Showing posts with label Ingredient of the Week. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ingredient of the Week. Show all posts
7.31.2007
Ingredient of the Week & Yarny Sunday- on Hiatus
Well it’s Tuesday and here I am behind in blogging again. So I am going to put my weekend blogs- Ingredient of the Week and Yarny Sunday on hiatus for at least a few months. I have shows almost every weekend till the end of the year and so many of them set up on Saturday, making it a long, long day that the last thing I feel like doing is blogging. It is also the time of year that the only thing I seem to knit is washcloths and bath mitts, pretty boring stuff. And since I am trying to knit from my stash and not buy and new yarn, well, I don’t even have cool new yarn to blog about. So thanks for understanding and hopefully this reduce a little stress over the next few hectic months and I’ll get back to them soon!
7.22.2007
Ingredient of the Week- Whoops, no post!
So I thought that this daily posting would be difficult to keep up with, and it is, but so far in the last three weeks of trying I’ve only missed this one. I have been doing the Blueberry Festival at Burnside Plantation this weekend and the hours are not excessively long, but it has been a while since I have done a show, and it is really making me tired. Add to that we still haven’t gotten the chance to get all the furniture back since the floor refinish (read here: I am still sleeping in my living room), and that makes for a bad night sleep to start with.
So meet me back here next week for a new Ingredient for the Week… I am off to type a Yarny Sunday…
So meet me back here next week for a new Ingredient for the Week… I am off to type a Yarny Sunday…
7.14.2007
Ingredient of the Week- Sweet Almond Oil
Sweet Almond Oil-Prunus amygdalus dulcis
There are two types of almond oil- sweet and bitter. Although typically thought of as a nut, almonds are actually considered drupes (like prunes, cherries, and peaches), but instead of a sweet flesh outside, the almond has a hard, leathery hull which contains the edible kernel we call the “nut”.
Wild almonds still exist today in the Mediterranean and are toxic. Crushing, chewing, or otherwise injuring the seed produces hydrogen cyanide. It is believed that before cultivation took place, these wild almonds were eaten, but probably roasted to remove their toxicity. These wild almonds mutated into a non-toxic form that became on of the earliest domesticated fruit trees. The earliest domesticated almonds appear 3000-2000 BCE and almonds were even found in King Tut’s tomb.
The Food and Agriculture Organization figures there are 1.5 million tons of almonds produces each year. With the U.S. leading as the world’s largest almond producer, countries such as Spain, Turkey, and Greece also produce almonds.
Because of Salmonella traced to almonds in 2001 and 2004, as of September 2007 Raw Almonds will no longer be available in the U.S. (I’m getting me a load of them at Trader Joes before I can’t get any more!). After this time, “raw” almonds will be steam pasteurized or chemically treated to prevent Salmonella.
The current bee blight (colony collapse disorder) will most likely effect the nations’ almond production. The California pollination of their almond crops is the largest managed pollination in the world with nearly 1 million hives taking part. I believe that we as consumers will see an increase in the cost of almonds and almond oil due to the drastic reduction in the nation’s bee inventory. This blight will make the pollination much more costly, if not impossible depending on the severity of the blight as it spreads.
The sweet almond plant produces white flowers while the pink flowered plant produces bitter almonds.. Bitter almonds may yield 6-8% hydrogen cyanide and in large doses can be deadly. It is the sweet almond oil that is popular today to be used in massage oils, soaps and lotions, as well as other cosmetics. This oil is obtained from the dried kernel of the plant typically through a process of steam distillation. Sweet Almond oil is known for it emollient properties.
I use Sweet Almond Oil in my Lotion Bars because of its emollient properties. I also use it in Bath Fizzys because it does not feel “heavy” on the skin and soaks into the skin without feeling greasy.
There are two types of almond oil- sweet and bitter. Although typically thought of as a nut, almonds are actually considered drupes (like prunes, cherries, and peaches), but instead of a sweet flesh outside, the almond has a hard, leathery hull which contains the edible kernel we call the “nut”.
Wild almonds still exist today in the Mediterranean and are toxic. Crushing, chewing, or otherwise injuring the seed produces hydrogen cyanide. It is believed that before cultivation took place, these wild almonds were eaten, but probably roasted to remove their toxicity. These wild almonds mutated into a non-toxic form that became on of the earliest domesticated fruit trees. The earliest domesticated almonds appear 3000-2000 BCE and almonds were even found in King Tut’s tomb.
The Food and Agriculture Organization figures there are 1.5 million tons of almonds produces each year. With the U.S. leading as the world’s largest almond producer, countries such as Spain, Turkey, and Greece also produce almonds.
Because of Salmonella traced to almonds in 2001 and 2004, as of September 2007 Raw Almonds will no longer be available in the U.S. (I’m getting me a load of them at Trader Joes before I can’t get any more!). After this time, “raw” almonds will be steam pasteurized or chemically treated to prevent Salmonella.
The current bee blight (colony collapse disorder) will most likely effect the nations’ almond production. The California pollination of their almond crops is the largest managed pollination in the world with nearly 1 million hives taking part. I believe that we as consumers will see an increase in the cost of almonds and almond oil due to the drastic reduction in the nation’s bee inventory. This blight will make the pollination much more costly, if not impossible depending on the severity of the blight as it spreads.
