Fourth Coast Soaps & Salts | Frequently Asked Questions

Fourth Coast Soaps & Salts

Frequently Asked Questions

And Uncommon Knowledge

Q. What is an essential oil?

An essential oil is an aromatic, highly volatile liquid that is distilled by steam or water from the leaves, stems, flowers, bark, roots, or resins of a live plant. An essential oil is the life force of the plant ~ stored vital solar energy ~ moving from one part of the plant to another throughout the day and the season, constantly changing its composition as it develops.

Essential oils are highly concentrated chemical compounds ~ alcohols, esters, ketones, aldehydes, and terpenes. Capturing the essence of a plant is a sensitive process ~ too much tampering will interfere with the composition of the plant's essence and its therapeutic properties. Steam distillation ensures preservation of the basic life enhancing properties of each plant and maintains its organic integrity.

While essential oils are highly concentrated compounds, most are in fact lighter than water. And while they are referred to as 'oil', they are not really oily. Yet they possess a molecularly small fat soluble base that allows a rapid, intense, and thorough penetration into the skin. Their high volatility allows rapid passage into the bloodstream through our olfactory sensory system. Fourth Coast products utilize both transport systems to bring the benefits of these natural forces to you.

Q: Why do you use essential oils? What are the benefits of using essential oils?

The chemical composition and aroma of essential oils provide valuable psychological and physical therapeutic benefits. Research has confirmed that essential oils are effective antimicrobial agents and that they are without the unpleasant and sometimes harmful side-effects associated with medical antibiotics. They have a profound influence on every physiological system. They assist with the elimination of toxins at the cellular level and strengthen the body's immune system. Further, unlike medical antibiotics, essential oils do not weaken us or attack our systems while being applied for beneficial purposes.

We know today that the therapeutic use of aromatic essential oils has been known and practiced for at least 5000 years. Phytotherapy has been practiced even longer, perhaps beginning in the Asian continent and moving through the Middle East to Europe, England, and finally the North American continent. The first reference to the use of distillation for the extraction of essential oil from a plant is found in work by German physician Hieronymous Brunschweig, written between 1500 and 1507. Early records show that the blacksmiths who were using essential oils to condition saddle leather were not susceptible to the Black Plague that swept through Europe. Later, the 19th century saw the first successful laboratory tests demonstrating the antibacterial properties of essential oils. That same century discovered that tuberculosis cases in the flower growing districts of France were unusually rare, and 19th century perfume workers were found to be resistant to cholera. French research showed that the microorganisms of yellow fever were killed by essential oils. And in the 1920s French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefossé discovered the extraordinary healing effectiveness of lavender when he burned his hand during a lab explosion. Subsequent research has proven the extraordinary healing power of many more essential oils.

We know through research that odors evoke emotional responses as they enter our limbic system, the pleasure center of our brain. These olfactory responses induce our brain to stimulate the release of hormones and neurochemicals that influence our body's physiology and behavior. Our sense of smell is estimated to be 10,000 times more acute than our other senses. Scent stimuli are transported more quickly to our brain than either sight or sound stimuli. Scents have a remarkable influence upon us! Because essential oils have the ability to travel so rapidly into our bloodstream they are effective change masters as they influence our energy level, our emotions, and our sense of well-being.

Q: What is a perfume oil or fragrance oil?

Contemporary perfume and fragrance oils are artificially created chemical fragrances containing synthetic substances diluted in alcohol and water that smell good. Perfumes and fragrance oils do not ~ and because of their chemistry can not ~ offer the therapeutic benefits that essential oils offer. The very intention of modern perfumery is to make people and objects smell good and to influence buying behavior through fragrance.

These artificially created fragrances contain synthetic substances and are diluted with alcohols, oils, or water. Perfume houses have traditionally created their famous essences using essential oils in a dilution of alcohol and other chemicals. Today, because of the expense of essential oils, the major perfume houses have joined forces with research laboratories to create synthetic aromatic bases on which they develop their perfumes.

