Backwoods Living
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Soap Making
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U. S. Food and Drug AdministrationCenter for Food Safety and Applied NutritionOffice of Cosmetics and Colors Fact SheetFebruary 3, 1995
SOAP
Ordinary soap is solely made up of fats and an alkali. In the past, people made their own soap from animal fats and wood ashes.
Today there are very few true soaps in the traditional sense on the market. You might recognize these soaps as products marketed with characteristics such as "pure". "True" soaps are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, not FDA, and do not require ingredient labeling.
Most body cleansers on the market today are actually synthetic detergent products and come under the jurisdiction of FDA. These detergent cleansers are popular because they make suds easily in water and don't form gummy deposits. Some of these detergent products are actually marketed as "soap" but are not true soap in the common and legal definition of the word.
If a cosmetic claim is made on the label of a "true" soap or cleanser, such as moisturizing or deodorizing, the product must meet all FDA requirements for a cosmetic, and the label must list all ingredients. If a drug claim is made on a cleanser or soap, such as antibacterial, antiperspirant, or anti acne, the product is a drug, and the label must list all active ingredients, as is required for all drug products.
The 1979 FDA Consumer article reprinted below provides additional information on soap products. You also may wish to refer to a related Fact Sheet: Is it a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or is it Soap?).
U. S. Food and Drug AdministrationFDA ConsumerFebruary 1979
ALL THAT LATHERS IS NOT SOAP
by Harold Hopkins
You've been near it all your life, bassinet to bath to boudoir. It was used behind your ears before perfume was used there. It has removed dirt and grime from your face, fingers, and knees. If you've said naughty words your mother may have threatened to wash out your mouth with it. It has cleansed you, made you smell good, added a glow to your complexion, and helped make you feel fresher. But what do you really know about soap?
Well, in the first place the product you regard as soap may not be soap at all, but a synthetic detergent "beauty" or "bath" bar. These and similar names have been used by copywriters to spare the consumer the awful knowledge that she is not bathing herself with real soap, but with a synthetic detergent which, ironically, is for some purposes superior to soap. Some "soap" bars may consist of soap and synthetic detergent.
Soap, as long as we can remember, has enjoyed an enviable respect in polite society and this could be at least a part of the reason why Congress placed soap above the law in enacting the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938. This law exempted soap from regulation as a cosmetic.
So long as no cosmetic representations are made for soap, other than that it cleanses, and no claims are made that it will affect the structure or functions of the body or treat a disease, it is beyond FDA regulation. When such claims are made the soap must meet all FDA requirements for a cosmetic or a drug or both, whichever is appropriate. If it's represented as a drug the label must list all active ingredients; if represented as both a cosmetic and drug or as only a cosmetic the label must list all ingredients.
For instance, if a soap is labeled as a deodorant soap, FDA considers this to be a cosmetic claim and the label must, as with other cosmetics, carry a list of ingredients. If the soap makes a medical claim, such as that it will cure dandruff, it is considered a drug and must carry required drug labeling and also meet FDA safety and effectiveness requirements.
Fortunately, plain soap of the noncosmetic, nondrug variety has earned a good reputation. Apart from the familiar sting from getting soap into your eyes or the peril of slipping on a bar in the bathtub or shower, common bath and hand soap is relatively safe. In fact we often use it to remove other substances from our hands and skin that we think are a lot less safe.
For purposes of excluding ordinary soap from regulation as a cosmetic, FDA defines it as a product in which most of the nonvolatile matter consists of an alkali salt of fatty acids and whose detergent properties are due to these alkali-fatty acid compounds. Our ancestors often made their own soap for laundering, cleaning, and bathing from animal fats and wood ashes. Today's soap may contain perfumes, colors, and oils, but if it is represented only as soap it's out of FDA's regulatory bailiwick.
Ordinary soap is regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission under authority of the Hazardous Substances Act. CPSC's jurisdiction covers most noncosmetic, nondrug substances used in the home.
If the bar you use for bathing does not claim to be a soap, it's probably a synthetic detergent product. FDA defines a cosmetic as an article intended to be used on the body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance; thus, a nonsoap product intended for any of these purposes is automatically classified as a cosmetic.
Soaps and synthetic detergent cleansing agents function in water in somewhat the same way; that is, they break down the resistance barrier between the water and the dirt, grime, oil, or other material, allowing it to be wetted and washed away. Soap works well in soft water, but in hard water, which contains a relatively high amount of calcium in solution, the calcium and soap react to form a gummy material called soap scum, which includes dirt and other matter. This gummy stuff is what forms the familiar ring in the bathtub.
