Natural - What Does It Mean To You?

hmmmm, is this soap natural?

Natural is defined as: Existing in or caused by nature; not made or caused by humankind.  This makes me think of trees, flowers, fruits and veggies, etc.  But when I see/hear the word 'natural' I think as close to nature as possible.  (I should change my company name to Sincerely Natural As Possible!)  Many things need to be minimally processed in order for us to use them.  For example, any oil I want to use in my soap making has been processed by some sort of machine (most likely) before I can use it.  Olives are pressed to make Olive Oil.  Coconut oil has either been refined, bleached and deodorized or pressed as well.  So are oils no longer natural since they have been processed?

The problems I see are when companies use this word on their labels as a way to get people to buy their product, thinking that natural means better for you.  Is it possible for those gummy fruit snacks to be natural?  Check out this post on About.com.  It defines what natural is supposed to mean on food labels.  I think we all need to make sure we read labels and if there is something in the product we are not sure of?  Research it.  Find out what it is, where it comes from and if it fits in with your definition of natural.

The other problem is when it comes to bath and body products.  I agree with and really like this blog post at Point of Interest!  I make my own lotions and creams for myself and my family.  That requires me to use an emulsifier, not natural, and a thickener, no longer natural (it may be derived from vegetables but it is then processed).  I'm willing to sacrifice having a completely 'natural' product in order to keep my family safe.  So I use a broad-spectrum preservative at .5% in anything I make that has water in it.  That is my personal choice and if you decide not to use preservatives in your products that is your choice.  I have done the research and I don't want to take the chance and have beasties grow in my lotion.   I'll never say that my lotions are natural, I may say that they are better than anything I have bought in the store, but that is just my opinion!

So, what does Natural mean to you?

Liquid Soap Using Glycerin - Fragrance Oils

Please go here to find out how I make liquid soap and here to find out how Essential Oils behave in liquid soap.

I wanted to test more fragrances but I ran out of containers (oops, needed them for strawberry jam).  Anyways these are the results of the ones I used.  They are all from New Directions and I added 1% fragrance to my diluted soap paste.

Ylang Ylang - a few minutes after adding it was thick, had some bubbles and what looked like tiny white beads in it.  Now it is a milky white colour with some separation, no scent morphing.

Margarita - stayed cloudy like in the picture, little bit thicker than the base soap.  The lime seems more pronounced as well.

Lilac & Lilies - at first it went cloudy and thickened up.  I stayed really thick but cleared up and only has some tiny bubbles in it.  Scent stayed the same.

Coffee Cake & Spice - this one started out cloudy then went a brown/peach colour.  It is now slightly darker and still a little cloudy, but it smells really yummy.

 Maple Sugar - I knew this one would eventually turn brown, which is okay since it goes with the name.  Initially it got thicker, but has now gone back the the original consistency.  This picture was taken soon after adding the fragrance.  The picture below shows the colour after a few days.  This scent also did not morph.

Ylang Ylang, Maple Sugar and Coffee Cake & Spice

Base soap and Maple Sugar

Base soap and Coffee Cake & Spice.