Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dr N K Srinivasan
Dear friends,
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1 What is a soap?
The fatty acid is usually a vegetable oil [coconut oil, olive oil,
palm oil] or animal fat ,called tallow. While tallow [from
slaughter houses] ,is cheap, veg oils are costly. Again you
can choose a cheaper veg oil .If you are a vegan, not
touching meat products, check the label of the soap you buy.
If it includes tallow, avoid that brand of soap. In India ,
almost all soaps are made from cheap vegetable oils.
2 What is TFM?
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TFM is the one single important factor affecting the quality
of the soap .It should be greater that 60% to qualify for
being labeled ‘soap’.Higher the TFM% ,better the quality.
Grade 2 soaps contain 65 % to 80% TFM, whether they
are called ‘poor man’s soap’ or luxury /beauty soap
Grade 1 soaps have TFM greater than 76%, without any
fillers.
Note that there are very few soaps that have more than
80% TFM in the market---check the label.
Most soaps have around 70% TFM.
Lifebuoy care 65
Margo 71
Lux International 72
Liril 2000 73
Fa-aqua 73
Dettol Cool 74
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Himalaya 76
Godrej-No 1 76
Nirma Lemon-fresh 80
3 Medicinal Soaps:
These are special soaps which may contain some
chemicals for particular skin condition or disease.
Use them under the advice of a doctor and stop using
after the skin condition is improved. Some may contain
mercury compounds and must be used with care.
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TCC is widely used in many soaps. Chlorhexidine is found
in mouth washes and in some soaps.
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3 The third class of moisturizers may include
keratolytics---they break down the skin protein called
keratin. These are urea,lactic acid,glycolic acid..
1 Neem—anti-bacterial,anti fungal
2Turmeric---anti-bacterial,anti fungal [good for removing
pimples]
3 Sandal wood oil --moisturizer
4 Tulasi or basil---anti-microbial
5 Coconut oil –skin smoothener,moisturizer
6 cucumber products –contains folic acid
7 almonds,walnut,other nuts—to provide protein
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Among these, the addition of neem, turmeric and tulasi
are most common and they are less expensive too. Some
soaps contain only either neem or turmeric, while some
have both.Some soaps contain only tulasi .
7 Fillers in soaps
Almost all soaps contain many fillers or other
ingredients—also called extenders.The list is long:
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Less fillers better quality soap….check for the label.
If you are worried about the damage to your skin by
these fillers, go for hand-made soap or make your own
soap at home ---a profitable hobby for many in the
West.You can start a cottage industry in Indian
conditions,since labor costs are low.
9 Shape of soaps
You have definitely used soaps of different shapes in your
life..One factor to be considered is the ease of holding it
in your hand---this is important for senior citizens like
me.!
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10 Transparent and glycerin soaps
Transparent soap with glycerin is quite soft and may
dissolve faster. I t confers , according to me, no special
properties to soaps.
11Color of soaps
You may like soaps with white color…somehow we
associate whiteness with purity..if you look a the
ingredients, including urea, titanium dioxide and sodium
lauryl sulphate [an emulsifier], you can conclude that any
soap is a concoction of different chemicals ---some are
bad for the environment as well.[Many of the ingredients
are used in cloth detergents in larger quantities..]
Some may have mild colors, like cream, orange, light
blue, even green or red….Color hardly affects the quality
of soap except adding some additional ingredients and
appealing to your eyes.
13 Handmade soaps
These are soaps made at home or in small cottage
industries. They may use better quality raw materials
and usually contain no fillers;this is the advantage.They
may also add expensive oils or herbal ingredients.They
may be custom –made too.They are generally more
expensive than commercial soaps.
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It is difficult for small producers of ‘home-made soaps ‘
to control the quality from one batch to the next.
Khadi soaps
Check out local makers of such soaps, especially
through Khadi and Gram Udyog Bhavan [KVIC]
sources/shops in all major cities in India.You may find
good quality soaps at reasonable prices and indirectly
you may help these village folks. I often buy such
soaps in Khadi & Cottage industry fairs.
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All commercial soaps are made by hot process—heating
the brew to 80 to 100 deg centigrade.The soap, is ,of
,course, just market soap. The makers add nearly 10
other ingredients to make them useful and appealing,
including essential oils, perfume , moisturizers and, of
course, preservatives like methyl paraben and other
parabens….all these ingredients react on your skin.
15 General comments
In general , use a soap with very few chemicals added.
If you are using a herbal or hand-made soap, try for a
few months to get results; if they are caustic or irritant
,stop using them.
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“May you never lose the sense of harmony obtainable
through rituals as simply as bathing.”
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