Ingredients  – Fixed Oils and Butters

Olive Oil – L’huile d’olive

This is our main soaping oil. All our soaps contain a minimum of 50% olive oil and most contain 70%. The Castile contains 100% extra virgin.
Olive oil contains a high percentage of the monounsaturated oleic acid which when saponified produces a gentle mild soap.
The Polyphenolic components of olive oil have been compared to
antioxidants, such as tocopherols (vitamin E), used by the cosmetic  industry to prevent skin damage

Coconut Oil – Cocos Nucifera

This is the king of lathering oils. A bar of soap made entirely of coconut oil will lather even in salt water.

Cocoa Butter – Theobroma Cacao

Cocoa butter is one of the most stable vegetable fats, containing natural antioxidants that help prevent rancidity.  It is used for its smooth texture in foods (including chocolate) and in cosmetics, as well as in soaps where it gives a dense creamy lather. We use 10% cocoa butter in all our soaps. Used in our bath bars it is a wonderful moisturizer for the skin.

Macadamia Nut Oil – Macadamia Ternifolia

One of my two favourite soaping oils. The macadamia nut has a creamy white kernel containing up to 80% oil. More importantly when it comes to soap making it is the only significant source of palmitoleic acid in a vegetable oil. Which means you get more bubbles than from a soap made with olive, but without losing the gentleness. Unfortunately it’s an expensive oil, so is reserved for our speciality soaps.

Grapeseed Oil – Vitis Vinifera

What is says on the label. Oil pressed from the grape seed. High in linoleic acid it is a light oil easily absorbed by the skin. Good for soap in small quantities, and one of the base oils for our bath oils and salt scrubs.

Avocado Oil – Persea Gratissima

Not from a seed, but from the avocado pulp. Avocado oil is cold (we use only extra vigin) pressed and contains proteins, amino acids, as well as  vitamins A, D and E. Importantly it also contains unsaponifiables in the form of plant sterols. Mainly beta-sitosterol, a phytosterol which helps with skin regeneration.
My all time favorite oil along with Macadamia.  Again expensive so used as a superfat oil in soaps, and in small amounts in our salt scrubs.

Sunflower Oil – Helianthus annuus

Sunflower Seeds consist of approximately 40% oil, that is high in polyunsaturates. The unrefined oil is very high in Omega 6 and Vitamin E and is know to be a good source of vitamins and minerals. Very high in linoleic acid sunflower oil makes a very mild soap when saponified.

Shea Butter –

Melting at body temperature, it absorbs quickly and completely into skin without leaving greasy residue. As it penetrates deep into the skin to re-hydrate and promote cell growth.  Shea Butter retains moisture in skin lipids to improve elasticity and combat wrinkles and stretch marks. Shea is a natural moisturiser, non-comedogenic, and can be used straight on the skin. In the cosmetic field, Shea Butter is an asset against skin aging. Due to its ability to have restructuring effects on the epidermis, it has an anti-elastase characteristic which makes it a good active ingredient against stretch marks. It has no known allergic properties and can even be used around the eye area.

Wheatgerm Oil –

A  viscous oil important for it’s high level of vitamin E