Stikkord: Natural soap

#27. Så hva er forskjellen mellom essensielle oljer og ekstrakter?

For English: scroll down

Originalartikkel publisert på LinkedIn, også på deres nettside, 23. juni 2021, av: Nuqo Trading

“Med den økte bevisstheten om naturlige produkter stiller flere mennesker spørsmål om forskjellen mellom eteriske oljer og ekstrakter. Begge har en viktig rolle i naturlige velværeprodukter som brukes i alt fra aromaterapi til te, og riktig prosess er avgjørende for å få mest mulig ut av disse naturlige stoffene.

Hovedforskjellene mellom essensielle oljer og ekstrakter er prosessen. Mens begge utvinnes fra forskjellige deler av anlegget, er prosessen veldig forskjellig. Eteriske oljer må ekstraheres gjennom destillasjon, mens ekstrakter dynkes i en væske for å isolere smaken.

Oljer som er samlet fra de aromatiske delene av blomster, røtter og blader er kjent som essensielle oljer. Disse oljene er konsentrert i naturen og tilberedes ved dampdestillasjon. Anleggsdelene plasseres inne i et dampkammer, damp slippes ut over anleggsdelene og oljer samles opp ved å klemme under damptrykk. De ekstraherte stoffene samles i dampkammeret og avkjøles i en kondensator. Kondensatoren lager vann og skiller oljen til en konsentrert form.

Med ekstrakter går plantene gjennom en trekke prosess, hvor det oppsamlede stoffet blir konsentrert. Dette kan også gjøres ved å pulverisere planten. Den vanligste utvinningsprosessen er urtete, mens tinkturer krever at plantestoffet bløtlegges i alkohol i lang tid for å fjerne de essensielle forbindelsene.

Hver metode fjerner de viktigste forbindelsene fra plantene og konsentrerer det beste fra naturen i en enkel, lett å bruke substans.”

Mitt spørsmål til Nuqo Trading:

I min håndlagde såpeproduksjon bruker jeg olivenolje, som har blitt tilsatt 720 grams urter som rosmarin, oregano, salvie, lavendel, i 15 liter olivenolje. Infusjonstid er et halvt år. Deretter filtreres de bløtlagte urtene ut, og pulverisert i kjøkkenmaskinen, filtreres igjen og føres tilbake til den tilsatte oljen, slik at alt det som er mulig å trekke ut av de bløtlagte urtene beholdes og brukes i såpeproduksjonen. Den infuserte olivenoljen ser svart ut når malingen og tilbakefiltreringen er klar. Lukten er ekstraordinær. Ved siden av det bruker jeg en te fra samme urteekstrahert (i mange dager), som også er veldig mørk. Jeg bruker denne teen til å blande med for såpe å lage nødvendig natriumhydroksid. Senere, når væsken begynner å forsåpe, tilsetter jeg den nødvendige mengden eterisk olje av samme urt for den batchen.
Spørsmålet mitt er: er resultatet av infusjon, og måten jeg lager oljen på, også et slags ekstrakt?

Svar på LinkedIn, av Nuqo Trading:

Mest sannsynlig! Såpene dine høres fantastisk!

I videoen kan du følge opprettelsen av (i dette tilfellet) lavendelsåpe, fra åker til infusjon, til kutting og pakking:

English:

So what’s the difference between essential oils and extracts?

Original article published on LinkedIn, also on their website, on June 23, 2021, by: Nuqo Trading

“With the increased awareness of natural products, more people are asking questions about the difference between essential oils and extracts. Both have an important role in natural wellness products used in everything from aromatherapy to tea, and the correct process is essential in getting the most out of these natural substances.

The main differences between essential oils and extracts is the process. While both are extracted from different parts of the plant, the process is very different. Essential oils need to be extracted through distillation, while extracts are soaked in a liquid to isolate the flavour.

Oils that are collected from the aromatic parts of flowers, roots and leaves are know as essential oils. These oils are concentrated in nature and are prepared by steam distillation. The parts of the plant are placed inside a steam chamber, steam is released over the parts of the plant and oils are collected by squeezing under steam pressure. The extracted substances are collected in the steam chamber and are cooled in a condenser. The condenser creates water and separates the oil into a concentrated form.

With extracts, the plants go through a straining process, where the collected substance becomes concentrated. This can also be done by grinding the plant. The most common process of extraction is herbal tea, while tinctures require the plant matter to be soaked in alcohol for a long period of time to remove the essential compounds.

Each method removes the most important compounds from the plants and concentrates the best of nature in a simple, easy to use substance.”