The sweet almond plant produces white flowers while the pink flowered plant produces bitter almonds.. Bitter almonds may yield 6-8% hydrogen cyanide and in large doses can be deadly. It is the sweet almond oil that is popular today to be used in massage oils, soaps and lotions, as well as other cosmetics. This oil is obtained from the dried kernel of the plant typically through a process of steam distillation. Sweet Almond oil is known for it emollient properties.
I use Sweet Almond Oil in my Lotion Bars because of its emollient properties. I also use it in Bath Fizzys because it does not feel “heavy” on the skin and soaks into the skin without feeling greasy.
7.07.2007
Ingredient of the Week- Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Ingredient of the Week:
I chose this ingredient because it was the first things listed on C's shampoo bottle. The interesting thing I found about this search for information is that I didn't jump around the web looking for damaging and incriminating information about this ingredient, I followed a trail, a trail starting from a company that uses and profits from using this ingredient, and the trail led me to the information below. The trail is longer and I can get deeper in depth, but that is for another post… maybe next week...
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS) is an anionic surfactant considered to be gentle and effective cleansing agent and used in many shampoos. The CIR (1983) concluded "ALS appears to be safe in [cosmetic] formulations designed for discontinuous, brief used followed by thorough rinsing from the surface of the skin". In products, intended for prolonged contact with skin, the CIR recommends concentrations at or below 1%. The concentration can be higher in rinse-off products such as shampoos.
ALS belongs to a class of compounds known as alkyl sulfates. Among the man-made anionic surfactants used in detergents worldwide, alkyl sulphates (AS) rank third in tonnage used, after soap (#1) and LAS (#2). They are used in Beauty Care products such as shampoos as well as laundry detergents. Many AS variants are made from natural sources such as coconut oil and animal fats, while others are derived from petrochemicals.
AS are rapidly biodegradable, aerobically as well as anaerobically. AS are nearly completely removed (more than 99%) by traditional wastewater treatment operations.
The information above was pasted from the Proctor and Gamble web site. As you can tell it leans a little to their side. What I find interesting is that this same site goes on to list HERA- The Human and Environmental Risk Assessment on ingredients of household cleaning products as a resource for the above information. If you go to the HERA website, you can easily notice that their Human Health Risk Assessment for Alky Sulphates was "preliminary" back in 2002, and that the full risk assessment is still "in progress".
This same web site also uses the NLH- National Library of Health as a resource. Going to their web site lists products that use ALS, as well as synonyms for it. One of these synonyms is "Sulfuric acid, monododecyl ester, ammonium salt". I don't know about you but the sulfuric acid reference really turns me off as a consumer. ALS sounds so much more inviting, doesn't it?
And going further into the NLH databank to the Hazardous Substance Databank that site goes on to list studies that find ALS skin irritating, eye irritating, and can be drying to the skin, to me that sound a long way away from the "gentle" claim at the P&G web site.
I chose this ingredient because it was the first things listed on C's shampoo bottle. The interesting thing I found about this search for information is that I didn't jump around the web looking for damaging and incriminating information about this ingredient, I followed a trail, a trail starting from a company that uses and profits from using this ingredient, and the trail led me to the information below. The trail is longer and I can get deeper in depth, but that is for another post… maybe next week...
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS) is an anionic surfactant considered to be gentle and effective cleansing agent and used in many shampoos. The CIR (1983) concluded "ALS appears to be safe in [cosmetic] formulations designed for discontinuous, brief used followed by thorough rinsing from the surface of the skin". In products, intended for prolonged contact with skin, the CIR recommends concentrations at or below 1%. The concentration can be higher in rinse-off products such as shampoos.
ALS belongs to a class of compounds known as alkyl sulfates. Among the man-made anionic surfactants used in detergents worldwide, alkyl sulphates (AS) rank third in tonnage used, after soap (#1) and LAS (#2). They are used in Beauty Care products such as shampoos as well as laundry detergents. Many AS variants are made from natural sources such as coconut oil and animal fats, while others are derived from petrochemicals.
AS are rapidly biodegradable, aerobically as well as anaerobically. AS are nearly completely removed (more than 99%) by traditional wastewater treatment operations.
The information above was pasted from the Proctor and Gamble web site. As you can tell it leans a little to their side. What I find interesting is that this same site goes on to list HERA- The Human and Environmental Risk Assessment on ingredients of household cleaning products as a resource for the above information. If you go to the HERA website, you can easily notice that their Human Health Risk Assessment for Alky Sulphates was "preliminary" back in 2002, and that the full risk assessment is still "in progress".
This same web site also uses the NLH- National Library of Health as a resource. Going to their web site lists products that use ALS, as well as synonyms for it. One of these synonyms is "Sulfuric acid, monododecyl ester, ammonium salt". I don't know about you but the sulfuric acid reference really turns me off as a consumer. ALS sounds so much more inviting, doesn't it?
And going further into the NLH databank to the Hazardous Substance Databank that site goes on to list studies that find ALS skin irritating, eye irritating, and can be drying to the skin, to me that sound a long way away from the "gentle" claim at the P&G web site.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)