Oh, To Be Palm Free - High Five!

As with any new venture I get into, I tend to go overboard. When I first started to make soap, I read a lot of online stories and got a few books and realized my options of Base Oils and Essential Oils was extensive.... So I did what anyone with a meager savings and a new addiction would do, I went out and bought 20 different kinds of carrier oils and 50 different kinds of essential oils and started creating!

I knew when buying my oils that I didn't want to use any lard in my soaps. Now don't get me wrong, I love a juicy steak as much as the next person, so it wasn't a decision on behalf of the animal. Rather the idea of working with animal fat was far less appealing than vegetable oils (that and while I'm sure it would make fantastic soap and more than likely Ive used such a soap in the past) and I just couldn't get down with the thought of rubbing saponified animal fat on my body in order to feel clean afterwards. More or less, if I'm gonna use a soap like that, then I don't want to be making it and more importantly, I don't want to be knowing whats in it. Ignorance is indeed bliss.

I found out the most common vegetable soap formulas combined the following three oils: Olive, Coconut and Palm Oil. So I made sure to buy a lot of these, as well as other kinds to add as fillers for their various skin benefits. After I got into making several soaps, a girlfriend of mine, who was working at Lush in Santa Monica at the time, gave me the skinny on the Palm Oil controversy and why people were being Palm Conscious.

I won't go into so many details, as you can read up more about it in this article, but more or less because Palm Oil has become so increasingly popular in so many different ways over the last few years, from bio-fuel alternative, to being a main ingredient in bath and body products, to being used in many food products, the production of Palm oil is running the Orangutans out of their homeland, destroying the rain forest and more, as I said, I won't go into so many details, but definitely read the article if you get a chance, it's very interesting.

While I unfortunately do not have the time to go and pound my fist for change, I'll at least do my part to be aware of the issues and not contribute to the problem. Palm Oil is not a necessity in making my soap. There are several other alternatives (and better ones at that!) which I can use.

I still have a little bit of Palm Oil and Palm Kernal Oil to go through, I figure if I don't use it, then that would be an even bigger waste! But after I'm done with what I have, I will not order any more and I'm going to start making all my soaps Palm-Free. Just another little marketing perk and an excuse to pat myself on the back! :-)

And now on to play Super Mario Bros for the Wii.... Thank God they went back to the old school version! Yay!