My question to Nuqo Trading:

In my handcrafted soap production I use olive oil, that has been infused with 720 gram herbs like rosemary, oregano, sage, lavender, in 15 liters olive oil. Infusing time is a half year. Then the soaked herbs are filtered out, and grinded in the kitchen machine, filtered again, and returned to the infused oil, so that all what is possible to extract from the soaked herbs are kept en used in the soap production. The infused olive oil looks black when the grinding and filtering back, is ready. The smell is extraordinary. Next to that I use a from the same herb extracted tea (during many days), which is also very dark. I use this tea to mix with the for soap making necessary caustic soda. Later, when the liquid starts to saponify, I add the for that batch necessary amount of essential oil of the same herb.
My question is: is the result of infusing, and the way I create the oil, also a kind of an extract?

Answer on LinkedIn, by Nuqo Trading:

Most definitely! Your soaps sound amazing!

In the video you can follow the creation of (in this case) lavender soap, from field to infusing, to cutting and packing:

0

#17. Kvinners Helse

[For English: scroll down]

Introduksjon til informasjon om vulvovaginal (genital) helse (engelsk) (norsk)

Den følgende artikkelen om kvinnehygienens rolle i vulvovaginal helse er laget av tre ansatte i Reckitt Benckiser LLC[1], et selskap som produserer rengjøringsprodukter. Selskapet produserer rengjøringsmidler, desinfeksjonsmidler og luktfjernere til husholdningsbruk. Reckitt Benckisers produkter betjener kjemisk industri og husholdningsprodukter. Det betyr at det er interessekonflikter. Til tross for det, publiserer jeg den for å tilby en interessant lesning, for å skape bevissthet om alle fasettene rundt kvinnelig hygiene. Cretan-Garden såper er ikke kjemiske, men naturlige, og er trygge å bruke til også intimhygiene, hvis du bruker såpen på riktig måte: skyll med mye vann. Hvis du aldri har brukt Cretan-Garden-såper før, observer hvordan huden din reagerer. I tilfelle du lider av vulvovaginale helseproblemer[2], anbefaler jeg at du ikke bruker noen form for såpe eller vaskemidler, men å først kontakte din fastlege, eller en offisielt registrert naturlege.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Kvinners helse

Rollen til kvinnelig intimhygiene i vulvovaginal helse: Global hygienepraksis og produktbruk
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1745505717731011
Anmeldelse av: Ying Chen, Elizabeth Bruning, Joseph Rubino, Scott E Eder
Første gang publisert: 22. september 2017

Abstrakt

Kvinner bruker ulike feminine hygieneprodukter, ofte som en del av deres daglige renserutine; Det er imidlertid en mangel på publisert medisinsk litteratur relatert til den ytre vulvaen og hvordan personlig hygienepraksis kan påvirke den. Denne oversiktsartikkelen gir bakgrunnsinformasjon om de fysiologiske endringene som skjer i løpet av kvinners liv og vurderer relevansen av forbigående og fastboende mikrobiota når de er relatert til vanlige vaginale og vulva lidelser. Den diskuterer også behovet for kvinnelig intimhygiene, vanlige praksiser for feminin hygiene fra et globalt perspektiv, og de potensielle fordelene ved å bruke egnede eksterne, aktuelle feminine vulvavaskinger for å minimere risikoen for vulvovaginale lidelser og for å forbedre den generelle intimhelsen hos kvinner rundt verden.

Støttet av internasjonale retningslinjer, er daglig skånsom rensing av vulva et viktig aspekt ved feminin hygiene og generell intim helse.

Kvinner bør oppmuntres til å velge en nøye formulert og klinisk testet ekstern vask som gir målrettede antimikrobielle og andre helsemessige fordeler uten å ha negativ innvirkning på den naturlige vulvovaginale mikrobiotaen. Les videre her [i engelsk].

[Tillegg av admin. A.J.: daglig vask med urteolivenoljesåpe er trygt, når du bruker såpen på riktig måte, som betyr: bruk nok vann til å skylle.]