The increasing number of synthetic detergent bars on the market is due largely to their more efficient functioning in water, regardless of hardness, and because they don't form gummy deposits as does soap. There are many types of synthetic detergents, ranging from strong to mild; usually the milder types are used for personal cleansing. Some of the harsher detergents are capable of causing eye irritation or injury and manufacturers normally avoid using these in personal bathing bars. There are consumers who may experience irritation or allergic skin reactions from some synthetic detergents. Some consumers also may be allergic to fragrances, colors, or other substances added to either soaps or synthetic detergent bars.
FDA's file of about 70 reports of adverse reactions during the years 1975 through 1977 from use of bar soaps and synthetic detergent bars that qualify as cosmetics includes consumer complaints about skin rash, redness, inflammation, irritation, itching, and burning among the most common problems. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's file of complaints and injury investigations shows similar effects on the skin and eye irritations. Consumer complaints about adverse reactions to synthetic detergent bars and those soaps classified as cosmetics may be made to any FDA district office or to the Director, Division of Cosmetics Technology, Food and Drug Administration, 200 C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20204. *
Complaints of adverse reactions from ordinary personal cleansing soap not classified as a cosmetic or drug should be sent to the Consumer Complaints Section, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207. Complaints may also be made and information obtained on any current recalls, warnings, or bans concerning soap by dialing the toll-free CPSC Hotline for Consumers: 1-800-638-2772.
Harold Hopkins is editorial director of FDA Consumer.
U. S. Food and Drug AdministrationFDA CONSUMER, February 1979
* New address:5100 Paint Branch ParkwayCollege Park, MD 20740-3835
Monday, August 16, 2004
Issue Date: July 4, 2004
4th of July
Gardening the Founding Fathers' way
For George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, "the pursuit of Happiness" began with working their land.
by Fran Sorin
"Cultivators of the earth," Jefferson wrote in 1785, "are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands."
WHEN Our FOREFATHERS wrote in the Declaration of Independence that each of us has the right to "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness," for some of them, much of their own happiness came from working the land and being in touch with nature. They would be delighted to know that 228 years later their gardens are still thriving and serving as a reminder to us of our agrarian heritage.
Although he gave most of his life to public service, George Washington's greatest desire always was to return to Mount Vernon, his home and farm on the Potomac River in Virginia. Washington dedicated himself to developing the landscape and gardens of Mount Vernon for the 45 years before his death in 1799. By the time he died at age 67, Mount Vernon had grown into a 8,000-acre plantation made up of five farms.
After inheriting Mount Vernon in 1761, Washington ordered Batty Langley's "New Principles of Gardening," which described how to lay out a landscape garden. The evolution of Mount Vernon mirrors the evolution of its owner. The property went through several stages of development, many directed by Washington from afar. Even during his two terms as president, when he visited Mount Vernon just 15 times, we know Washington still was intimately involved with the development of the land. He wrote instructions on how tasks were to be done and required his gardeners to write a weekly account of the works completed. When he was at home, Washington never missed his daily ride to check on his farming operations and admire the fields, woods and vistas.
Washington developed a rotation system for his crops, which allowed the soil some fallow time. He also planted several species of plants, including mountain laurels, redbuds and dogwoods; one of his most prized possessions was a Southern magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora. More than 100 ornamental shrubs and trees are mentioned in his writings, at least half of which are American natives. A notation in his diary on April 26, 1785, reads: "The blossom of the Red bud are just beginning to display. The Dogwood blossom tho' out makes no figure yet: being small and not very white. The flower of the Sassafras was fully out and looked well."
Washington believed the soil was sacred. He surveyed the measurements for his buildings and grounds. He wrote about his failures as much as his successes. He made a decent amount of money as a farmer when a lot of other farmers of his class and age were losing money. But just as important, he thought of it as an occupation that "may be more conducive than almost any other to the happiness of mankind."
Although he spent much time away from his beloved plantation, Washington remained intimately involved with its farm operations.
Thomas Jefferson's gardening legacy is better known than Washington's. The third president was a naturalist and a farmer, as well as something of a scientist in his approach to gardening. From age 23, he kept a garden journal, where he recorded weather observations, when each crop came to harvest and the best-tasting beans that had been picked. His first entry noted that "the purple hyacinths have begun to bloom." At Monticello in Virginia, where Jefferson lived most of his adult life and died at age 83 on July Fourth, his gardens were filled with seeds and vegetation that had been brought over from England, France, Africa and China.
In his 1,000-foot kitchen garden, 330 varieties of vegetables were cultivated. "I like to think of it as the Ellis Island of crops from around the world," says Peter Hatch, director of gardens and grounds at Monticello.
