Coconut Water-The Challenge

 Above Photo: Lemongrass EO scented coconut water soap. Final product for soap challenge.

I've been using alternative liquids to make Cold Process soap for a while. I love beer, Aloe Vera, coconut milk, and even fruit and veggie smoothies as alternatives to distilled water. Carbohydrates in the liquids boost lather and coconut milk has extra fats in it that increase the skin softening qualities. It is fun to use nourishing drinks to create soap even though I am not 100% certain how many of the vitamins survive the initial soap making process as vitamins tend to be delicate creatures, however,  minerals are sturdier and survive more scenarios than vitamins do (for example cooking, vitamins like Vitamin C are usually destroyed during cooking or even long exposure to the air). In my own personal experience, choosing drinks high in vitamin C or other acidic components, can cause weird things to happen during trace and pour. I wanted to choose something I hadn't used before and had relatively low acidity for this challenge. I also wanted a super powerhouse of nutrition, high in minerals and health benefits and also something that wasn't going to terribly discolor my soap in the end. I decided to try a test batch of soap made with coconut water. My test showed the lye water did go orange, but the final result of the soap was almost perfectly white with the recipe I used. The carbohydrates in the coconut water boosted the lather and I suspect that as the soap cures this effect will actually increase. Perfect! Onward!

The befits of coconut water are astounding. It is the liquid from the green immature coconut fruit. I was particularly impressed with the fact that coconut water is used to save human lives when given intravenously. That's right, you read that correctly! In emergency cases, coconut water can be given straight into the human blood steam to counteract extreme dehydration and is still used in poor third- world countries for this very reason today(Martin, 2015). Nutritionally, coconut water provides electrolytes like potassium and is a superior drink during rigorous activity. 

As for the topical skin benefits, coconut water is high in magnesium, 15%DV per one cup. Magnesium, like many other topically applied nutrients and cosmetics, is absorbed through the skin. In fact, many are now making the move to topical Magnesium application as a way to bypass the gut and its difficulty in absorbing Magnesium.  Many people are deficient in magnesium and this nutrient plays many important roles in the body to include the following for skin:

Magnesium – Skin Benefits

 Anti allergic:

Magnesium has the capacity to detoxify the epidermis and cleanse the skin. It is all the more effective in treating or relieving those areas of the skin that are prone to allergic reactions.

Anti wrinkle:

As you start aging, you notice fine lines around your eyes and on forehead. Magnesium is very effective in reducing these wrinkles and fine lines.

Pimples:

Just similar to the effect of magnesium on your allergic skin, magnesium helps combat break outs or acne on your skin (Shruti, 2015).

Here are the ingredients I used for this soap:
Canola High Oleic
Sustainable Palm
Coconut Oil
Castor Oil
Rice Bran Oil
Vita Coco coconut water unflavored at 100% substitution for distilled water
Scented with Lemongrass EO
Colored with: Yellow Silt Clay, Cocoa Powder
Ground Jojoba for extra detail

WORKS CITED

Martin, A. (2015, 10 12). 8 Benefits of Coconut Water You Didn’t Know About . Retrieved from Life Hack: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/8-benefits-coconut-water-you-didnt-know-about.html

Shruti. (2015, 04 16). 8 Best Benefits Of Magnesium For Skin, Hair And Health. Retrieved from Stylecraze: http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/benefits-of-magnesium-for-skin-hair-and-health/