Adventures With The Sage

Last week, I took a phone call from a customer looking for Grapefruit Seed Extract. She wanted to use the Grapefruit Seed Extract as a preservative in her lotion. I’ve done some research in the past about Grapefruit Seed Extract and I have discovered that it has little preservative abilities. After I explained to the caller that a preservative is different than an antioxidant, I thought it might be a good idea to share information on the differences between preservatives and antioxidants.

An antioxidant helps slow down the oxidation of any substance that will be damaged by exposure to oxygen.

A preservative acts by preventing the growth of yeast, bacteria and mold. Preservatives are desirable to keep our creams and lotions from becoming walking Petri dishes.

I hope this helps!

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Lately, I’ve been having lots of fun making cold process soap and I’ve been on a swirls kick! I made a Cinnamon Rosemary Soap with Brown Oxide for the swirls. I also made a soap with Bulgarian Lavender and I used Lavender Fields for the swirls. Both of these soaps turned out so well I had to share the pictures of the finished soaps with you! Recipe for Bulgarian Lavender Soap 8 ounces weight Hydrogenated Soybean Oil 4 ounces weight Coconut Oil 4 ounces weight Olive Oil 2.2 ounces Sodium Hydroxide 6 fluid ounces water 9.5 mL of Bulgarian Lavender Essential Oil 1/2 teaspoon of Lavender Fields Dry Color

Bulgarian Lavender Soap on the left and Cinnamon Rosemary Soap on the right.

Recipe for Cinnamon Rosemary Soap

8 ounces weight Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
4 ounces weight Coconut Oil
4 ounces weight Olive Oil

2.2 ounces Sodium Hydroxide
6 fluid ounces water

3.5 mL of Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil
6.5 mL of Rosemary Essential Oil

1/2 teaspoon of Brown Oxide Dry Color

If you didn’t catch the announcement last week, MMS now has a Twitter account! This is a great way to be updated on price changes and new product releases. For example, information about projected Cocoa Butter prices, newly released products and new prices on products have been released lately and the first to know were reading our Twitter.
Here is the direct link to our Twitter account. http://twitter.com/mmtnsage

If you are interested, there is a swap on the forum. It is a Fall Themed Swap with a due date of September 1st. Head over to the forum if you are interested in joining.

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August 5, 2009: Today is a full moon.