Teach Soap

The high pH of handmade soap tends to inhibit germs and bacteria, but soap will never be sterile.
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/ ... tion/2657/

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

It is sterilized in the making of it. The lye is in excess of 70C when mixed, and as I can say from measurements today, so is the oil when melted. 70C kills all dangerous pathogens. Plus, my soap reaches 70C when in gel, so what comes out of the mould is sterilised. Ordinary soap doesn't necessarily kill bacteria, but soap, as long as the ingredients have reached 70C, is free of any dangerous organisms. And it is solid; solid bars are not readily contaminated. (That's why the very successful LUSH company prefers to make solid products - they need little or no preservatives. Soap can go rancid of course, (DOS) but that's a different problem.)

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

70 degrees doesn't kill a millionth of the pathogens/bacteria on anything. In fact MANY thrive at that temperature. I have the biology degree to back that up too, with a 95% in microbiology.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

70C is the technical and mandatory and normal requirement used internationally for cosmetics meant to be applied to the skin. Your face cream was sterilised at 70C. I should think what is good for face cream is good for soap. And our company secretary has a masters in public health, and many years of teaching microbiology, plus, we are able to access the resources of the medical school to make sure. We're fully registered with the health department. I think I know what I am talking about. I am sorry to hear your opinion of Lush, though. You have surprised me. They have grown at a terrific rate according to my information; is that all due to smart marketing? Their prices seem very high.

Sterilization is around 300 degrees C and a huge amount of pressure. 70 degrees C would be a VERY light de-germing to remove things like psuedmonas (which live in soaps and creams) and many of the milder "germs". You are using the wrong term, 70 degrees C would sterilize nothing, merely reduce the number of microbes to a safer level. That being said, 70 degrees C would only remove minor contamination like you would see in industrial factories that legally have to sterilize their equipment several times a year. These facilities are generally kept around biohazard level 1 sterile.

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

Leaving the bacteria issue to others, I am thinking that the mouse poo is made up of something other than bacteria... would you want to wash your face/body with this? What we all should do is learn a lesson from this, protect your supplies... from little creatures, heat, dirt, cold, light etc.

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

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The Soapinatrix! *whip-crack*
- Posting the trials and tribulations of my Soaping Journey!

Yeah, don't think mouse poo is one of the "beneficial" poo mask components LOL Ick!

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

I don't know...maybe you could just pretend they are lavender buds, since that what lavender looks like after awhile!

Seriously, tho - I would not want to use anything that had rodent (or any other) feces on it. YUCK!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

Linda, now I know why I have and will always avoid those lavendar buds !

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Susie
Sometimes A Mistake is so much fun, You just have to do it again!

Lavender buds do turn into poopy looking things on soap.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Oh wow, they really do look like mouse poo!

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~~Heather~~
Mad [soaping] Scientist

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

Or they look like bugs. I don't do it either. I did grind lavender buds to a powder and put that in.

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Lesli Sagan
Avital's Apiaries
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