I have been doing more research on food grade and natural emulsifiers, and have started experimenting with soy lecithin - (non gmo), and gelatin. Together they work really well and I’m quite excited about using these possibilities.
It would be perfect for the anti-ageing cream as I can lower the price back again, and toss the expensive emulsifier (which incidentally you need to use a lot of) It also gives quite a good texture and you only need a very small amount. Which means more nourishing content, although gelatin is very nourishing anyways. Also lecithin has a small preservative action as well.
However, I’m not too sure about the lecithin since it is derived from soy. Is soy lecithin ok to eat or put on the face?? Does anyone know?
xxKaren.
Jul 24th, 2008 at 8:54 am
I have heard bad press about Soy lecithin as a food item. I can’t remember exactly which article or book I had read that in, but my thinking is that it’s simply a by-product of over processed, un-nourishing soy. As a cosmetic I haven’t heard about it’s nourishing qualities. Does anyone else know?
Jul 24th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
soy lecithin isnt as good a source of certain phopholipid based nutrients as egg yolk lecithin. But from what i remember I couldnt read anything convincing that made it sound harmful at all. It still works to emulsify fats.
I dont think it carries with it the phytoestrogens and phytates that are in soy protein, but this is all going from memory.
I often sprinkle a bit in yoghurt to help the coconut oil ‘dissolve’ better through the yoghurt.
Just because its a byproduct of soy processing doesnt automatically make it bad, and most of what I have read about it just seems to indicate it may even be good internally for things like providing the body with choline and phosphatidylserine. Im not sure if it would have much topical use, but may help the fats to penetrate the skin deeper??
Jul 24th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Not everything that comes from soy is bad: think miso paste and real fermented soy sauce like tamari or shoyu. The big question with the soy lecithin is whether it comes from GMO soybeans or not. Lecithin from soy is a processed food item so it will never be ideal but lecithin from any other source would be the same once it’s extracted.
What’s the source of the current emulsifyer?
I’ve been using a gelatin like product made from cow trachea (sounds revolting I know) for years in creams for people with psoriasis, eczema and acne scars and it works beautifully to heal up skin and reduce scarring (bit stinky though, it smells like meat essence and nothing hides the smell 100%). You can even apply it to wounds on a gauze pad and it works a treat. I can imagine that gelatin would have similar healing and soothing properties. You could probably do a really good stretch mark cream with it.
Jul 25th, 2008 at 2:30 am
Thanks Lacey, Jad and Sarah!
Its a hard one, and I guess I gotta go and do some more research! Lecithin from egg would be the best option, but then where on earth do you get it from?? I could also do some more experimentation just with the gelatin.
Sarah, the emulsifyer in the anti-ageing cream is olive-emulse, derivative from olives. I need to use close to 10% of total volume. The cream I experimented with gelatin and lecithin, I used 3% each, and it came out extremely dense. I don’t think I need to use that much.
Your scar healing creams sound very witchypoo-ish and quite awesome. I am definitely going to include gelatin in my creams from now on.
Jul 25th, 2008 at 7:20 am
Jad, I agree that there are good qualities to soy. I was merely saying that I could remember reading that it was a by product of over processed UN nourishing soy. I believe I was reading in the Omnivore’s Dilemma as the author was following his meals back to its roots and he ended at a plant which processes soy. The lecithin was basically the left over sludge. However, I’m far from the expert, just putting in my 2 scents! I’m excited to see where your experiments take you, Karen.
Jul 25th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Yuck, your description of the processed soy sludge makes the lecithin very unappealing Lacey (I have been meaning to read the Omnivores Dilemma for ages now), food grade doesn’t always mean it’s good for you. The lecithin granules I see in the health food store always make me think of textured vegetable protein and put me right off. I wonder how processed the olive emulse is and which would be the lesser of the evils? I know there are emulsfying agents extracted from coconut too. An emulsifying agent is always going to be a processed product.
Jul 31st, 2008 at 12:09 am
Experiment update:
I tried using just gelatin in a basic cream with water and shea butter. For 100ml, I used 1 tspn of gelatin and it came out something like cottage cheese and rubber! Its like those sticky toys which you throw and they stick to walls and ceilings…
Will be trying out just lecithin tomorrow. Also still looking for egg yolk based lecithin.
Oct 28th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
Update - After reading Elaine Hollingsworth article, am definitely not using the soy based lecithin. I’m also unable to locate egg yolk or sunflower based lecithins, so staying with the veg-emulse.