and valuable information visit
www.dropwise.com and subscribe to the Dropwise Health & Beauty News Ezine or blog feed.
Dropwise Essentials is a San Francisco-based manufacturer of pure aromatherapy and organic plant-based personal care products that give people a safe and effective way to relieve stress, increase vitality, improve confidence, or manage their emotional state any time or place without popping a pill. Our products are:
- Free of synthetic chemicals and petroleum ingredients
- Made with high quality certified organic oils and pure essential oils sourced from around the world
- Packaged in re-usable or recyclable materials
- Hand-made locally in northern California
Dropwise Essentials was founded by Donya Fahmy, a writer, producer, and consultant whose avid interest in the curative powers of aromatherapy and herbs ultimately led her to design and create the seven products and seventeen unique essential oil blends that make up the current Dropwise product line. She has studied aromatherapy with Carol Schiller - a successful author of several aromatherapy books - and with Dr. Daniel Penoel - a renowned expert in the field of medical aromatherapy.
Dropwise Essentials is a proud member of the Indie Beauty Network (formerly the Handmade Beauty Network), the Green America Business Network (formerly Co-op America), Green Product Alliance, Natural Ingredient Resource Center, and a Friend of PETA. We were among the first companies to join the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics by signing their Compact for Safe Cosmetics - which simply formalizes our existing commitment to formulate products free of known or potentially toxic ingredients.
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