Bilde av Maria Eduarda Loura Magalhães fra Pexels

Kapitler i artikkelen

  • Introduksjon
  • Fysiologi av vulvovaginalområdet
    • Det vulvovaginale området
    • Mikroflora
    • pH
    • Vaginal utflod
    • Beskyttelse mot infeksjoner
  • Vanlige vulvovaginale lidelser
    • Vulvovaginale infeksjoner
    • Vulvovaginal kløe og unormal vaginal utflod
    • Intim feminin hygiene
    • Retningslinjer for feminin hygiene
    • Vanlig praksis rundt om i verden
      • Sosial, kultur og religiøs påvirkning
      • Oppsummering av vulvovaginale produkter
      • Vitenskapelig støtte for en riktig designet feminin vask
  • Konklusjon
  • Fremtidsperspektiv
  • Referanser (76)

Ytterligere informasjon:

  1. Reckitt Benckiser, LLC – Bloomberg
  2. Vulvovaginal Helse – Website with explanation / Nettsted med forklaring
  3. Vulvovaginal Helse – A modern blog / En moderne blogg
  4. Vulvovaginal Candidiasis – Website «100comments« / Nettsted «100 kommentarer«
  5. Alt du trenger å vite om vaginal damping – Healthline
  6. Salvie for perimenopause og utover / hormoner, histaminer og vaginal helse – Sydney Naturopath
  7. Helsefordelene med salvie – ganske enkelt kosttilskudd – Simply Supplements
  8. Sammenligning av effektiviteten til Salvia officinalis[Salvie], clotrimazol og deres kombinasjon på vulvovaginal candidiasis: En randomisert, kontrollert klinisk studie – Research Gate

English:

#17. Women’s Health

Introduction to information about vulvovaginal (genital) health

The following article about the role of female hygiene in vulvovaginal health is created by three employees of Reckitt Benckiser LLC[1], a company that manufactures cleaning products. The Company produces cleaners, disinfectants, and deodorizers for household use. Reckitt Benckiser’s products serve the chemical and household products industries. This means that there are conflicts of interest. Despite that, I publish it to offer an interesting read, to create awareness about all the facets concerning female hygiene. Cretan-Garden soaps are not chemical, but natural, and are safe to be used for also intimate hygiene, if you use the soap in the right way: rinse with much water. If you never used Cretan-Garden soaps before, observe how your skin reacts. In case you suffer from vulvovaginal health[2] problems, I advise not to use any kind of soap or detergent, but to contact first your general practitioner, or an officially registered naturopath.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Women’s Health

Role of female intimate hygiene in vulvovaginal health: Global hygiene practices and product usage
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1745505717731011
Role of female intimate hygiene in vulvovaginal health: Global hygiene practices and product usage
Review by: Ying Chen, Elizabeth Bruning, Joseph Rubino, Scott E Eder
First Published: September 22, 2017

Abstract

Women use various feminine hygiene products, often as part of their daily cleansing routine; however, there is a paucity of published medical literature related to the external vulva and how personal hygiene practices can affect it. This review article provides background information on the physiological changes that occur during women’s lives and reviews the relevance of transient and resident microbiota as they relate to common vaginal and vulvar disorders. It also discusses the need for female intimate hygiene, common practices of feminine hygiene from a global perspective, and the potential benefits of using suitable external, topical feminine vulvar washes to minimize the risk of vulvovaginal disorders and to improve overall intimate health in women around the world.

Supported by international guidelines, daily gentle cleansing of the vulva is an important aspect of feminine hygiene and overall intimate health.

Women should be encouraged to choose a carefully formulated and clinically tested external wash that provides targeted antimicrobial and other health benefits without negatively impacting on the natural vulvovaginal microbiota. Read on here.

[Additional by the admin. A.J.: daily washing with herbal olive oil soap is safe, when using the soap in the right way, which means: using enough water to rinse.]

Photo by Maria Eduarda Loura Magalhães from Pexels

Chapters of the article

  • Introduction
  • Physiology of the vulvovaginal area
    • The vulvovaginal area
    • Microflora
    • pH
    • Vaginal discharge
    • Protection from infections
  • Common vulvovaginal disorders
    • Vulvovaginal infections
    • Vulvovaginal itching and abnormal vaginal discharge
    • Intimate feminine hygiene
    • Guidelines on feminine hygiene
    • Common practices around the world
      • Social, culture, and religious influences
      • Vulvovaginal products summary
      • Scientific support for a properly designed feminine wash
  • Conclusion
  • Future perspective
  • References (76)

Additional information:

  1. Reckitt Benckiser, LLC – Bloomberg
  2. Vulvovaginal Health – Website with explanation
  3. Vulvovaginal Health – A modern blog
  4. Vulvovaginal Candidiasis – Website “100comments“
  5. Everything you need to know about vaginal steaming – Healthline
  6. Sage for perimenopause and beyond / hormones, histamines and vaginal health – Sydney Naturopath
  7. The Health Benefits of Sage – Simply Supplements
  8. Comparing the effectiveness of Salvia officinalis, clotrimazole and their combination on vulvovaginal candidiasis: A randomized, controlled clinical trial – Research Gate

#15. Bærekraftsdagen

[For English: scroll down]

Se ågso: Mobiltelefoner er ikke bærekraftige / publisert 10-10-2022

Originalartikkel: Hva er Bærekraftsdagen?