Fragrance oils are synthetic formulations without the use of either essential oils or organic material. They are synthetic based and offer only an aromatic value. Fragrance oils are manufactured using materials that, because of their large molecular structures, actually coat the olfactory senses and inhibit the sense of smell. They remain on the surface of the skin and create a barrier to the tissue. They have no physiological effect or benefit.

Q: If it smells good, isn’t it really ‘aromatherapy’?

No. Aromatherapy is the therapeutic application of essential oils. The term was coined in the 1920s by French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefossé when he discovered that many of the essential oils used in his family’s perfume laboratory were superior antiseptics to chemical antiseptics used.

Today, essential oils are determined to be too expensive for the mission of the fragrance industry, so they have created less expensive and non-therapeutic synthetics to fragrance their products. Coined ‘aromachology’ by the fragrance industry, today’s designer fragrances are created by the many perfume houses to affect the purchasing behavior, not the physiological well-being, of the consumer. There is nothing wrong with this. We all love to smell good. And we love to catch the fleeting essence of a beautiful perfumed bouquet as someone passes by. But it is important to know the difference between a true aromatherapy application and an ‘aromachology’ application.

Some companies sell fragrance oil and perfume oils with the word aromatherapy on the label or promote these oils as ‘aromatherapy’. Since the use of the word ‘aromatherapy’ isn't yet regulated by the U.S. Government, companies can mislead the consumer with their marketing techniques. Many beauty products, skin-care products, aromatic candles, and other designer products are improperly labeled with the term aromatherapy. Some products labeled with the word ‘aromatherapy’ only contain fragrance or perfume oils or other synthetic ingredients. True aromatherapy ~ the therapeutic application of essential oils ~ is only possible with the use of pure essential oil. If a fragrance oil or perfume oil is used, at best it is ‘aromachology’, a pretender.

Q: Why are essential oils so much more expensive than fragrance oils?

The essential oil available varies significantly plant to plant. And the process of extraction is slow and quite expensive. For instance, it requires 500 pounds of rosemary to yield a quart of essential oil. A ton of thyme yields even less. More than 8 million blossoms will produce about 2 pounds of jasmine essential oil. One thousand pounds of rose petals yields less than a pound of rose oil. Flower blossoms tend to be the most reluctant producers, hence their higher prices. Sweet orange essential oil is less expensive than neroli essential oil, the essential oil from its flower, because it comes from the rind.

Various factors also affect the quality and price of the essential oil. Rarity of the plant, country of origin, and growing conditions of the plant, quality standards of the oil distiller, and how much oil produced by the plant all influence the value of the essential oil produced. For instance, there are literally dozens of different lavenders grown around the world. The benefits of each lavender depends on where it was grown ~ the soil conditions, the altitude it was grown at, whether or not it was grown organically. If a plant is grown in an organically controlled environment rather than having pesticides applied to it or to its soil, the price of its essential oil will be higher. For personal care purposes, it makes sense to apply pesticide free products to our skin.

Q: Why would you use an essential oil rather than less expensive fragrance oil?

An essential oil is a highly volatile, organic, aromatic plant substance with a molecular structure that allows it to penetrate our skin’s surface. Essential oils provide known physiological and psychological therapeutic benefits. A fragrance oil is an inorganic, synthetic creation with a large molecular structure that sits on the skin’s surface, closing our pores or transferring onto what we touch rather than being transported into our body through our skin. A fragrance oil coats our olfactory system rather than entering it, and diminishes our sense of smell. Fragrance oils provide aromatic value but do not provide any physiological or psychological therapeutic benefit. This is the basis for using essential oils and not synthetic products in personal care products.

Q: Are you saying that I shouldn’t use a fragrance oil or perfume?

Absolutely not. In fact, Fourth Coast uses fragrance oil to enhance the binding of some essential oils in certain products or when an essential oil's cost precludes its use in a product. Organic rose essential oil is a good example.

But know the difference. We purchase perfumes because we want to smell good, usually to someone else. Perfume is usually applied to a small part of our skin. It isn't applied to be taken up by our entire body. We do not apply it to receive physiological benefit from its use.

