August 23, 2007
Hi,
We're back from another successful weekend at the Leamington Tomato Festival - or should I say, a successful day - since last Sunday was a washout - literally! It feels like it never stopped raining since.
Kim and I started a new line of bubble bath soaps. We hope this line compliments are growing line of bath and body soap. Read more under our "What's New" area...
We also bit the bullet and purchased a Honda "Super Quite" Generator. We found that on cloudy days our purple tent is dark, so you'll now see lights on even if we're in the middle of a field! This new generation of Honda Generators are "Earth Friendly" approved since they run at 1/4 power until something needs juice! Plus, they are rated at 48 decibels (talking loud is around 70 decibels)... I guess if you folks visit and don't notice or hear the generator - then it was the right choice.
Our bath products have been expanded to include a new bubble bath line that will compliment our existing soaps and facial whips. They are a unique and superior designer bubble bath, high concentrated yet we formulated it to be exceptionally mild on your skin! This coconut-based formula is rich in moisturizers and biodegradable. It can be used in the tub for mountains of bubbles or in the shower as a cleaning gel. Plus, when we add our cool line of fragrances, it's aromatherapy for your senses...
If you'd like to take a closer look just click this link:
http://www.yellowbellyfrog.com/store.php?crn=93
All of our soaps are made from a base of glycerin, so we thought a brief lesson into why are soaps are soft on your skin would be valuable...
What is glycerin, really?
Glycerin is a neutral, sweet-tasting, colorless, thick liquid which freezes to a gummy paste and which has a high boiling point. Glycerin can be dissolved into water or alcohol, but not oils. On the other hand, many things will dissolve into glycerin easier than they do into water or alcohol. So it is a good solvent.
Glycerin is also highly "hygroscopic" which means that it absorbs water from the air. Example: if you left a bottle of pure glycerin exposed to air in your kitchen, it would take moisture from the air and eventually, it would become 80 per glycerin and 20 percent water. Folks, that's why we keep telling you to put the soap on a wooded slotted soap dish - so as to NOT absorb moisture from the air...
Because of this hygroscopic quality, when diluted with water, our soaps will soften your skin.
Where does glycerin come from?
Up until 1889, people didn't know how to recover glycerin from the soapmaking process, so commercially produced glycerin mostly came from the candlemaking industry (remember, back then candles were made from animal fats).
In 1889, a viable way to separate the glycerin out of the soap was finally implemented. Since the number one use of glycerin was to make nitroglycerin, which was used to make dynamite, making soap suddenly became a lot more profitable!
The process of removing the glycerin from the soap is fairly complicated. In the most simplest terms: you make soap out of fats and lye. The fats already contain glycerin as part of their chemical makeup (both animal and vegetable fats contain from 7% - 13% glycerin). When the fats and lye interact, soap is formed, and the glycerin is left out as a "byproduct". But, while it's chemically separate, it's still blended into the soap mix.
While a cold process soapmaker would simply pour into the molds at this stage, a commercial soapmaker will add salt. The salt causes the soap to curdle and float to the top. After skimming off the soap, they are left with glycerin (and lots of "impurities" like partially dissolved soap, extra salt, etc.). They then separate the glycerin out by distilling it. Finally, they de-colorize the glycerin by filtering it through charcoal, or by using some other bleaching method.
Glycerin has lots of uses besides being used to make nitroglycerin (note: glycerin is not an explosive substance by itself. It has to be turned into nitroglycerin before it becomes explosive, so it's safe to use our soaps!). Some uses for glycerin include: conserving preserved fruit, as a base for lotions, to prevent freezing in hydraulic jacks, to lubricate molds, in some printing inks, in cake and candy making, and (because it has an antiseptic quality) sometimes to preserve scientific specimens in jars in your high school biology lab.
Glycerin is also used to make clear soaps. Highly glycerinated clear soaps contain about 15% - 20% pure glycerin. Because of their high glycerin content, the soaps are very moisturizing to the skin.
You'll find us in Amherstburg this coming Saturday and Sunday at Art By The River. Hope to see you there. This is always a fun show for us.
Did you know we do custom work? We just finished creating a "Canadian Flag" type soap for a customer that is visiting friends overseas. They thought it a great idea to include handmade gifts from Canada. We were asked to create the flag and of course, used Maple Syrup as the scent. It went over so well, the design might become a permanent part of our family of soaps.
If you ever need custom work - talk to Kim... I can't think of anything that is out of reach for her when it comes to designing soap!
Hope this newsletter reaches all of you in good health!
John Lein
The Yellow Belly Frog Company