Visste du at vi feirer Bærekraftsdagen hvert år i oktober? Aldri hørt om det? Ingen bekymringer, faktisk betyr bærekraftsdag: en dag dedikert til å være bærekraftig og revurdere våre ritualer og vaner. Begrepet bærekraftig motsier ordet avfall, de throw-away society. Gjenbruk, resirkulering, redusering er kjennetegn ved bærekraft.

Bærekraftsdag 27. oktober 2021

I år vil denne dagen falle på 27. oktober 2021, selv om den kan være forskjellig avhengig av land. Nederland feiret det 8. oktober 2021. Hovedmålet bør være å feire det hver eneste dag! På denne dagen øker arrangørene bevisstheten rundt viktigheten av bærekraft, og deler også innsikt med hverandre med det felles målet å bygge et godt utdannet, ansvarlig samfunn.

Hvorfor er det en bærekraftsdag?

I dagens dag og århundre er ikke bærekraft noe vi hører en gang i en blå måne lenger. Selv om det startet som litt av en trend, har det vist seg for alle at det er kommet for å bli. Likevel, å ha en bærekraftsdag – som vi har Verdens Dagen og andre feiringer – er et øyeblikk for å minne oss på dette.

Heldigvis adopterer designere og merkevarer ikke bare prinsippene for bærekraft, men de har begynt å innlemme bærekraft i alle faser av å lage klær, fra øko-materialer til øko-emballasje, samt hvordan de behandler sine arbeidere.

Bærekraft er fortsatt et emne som mange ennå ikke har fordøyd og helt forstår, og det er derfor (blant mange andre grunner), vi feirer bærekraftsdagen hvert år den 4. onsdagen i oktober.

Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels

“Bærekraftig” oversettes til “å opprettholdes i veldig lang tid”, som er nøyaktig målet, å kunne ta vare på planeten for alltid. For å nå dette målet bruker noen tid i løpet av dagen til å lære kolleger om hva som er resirkulerbart på kontoret og hva som ikke er det. Noen dedikerer dagen til å bygge bærekraftige strategier, andre lover å trykke tosidig på papir eller kun kjøpe resirkulert papir og skrivesaker. Bruk av naturlig sollys og ventilasjon for dagen og så videre.

Nederland er ikke fremmed den dag i dag. «Dag van de Duurzaamheid» kaller de det. Dagen er ment som et utstillingsvindu for bærekraftstiltak. Tusenvis av skoler deltar i bærekraftige kampanjer, fra leksjoner om avfallssortering til konferanser ved universiteter. Og det er ikke alt, den nederlandske Sustainable Fashion Week skulle dele bærekraftskampanjer.

Hva er de 10 reglene for bærekraft?

Det er mange måter du kan bli involvert på, og du kan gjøre dette alene eller kollektivt, du trenger ikke nødvendigvis å gjøre noe ekstraordinært eller starte et opprør. For å feire denne dagen kan du ganske enkelt tenke på noen av dine vaner og ritualer. Så enkelt som det!

Photo by Lara Jameson from Pexels

Her er noen ideer:

  • Doner klærne dine i stedet for å kaste dem i søpla.
  • I dag, hvorfor ikke sykle i stedet for bilen (hvorfor ikke hver dag!).
  • Vær oppmerksom på vannforbruket ditt
  • Resirkuler, gjenbruk, gjenbruk klær (eh, ikke bare klær).
  • Bruk en gjenbrukbar vannflaske, eller gjenbrukbare sugerør noen?
  • Støtt og se på merker som er bærekraftige
  • Hvis du handler på nett i dag, bestill lokalt.
  • Hvorfor ikke prøve å kjøpe bruktklær?
  • Prøv veganske støvler og vesker
  • Og til slutt, kjøp mindre og kjøp bedre!

.

Cretan Garden-såper er bærekraftige

Cretan Garden-såper er bærekraftige. Ideen til Cretan Garden-nettbutikken er født ut av ønsket om å resirkulere olivenolje og urter i kjelleren før de ville ha gått ut på dato, og derfor gått tapt. Cretan Garden-såper har ingen utløpsdato fordi de er helt veganske, og urtene ble fullstendig tørket før bruk. Alle råvarer er perfekt resirkulert, reddet fra avfall, og fordi sluttproduktet, såpen, ikke har en utløpsdato, er såpen garantert bærekraftig. Innpakningen har blitt miljøsikkert trykket. Papiret kan resirkuleres igjen.

