Castor oil is a thick, clear, viscous oil obtained from the seeds of the castor oil plant. It is valued in soap making because it helps to make soaps clear, and it helps to produce a thick lather. It is also used in hair care care products and lip care products (like lipstick and lip gloss) for moisturization, and because it leaves a nice shine.

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Essential oils are fragrant oils that exist in the flowers, leaves, stems, bark, peel and other parts of plants. Essential oils are also called volatile oils because they evaporate when exposed to air. Many different types of plants have an essential oil.  Examples of these are flowers like rose, gardenia, carnation, and jasmine. Citrus fruits, like orange, lemon and lime, also have essential oils.  Other plants that have an essential oil are nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and black pepper. Whenever you peel an orange, some of the essential oil in the peel squirts out and this is what you smell as you are peeling the orange.

About Essential Oils
Essential oils are removed from flowers and plants by three basic methods: steam distillation, expression, and extraction.

Steam Distillation:
Using this method, the fragrant parts of the plant are put in a device called a “still.” Steam is allowed to permeate the plant material. As the steam rises it loosens the essential oils in the plant parts and carries it to a separate container.  The steam is condensed into water in this separate container and the essential oils are removed from it there.

Expression:
This method is used for removing essential oils from the peels of citrus fruits like orange, lemon, and lime.  In expression the peels are squeezed, or punctured, to remove the essential oils.

Extraction:
This method is used for removing the oils from delicate flowers such as jasmine, carnation and gardenia.  It is also used for removing the oils from resins such as frankincense and myrrh.  In this method the essential oils are removed from the plant or resin by soaking it in fat, oil, or a chemical solvent.  When the solvent has been removed, the fragrant oil that remains is called an “absolute.”  When the solvent has been removed from a resin, what remains is called a resinoid.

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Sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide are two ingredients used to turn oils and fats into soap. Sodium hydroxide is normally used to make bar soaps. Potassium hydroxide is normally used to make liquid soaps. Both are extremely corrosive and must be handled and stored with care. Both sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide come in bead form, flake form, or liquid form. Most soap recipes call for bead form, and this is the easiest to handle. When storing your sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide be sure to store them in air tight containers in a cool, dry place.

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Palm oil is a saturated fat that is obtained from the fruit of the palm nut. In its natural state is is a dark red color, but many manufacturers bleach it to a creamy yellow color. It is used in soap making as a hardener for vegetable oils soaps.

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