We spray our homes and our linens with fragrance oils; we burn fragrance candles, and plug in fragrance emitters to mask unpleasant odors, not to receive any therapeutic benefit from the fragrance oil we use. We could add essential oils to our spraying and washing solutions to kill bacteria, eliminate germs, and freshen and purify the air ~ if we want real benefit.

In fact, a very large part of today's green movement is the inclusion of essential oils in our cleaning products. They are earth friendly, compatible with the environment because they are plant based. Yet you will see that companies making the change must charge more for their product. Essential oils are more costly than harsh synthetics. But this is an example of the old saying "Pay now or pay later": it has to be one or the other. Either we pay today for earth friendly products that do no harm or we pay later trying to clean up the damage done. Either we pay today for products that support and nourish us or we try to catch up later by repairing the damage done. We make the choice.

Q: What are carrier oils?

Carrier oil is a vegetable or nut oil derived from the fatty portion of a plant, usually from the seeds, kernels, or nut. Because essential oils are highly concentrated chemical compounds, they can cause severe irritation or reactions if applied to the skin undiluted. Carrier oils are used to dilute essential oils prior to application. They carry the essential oil onto the skin.

Carrier oils are pressed from the fatty portions of a plant. They are not volatile and will not evaporate. Nor are they highly aromatic. Because they contain high levels of fat, however, they have a definite 'shelf life' and become old. Carrier oil used offers different combination of therapeutic properties and characteristics. The choice of carrier oil used should depend on the therapeutic benefit being sought. Other oils used in personal care products are animal based oils, but not classified as 'carrier oils'. While these animal based ingredients are known to offer excellent skin softening properties, they are not appropriately used in an aromatherapy application. Fourth Coast does not use any animal oil in any product.

Q: Do you make liquid soaps?

No. I have tried to create a product that is as good for our earth as it is for our body. Liquid soap requires a container that is either glass or plastic. Both find their way into the landfill. Most packaging today for liquid products is plastic due to its lighter weight and resistance to breakage. However, new knowledge about the leaching of chemicals from plastics and resulting contamination of the product is real cause for concern. I work to eliminate all forms of plastic from my product line. Bar soap can be wrapped in a natural paper wrap that readily decomposes and doesn’t add to the landfill. In an effort to reduce our footprint, using a bar soap instead of a liquid soap is an easy choice.

Q: Why are your soaps so much more expensive than soap I can buy in a store?

Fourth Coast soaps are made from the finest ingredients I can find, not the least expensive. I use only as many ingredients as I need to make a soap. There are no unnecessary fillers or extenders.

Most all of my soaps have essential oils added to them. I try to not use a fragrance oil and do so only when an essential oil would make the cost of a product too expensive to justify its creation.

My soaps are hand wrapped in hand made paper. I do not use any manufactured packaging for my soaps.

There is a further distinction between handmade soaps and commercially manufactured soaps. Handmade soaps are real soap. The combining of a lye solution with an oil solution creates soap, and this creation contains a by-product called glycerin. Glycerin is the silky skin softening agent that allows soap to glide over your skin. Glycerin is the opalescence you see when soap is wet. Glycerin is also the by-product taken out of commercially manufactured soaps only to be added to other skin care products. The extraction of glycerin from commercially manufactured soap creates detergent. Yes, detergent. We have been washing ourselves with detergent labeled as soap. All Fourth Coast soaps contain all the natural glycerin originally created in them.

Commercially manufactured soap is often made using the least expensive ingredients; it is warehoused for months or years; and it may be imported from another country.

Fourth Coast soaps are all made from scratch by me. They are created using the cold process method developed centuries ago by our great grandparents. Batches are small to ensure freshness and to allow the creative juices to flow.

Fourth Coast soaps are made by hand. It is a craft I love to do. I use only the finest ingredients to make my soaps. I want a product that feels luxurious, that is good for me and this planet, and one that is worthy of my time. My products are made for me, and I offer them to you, hoping you will enjoy them as much as I do!