Cretan Garden såpe er bærekraftig, biologisk nedbrytbar, vegansk, laget av økologisk olivenolje og økologiske urter.

.

.

.

English:

See also: Mobile phones are not sustainable / published 10-10-2022

#15. Sustainability Day

Original article: What is Sustainability Day?

Did you know we celebrate Sustainability day every year in October? Never heard of it? No worries, in fact sustainability day means: a day dedicated to being sustainable and rethinking our rituals and habits. The term sustainable contradicts the word waste, the throw-away society. Reuse, recycling, reduce are characteristics of sustainability.

Sustainability Day on 27th October 2021

This year this day would fall on 27th October 2021, although it might be different depending on the country. The Netherlands celebrated it on October 8th, 2021. The main goal should be to celebrate it every single day! On this day, the organizers raise awareness towards the importance of Sustainability, and also share insights with one another with the common goal of building a well-educated, responsible community.

Why is there a sustainability day?

In the current day and age, sustainability is not something we hear once in a blue moon anymore. Even though it started out as somewhat of a trend, it has proved to everyone that it is here to stay. Still, having a sustainability day – like we have Earth Day and other celebrations – is a moment to remind us of this.

Thankfully, designers and brands are not only adopting the principles of sustainability, but they have started to incorporate sustainability in every phase of creating clothing, from eco-materials to eco-packaging, as well as how they treat their workers.

Sustainability is still a subject that many have yet to digest and completely understand, which is why (among many other reasons), we celebrate Sustainability Day every year on the 4th Wednesday of October.

Photo by Artem Podrez from Pexels

.

“Sustainable” translates to “to be maintained for a very long time”, which is exactly the goal, to be able to take care of the planet forever. In order to reach this goal, some spend time during their day teaching colleagues about what is recyclable in their office and what is not. Some dedicate the day to build sustainable strategies, others pledge to double-sided print on paper or buying only recycled paper and stationery. Using natural sunlight and ventilation for the day and so on

The Netherlands is no stranger to this day. ”Dag van de Duurzaamheid” they call it. The day is intended as a showcase for sustainability initiatives. Thousands of schools participate in sustainable campaigns, starting from lessons about waste separation to conferences at universities. And that’s not all, the Dutch Sustainable Fashion Week, was to part sustainability campaigns.

What are the 10 rules of sustainability?

There are many ways you can get involved, and you can do this alone or collectively, you don’t have to necessarily do something extraordinary or start a riot. To celebrate this day you could simply re-think some of your habits and rituals. As easy as that!

Photo by Lara Jameson from Pexels

.

Here are some ideas:

  1. Donate your clothes instead of throwing them in the bin.
  2. Today, why not ride the bike instead of the car (why not every day!).
  3. Be mindful of your water consumption
  4. Recycle, reuse, repurpose clothes (eh, not just clothes).
  5. Use a reusable water bottle, or reusable straws anybody?
  6. Support and look into brands that are sustainable
  7. If you are shopping online today, order locally.
  8. Why not try to buy second-hand clothes?
  9. Give it a go to vegan boots and bags 
  10. And finally, buy less and buy better!

Cretan Garden soaps are sustainable

Cretan Garden soaps are sustainable. The idea of the Cretan Garden webshop is born out of the wish to recycle the olive oil and herbs in the basement before they would have become expired, and therefore lost. Cretan Garden soaps do not have an expiring date because they are absolutely vegan, and the herbs were fully dried before using. All raw materials are perfectly recycled, saved from waste, and because the end-product, the soap, does not have an expiring date the soap is guaranteed sustainable. The wrapper has been environmentally-safe printed. The paper can be recycled again.

Cretan Garden soap is sustainable, biodegradable, vegan, made out of organic olive oil and organic herbs.

0

#12. Sappho, and the origin of soap

The following article is a machine-translation of “Η οικογενειακή επιχείρηση του Οδυσσέα Ελύτη που έφτιαχνε σαπούνια”, “The family business of Odysseas Elytis who made soaps”, published in News on July 21, 2017. Odysseas Elytis (1911-1996), was a Greek poet, essayist and translator.[1]. His real name is Odysseas Alepoudelis. The name Alepoudelis[Αλεπουδέλης] is also the name of the soap factory in Heraklion, Crete.

