A Lightbulb Moment!

While I was online researching Brambleberry's Sustainable Palm Oil, I was sidelined by a new recipe ... the pictures of their Orange Poppy Seed Salt Scrub caught my attention ... so I went and looked. In my review of the ingredients, I saw that potassium cocoate is used as a surfactant ... I don't have this ingredient ... and I got a niggle in the back of my mind, so I clicked the ingredient link to go check it out. They charge $10/lb for potassium cocoate.

More research led me to the information that this ingredient is a plant based foaming/cleansing agent (a surfactant) ... and is (in the simplest of terms) nothing more than a liquid soap made from 100% coconut oil with 0% SF. The lightbulb came on when I realized that I can not only make this ingredient for far less than $10/lb (plus shipping) ... but that I was already planning on making it due to having run out of laundry soap.

Anyone who has ever made liquid soap can make this ingredient ... along with any other liquid soap saponified oil (potassium olivate, potassium castorate, potassium tallowate, etc) called for in recipes that use a foaming agent.

Brilliant.

If you'll please excuse me, I have some liquid soap to go make.

(recipe courtesy of Brambleberry.com https://www.soapqueen.com/…/orange-poppy-seed-salt-scrub-d…/)

=) C

Why all the fuss about Laminated Cottons?

rolls & rolls of laminated cotton fabrics

Recently, we released a line of rainwear and umbrellas on the runway during Baltimore FashionWeek, created from an amazing new fabric called Laminated Cotton, provided to us by Riley Blake Designs.

Our designs were very, very well received by all those who attended FashionWeek.

We were asked a number of questions, including:

    "what do you use for these products?"
    "how are these different from regular raincoats and umbrellas?"
    "you can put these in the dryer?  really?"
    "is this new fabric safe for children?"
    "how are these products better than what we already can buy in the stores?"

So ... for all of those not familiar with the new Laminated Cotton fabrics ... which, by the way, beats hands-down the vinyl products found in stores around the world ... I am providing you with a few details.

Laminated Cotton:

• PVC-free
• BPA-free
• Lead-free
• Slight sheen
• Waterproof and easy to clean
• Edges do not fray
• CPSIA compliant - this is a biggie!

Laminated cotton is a high quality cotton sheeting with a thin layer of polyurethane film adhered to the right side of the fabric. It's soft and has a very nice hand to it, it drapes very nicely and it even does gathers well!  It allows the cotton fabric to "breathe", while keeping moisture away from whatever is on the inside.  This fabric makes great baby bibs, raincoats, umbrellas, shower curtains, tablecloths, splat mats, diaper bags, food packaging products, and so much more.

The rain products currently found in stores are created using a polyurethane vinyl for the outer shell.  Most linings are created from polyester or polyester-blend fabrics.  Polyester does not allow the skin to breathe as easily as natural fibers do.  The vinyl outer lining rarely allows for your coat or pants to be tossed into the dryer.

Yes, products made using Laminated Cottons will cost more than what you've been used to buying in stores.  The offset to this is that you can toss your garments in the washing machine & dryer ... and your clothing will last longer than clothing made from vinyl.  You are more likely to hand down clothing made from Laminated Cotton instead of sending it to your local thrift store or throwing it away.

Laminated Cotton products are the fashionable future for rainwear and umbrellas, home decorating, and all kinds of wonderful products that are safe for your children.

~ C