Jefferson was considered a pioneer in growing tomatoes in America, and records show he planted 36 varieties of kidney beans and grew at least 110 species of herbaceous flowers. He wrote that "the greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture." Beyond the practical benefits of cultivating the land, Jefferson understood the garden's ability to offer a beautiful place of solitude, a place where one could contemplate and study.
In 1786, Jefferson toured the great gardens of England with John and Abigail Adams. He kept a detailed account of all 16 grand estates they visited, and wrote: "The gardening in that country is the article in which it surpasses all the earth. I mean their pleasure gardening. This, indeed, went far beyond my ideas."
So, as you sit with an aching back after a long day in the garden, writing in your journal all of the day's tasks, remember that you are in good company. As Washington wrote on April 7, 1797: "I am once more seated under my own Vine and Fig-tree and hope to spend the remainder of my days ... in peaceful retirement, making political pursuits yield to the more rational amusement of cultivating the earth."
Fran Sorin is the author of "Digging Deep: Unearthing Your Creative Roots Through Gardening." For more information on Sorin, go to fransorin.com
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Friday, July 23, 2004
Executive Order: Responsibilities of the Department of Commerce and Veterans Affairs and the Small Business Administration with Respect to Faith-Based
Executive Order: Responsibilities of the Department of Commerce and Veterans Affairs and the Small Business Administration with Respect to Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
I have began to explore different modes of business and thought that faith based initiative stuff interesting. Check it out an see what you think.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/06/20040601-1.html
Complimentary and Alternative Medicines
Interesting study on the increased use of (CAM) Complimentary and Alternative medicines, a group of diverse medical and health care systems, products, therapies not presently considered a part of conventional medicine.
http://nccam.nih.gov/news/report.pdf
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Communities hurt by industrialized farming
For more information please visit,
http://www.askfarmerbrown.com
Posted by Cynthia
Friday, July 16, 2004
Create Your Own Solar Cooker
SOLAR COOKING
You can cook almost anything with the sun and a "low tech" solar oven!
Homemade solar box cooker (you can make one of these out of plywood or even cardboard) These cookers can reach temperatures in excess of 300 f! This solar oven is constructed of a plywood box within a larger, outer plywood box. The space between the boxes is insulated with approx. 2" of "Perlite", the soil amendment gardeners use, although most people use regular fiberglass insulating material. (this was an experimental material that does work very well) The reflector is an ordinary glass mirror, however, aluminum foil or reflective mylar can be used just as effectively. Covering the oven is 1/4" tempered glass. Lining the inner walls is aluminum roofing type flashing. On the floor of the oven are two flat black cookie sheets with black barbecue type grills that the pots rest upon. The idea is to get the sunlight concentrated into the oven by orienting the box and tilting the reflector. The oven will then quickly heat up because the sun's heat energy is trapped under the glass cover. The black surfaces and the dark food containers absorb the heat. I use black porcelain steel pots, oven cooking bags, and various containers that have been painted black with barbeque paint.
http://www.solarcooking.org
Posted by Cynthia
http://www.the-lighted-garden.com
Blogarama
Good Morning everyone,
Things are quiet here today. I am contemplating all that is happening in the world around me and thankful for the inner peace.
I tend to be very opinionated on issues happening around the world or so others say about me.
And tend to take a radical stand on controversial issues. I suppose you wouldn't be reading this if you didn't want to though!
I have a passion to live for Christ, but knowing I am so far from perfect and without his Grace to enable me to go forward each day, I wouldn't be able to go on. I'd hide even more than I do now.
I don't know if hide is the right word, but I certainly don't choose to participate in a lot of the world's doings or the religiousity of the Church.
I watch Sky Angel news from time to time and get the news from a christian view point as well as keep tabs on secular media reports. Things like a democratic representative saying to teach abstinence in regard to aids is inhumane. Does anyone teach anymore that the aids virus is small enough to go through a condom? That it is a lie that condoms protect during sexual encounters?
I love people and I hate to see people destroyed for lack of knowledge! Seems the scripture is clear about those who willfully & on purpose teach people wrongly and lead them astray.
Your input is welcome. I only ask that you be respectful of others, me included. Hateful comments, demeaning and attacking other character isn't necessary to voice your thoughts, opinions and convictions. I will listen much better without being assaulted verbally. Because you don't think the same way I do, doesn't make you less of a person! Your as valuable as anyone else.
Do you need a place to advertise for free or need a free website, check out the link below.
Pretty interesting, still takes a bit of work but not a dead end like other traffic exchange junk!
Cynthia
Blogarama
Thursday, July 15, 2004
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Try our natural insect repellent in spritzer, spray oil, or soap and shampoo bar.
Posted by Cynthia
To find out more go to : http://www.the-lighted-garden.com
Try our natural bug off products
Posted by Cynthia
To find out more go to http://www.the-lighted-garden.com