Panagiotis Alepoudelis

Odysseas Alepoudelis was born on November 2, 1911 in Heraklion, Crete and was the son of Panagiotis Alepoudelis, a businessman from Lesbos[2], who had one of the largest and most famous soap factories in Greece.

The Alepoudelis soap factory was founded in Heraklion, Crete, in 1895. In the time of World War I, Elytis’s father, Panagiotis, moved his soap factory to Athens, to the area of ​​Piraeus. The Alepoudelis family, and of course Benjamin Odysseas, also moves to Athens. However, the origin of Elytis’ father, Lesvos, was determining the choice for a soap factory.

What we all know today is that a traditional soap, made from olive oil (a product that – remarkably – abroad is considered particularly valuable and a kind of luxury), comes, according to Greek mythology, from Lesbos. A legend tells that the women of ancient Lesbos washed their clothes in the river (as all women did at that time). So they noticed that the animal remains, along with the fats from the animals that were burned as sacrifices in the ancient sanctuaries near the river, swept away the ashes and formed a pale yellow stream that ended up in the river. On the days when the yellow stream flowed into the river, the clothes were washed better. And the soap was made! According to the ancient Greek legend, the soap got its name from the famous poet of Lesbos, Sappho[3][4].

[The word soap is related with the Latin word “sapo”, the French “savon”, the Italian sapone, and the Spanish “jabon”[5]. Those who have studied medicinal herbs and their active ingredients know about the so-called saponins[6], which have indeed characteristics of what we name soap. The word soap, and the term saponification[7] are therefore without any doubt only related with the term saponin. Admin]

Sappho (c. 630 – c. 570 BCE)

Until the time of the industrial revolution, all over the (known) world, soaps were produced in exactly the same way as the women of ancient Lesbos invented it. There have been soap factories on the island all these centuries. After the revolution of 1821, until the destruction of Izmir[8] (1922), soap making was a very lucrative Greek productive activity, with Lesvos soaps being exported from Constantinople[9] to Alexandria[10] and New York.

It should be noted that shortly before the Asia Minor[11] catastrophe, over 50% of Greek soap exports were from Lesbos. It was also the sttlement of 1 or 2 soap factories in the country.

One of the most famous soap factories (originating from Lesbos, based in Crete and then Piraeus, as mentioned above) was the company “Alepoudelis”, owned by the family of the poet Odysseas Elytis. “Alepoudelis” soaps were known all over the world, thanks to the pure olive oil they contained and the softness they offered. The “Alepoudeli” factory was one of the most modern at that time (of the first decades of 1900), and at the same time it was a huge export company since most of the production was exported to Egypt, Turkey, England and the USA. When Elytis’ father died in 1925, the business passed into the hands of Pangiotis’s younger brother and co-founder of the soap factory, Thrasyvoulos Alepoudelis, Elytis’s uncle, had the business idea to establish a separate department in the company, for the production of soaps that used only excellent olive oil and coconut oil, something that then put them at the top of European quality standards.

The Alepoudelis soap factory in Heraklion.

The company “Alepoudelis and Co.” also had branches in Crete, Corfu, Thessaloniki and – of course – Mytilene (Lesbos). The production of the soap factory continued unabated, surviving the enormous obstacle of World War II. Despite the huge business and commercial success of the company that bore his ancestral name, however, Odysseas did not want to deal with it. In fact, according to the information regarding his biography, the main reason that he changed his name to “Elytis” was precisely to separate his position and his … fate from the family business. The rest is history of course for the Greek poet … As for the family business: Alepoudelis soaps are produced until today. If you take a closer look at the well-known green soaps that are sold in many tourist shops throughout Greece, you will see the brand “Alepoudelis” in them.

The family soap-business lost Odysseas, but Art welcomed him.

Odysseas Elytis

References and additional information:

  1. Odysseas Elytis – Wikipedia
  2. Lesbos – Wikiwand
  3. Sappho – Wikiwand
  4. Guide to the classics: Sappho, a poet in fragments – The Conversation
  5. Soap – Online Etymology Dictionary
  6. Saponification – Merriam Webster dictionary
  7. Saponin – Wikipedia
  8. Izmir – Wikiwand
  9. Constantinople – Wikiwand
  10. Alexandria – Wikiwand
  11. Asia Minor – Wikiwand
  12. Alepoudelis Soap Factory – Blog In Silencio
  13. Documentary: Αθηνά & Σαπουνοποιίες στο Ηράκλειο / Athena & Soap Factories in Heraklion – YouTube
  14. All bar none: How ancient soap making methods are reinvigorating Crete – Geographical
0

#11. Shampoo

Shampoos are just another kind of soap, a liquid soap, and with as many chemicals as the most of the industrial soaps and detergents. Even the neutral shampoos can contain chemicals. Read therefore the information on the box or container before buying a soap or shampoo. Soap is per definition alkaline. Shampoos therefore as well. To make a shampoo more neutral, by lowering the alkalinity, the industry uses mostly chemicals, acidic chemicals. To make a shampoo lather the industry adds special chemicals, named sulfates. An informational article about it: The facts about shampoo lather. Lather is not a guarantee that your hair and scalp become clean though.

