What Does Borage Oil Do in a Soap?
When added to soap, borage oil soothes and softens dry and mature skin. For those suffering from serious skin conditions stemming from low fatty acid levels, borage oil soap may help restore these levels as a topical application. Does this Spark an idea?
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Nutrients
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Borage flower seeds contain the richest known source of an essential fatty acid called gamma linolenic acid, or GLA. These fatty acids can be taken either internally or---as with borage oil soap---externally.
Clinical Studies
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Chemist Dennis T. Sepp notes that GLAs appear to heal not just dry and moderately damaged skin, but also eczema and psoriasis, conditions linked to people who have a deficiency of these fatty acids.
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Other Effects on Soap
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Borage oil does not add much in the way of scent, color or lather to soap, so soap makers usually add other extracts, essential oils and carrier oils when including borage oil.
Method
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Like GLA-rich evening primrose oil, borage seed oil is best employed as a precious additive in a soap recipe, rather than as the main fat or oil. Soap maker Melinda Cross recommends using it to "superfat" soap at the end of a recipe so that its properties are not destroyed by heat.
Amount
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Borage oil should not exceed 20 percent of the total fats used in a soap recipe. If used as a superfatting agent, it should not exceed 5 percent.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Olivier