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

Shampoos, all sorts of shampoos, the many brands, all are claiming to be the best for your hair, offering for every hair type another shampoo, another conditioner, another hair mask. I have used for as long as they exist pH nautral shampoos, hair conditioners, masks, but my hair was, despite the neutral pH of the shampoos, and the beautiful natural conditoners, and masks, never really okay. My hair is thick, curly, dry, fluffy, and now I am becoming grey it is even dryer. I have tried everything. Because of the mentioned characteristics of my hair it is impossible to have it long. Not even half long.

Herbal olive oil soap as a shampoo bar

I have started lately to use my own herbal olive soap for hair washing, to see what happens. It looks better and better. . The most significant difference is that I do not need to wash my hair more than once per week. My hair looks and feels normal, is so much easier to be dressed. I was wondering why.

Though pH neutral shampoos can be used every day, the question is if washing your hair every day is really okay for hair and scalp. My thoughts go far back in time when hair was washed just once per week. That had a reason: the skin of the scalp is not the same skin as on the rest of your body. Every single hair is growing out of the scalp-skin and it is the skin that keeps the hair in a good condition. We need indeed hair conditioners and hair masks when we wash the hair daily. But if we offer the skin of the scalp the time to do their work in their own natural way, and if we do not immediately destroy their work, by daily taking away what the skin itself produces, namely sebum, we do not need hair conditioners as we do now. Daily washing the hair is maybe okay according to shampoo manufacturers, but it is a matter of logic thinking that the natural resistance of the skin and the hair will decrease because of exhaustion, or will become overactive at the very beginning, when the daily shampoo attacks start, even when the shampoo is pH neutral. Using a neutral shampoo once per week was for me not the solution. Reason to use it more. And that did not work either.

A natural conditioner: argan oil

My own experiences with my oily cold process herbal olive soaps are that washing my hair with it once per week is really enough. After making my hair towell dry I use a teaspoon pure argan oil and spread it over and through the towel-dry hair and massage it into the scalp and hair. I let the hair dry naturally. My fluffy, dry hair is gone, but I expect that hte condition of my hair will improve more. In a few weeks I will add an update here.

To make it more personal I have added about 20 drops of rosemary essential oil to the 50 ml bottle, and stirred it very good. Argan oil and essential oils can be bought at House of Deli, Crete:

Additional information

  1. What ages hair? – PubMed
  2. Hairloss due to electromagnetic radiation from overuse of cellphone – ResearchGate

My personal experiences with EMF and hair loss: during the time that I was not aware of the impact of EMF on my health, not informed about symptoms of overradiation, I was indeed losing so much hair that I was wondering what was going on. I have written about this in my blog Multerland, in several posts[Archives 2017-2018]. It was the start of a private study about EMF. The consultation of an osteopath was helpful to stop my bad physical condition: she worked on my scalp, neck, and it felt as if a layer of glass broke and my scalp was back to normal again. After several treatments my hair was growing again. The new hair looked like baby hair, but after some months it was back to normal. The only way to get rid of the effects if wireless radiation is to live in an EMF free environment. I bought the Acousticom2. This calibrated device is able to measure EMF. In this way I could find the rooms where the radiation is almost zero, or at least the less, where to put the bed, where the desk with computer. Of course all wireless is turned off, the smart meter is turned off, the Wi-Fi is turned off, also in the computer and printer. All is cabled, I do not have internet on my cellphone and mostly the cellphone is on flymodus.

0

#07. Skin and pH

When writing this post it is July 2021. We, humans all over the world, have an experience with skin and pH(power of Hydrogen) values, while knowing maybe not anything about pH and if not being aware of the fact, why the skin of the dorsal of their hands looks so incredible bad since the last year. Most probably this is caused by the antiseptic sprays (high percentage alcohol) at the entrance of all shops. Not one doctor, dermatologist, talks about it. However, when one uses a soap to wash hands it has to be skin neutral. They say.

pH scale / CC BY 4.0

Skin neutral?

The pH value of the skin is on all places of the body different. Therefore one uses an average pH value, which is about 5 or lesser. What exactly is causing the pH value of the skin? First one needs to know what exactly is “skin”. Skin is an organ which covers and protects all what is beneath the skin, and outside the skin. The skin is nourished by the food we eat. If we never eat a balanced food, concerning pH levels, acidic and alkaline, the skin will not be able to have a healthy pH level. The influence of too much acidic food, which is the most popular among humans in the “civilized” countries, influences of course the constitution of the skin, and its pH values.

Also influences from outside the skin, like air pollution, artificial electromagnetic radiation, burning sun rays, extreme temperature, contribute to the condition of the skin, and its pH. On health websites one claims that only soaps with a pH value that is similar with the skin pH are healthy for keeping a healthy skin. This would mean that swimming in the salty sea pH 8,2), or ocean (pH 8,2), even bathing in tap-water (pH value between 6,5 and 8,5) or taking a shower should be avoided.

The neutral pH level soaps are a mix of the normal alkalinity of soaps, and mostly several chemicals to achieve a lower pH level. These chemicals are more skin damaging than a normal soap ever can. With other words: a lot of industrial propaganda for their so-called neutral pH products should be suspected.

The term alkaline is a sort of curse in the ears of many, because of the industrial propaganda for their self created myths that a soap must have a neutral pH value. How can they explain the alkalinity of for instance breast milk(pH of 6,35-7,35)[1], the alkalinity of the skin of new-borns(pH value 7)[2], the alkalinity of the amniotic fluid(pH value 7,1-7,3)[3] in which the foetus swims before it is born? The foetus is extremely sensitive: imagine the damage that could be created in its development of organs, brains, eyes, blood vessels, nervous system, bones, skin…. Nature however found it better to let it swim in alkaline fluid, not in neutral fluid, neither in acidic fluid. The pH value of blood ranges between 7,35 and 7,45. It is the blood that nourishes the skin from inside, and the lymphatic fluid in the skin pours out the acidic waste to the surface of the skin. If the food habits of the human being are not healthy, unbalanced, too acidic, of course the blood will be more acidic and the skin as well. How high was the pH level of the skin of our ancestors? They washed with alkaline soap, without any problem. Skin problems occur because of an unhealthy life style, bad hygiene, the poisonous environment we live in, and the poisonous food people eat.

Healthy lymph have a pH that ranges between 7 and 10. The lymphatic system, part of the immune system, is a network of ducts that carry the lymphatic fluid (LF). LF also contains white blood cells called lymphocytes, fats, and proteins.[4]. The lymphatic system, made up of lymphatic fluid, tiny vessels, nodes and organs, is responsible for removing excess fluid, infections and acidic waste[5].

Viruses, Corona and pH

There are several publications about viruses and how they react to low or high pH values. The most of the publications contradict each other. Some write: Viruses thrive, like bacteria, in an acidic environment. Viruses infect body cells by binding to the proteins in the cells and then multiplying. Scientific research shows that this process mainly takes place at a low pH value or in an acidic environment. An acidic environment has a pH of 0 to 7. As the pH becomes more basic, the activity of viruses decreases sharply. Scientists have established this in various studies in numerous viruses in both humans and animals. The relationship between pH value and infection-increasing activities has been demonstrated in, among others, influenza1, corona2, hepatitis C3, foot-and-mouth disease4 and other viruses in animals. By increasing the alkaline buffer in your body, which improves the pH value of your body cells, the sensitivity to viruses in the body could decrease[6][7] More: [8][9]

Since scientists are not unanimously concluding that alkalinity of food, or body care products, create a not virus-friendly environment it is necessary to wait for more research.

Sources

  1. pH value of breastmilk – ScienceDirect
  2. Skin pH of a newborn baby – PubMed
  3. Amniotic fluid has a pH of 7.1 to 7.3. – Healthline
  4. pH value of healthy lymphatic fluids – Portland Press
  5. About lymphatic fluid – PrairieNaturals
  6. Viruses are pH sensitive – Reelyse
  7. The influence of pH on SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity – ResearchGate
  8. Conditions Favoring Increased COVID-19 Morbidity and Mortality: Their Common Denominator and its Early Treatment – PubMed
  9. What do we know so far about COVID-19 and alkalinity? Health Desk
  10. Additional information about pH values – Scientific Research, §6
  11. The Skin – Cretan Garden Blog

0

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com av Anders Noren.

opp ↑