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These days, a lot of women and men wish they had fairer or whiter skin—an aspiration that has become a great driving force for the health, beauty, and wellness industry.

 

Glutathione is present in nearly all living cells and has the distinction of being able to regulate the action of the so-called “lesser antioxidants.” Despite its well-known health benefits, however, many people remain extremely hesitant to take glutathione orally. They would rather apply it directly on their skin—thus giving rise to many glutathione-containing products for external use, particularly bathing soap.

Leng Aveno, soap-making lecturer at ESF Cakes and Bread House, considers this situation about glutathione a very good business opportunity. She therefore recommends going into the making of herbal bath soaps mixed with glutathione as a startup home-based industry.

To make glutathione herbal soap, you will need: a pail, spatula, hand mixer, scraper, small containers, and a 13.2-inch by 16.7-inch mold. You will need this mold to shape a long bar that could be cut up into 60 individual bars of soap. (If you can’t find a mold of this size, you can improvise by making your own mold.)

Getting started:

60 ml. titanium dioxide
60 ml. sodium silicate
3 ml. anti-bacterial liquid
3 ml. preservative (phenoxy ethanol)
60 ml. moisturizer (castor oil)
60 ml. cocodiethanolamide (CDEA),
60 ml. kamias extract (Averrhoa bilimbi)
3.2 liters lye solution (caustic soda)
60 ml. evaporated milk
6 kg. coconut oil (cooking oil)
12 pcs glutathione capsules
100 ml. fragrance
60 ml. apple extract
4 liters distilled water

 

Procedure:

Since titanium dioxide and caustic soda are sold in powder form, you need to dissolve them in water to come up with the required solution. Specifically, you need to dissolve 60 grams of titanium dioxide in 1.5L of water, and 1 kilo of caustic soda in 2.5L of water. Although you can also use tap water, it is advisable to use distilled water to prevent contamination.

You can produce the kamias extract by fermenting 1 kilo of the bilimbi fruit (known locally as kamias) in a jar with 2 tablespoons of salt. After 24 hours, get the extract, strain it and transfer it to another container. You can now use the extract.

To produce the apple extract, cut up one apple and use a blender to crush it. Strain the extract using a piece of cheesecloth to remove impurities.

Once you have measured the ingredients, put them in individual containers and label them properly. Since it is the base material for the soap, you may put the coconut oil into the pail directly.

Remove the glutathione powder from the capsules, then mix it with the coconut oil until the powder is fully dissolved.

Pour the following ingredients into the mix in the following order: sodium silicate, CDEA, moisturizer, kamias extract, apple extract, milk, titanium dioxide, preservative, the anti-bacterial liquid and the fragrance. If the ingredients are not added in this order, the texture of the soap will be rough. Mix the ingredients well with a hand mixer.

Gradually pour the lye solution into the mixture, mixing continuously in one direction. Changing the direction when mixing will create swirls or a cloudy effect on the soap. After adding the lye solution, you will notice a change in the color and consistency of the mixture. Continue mixing until the consistency becomes like that of condensed milk; the mixture gets finer as you continue to mix. Make sure to mix the mixture well enough; otherwise, the soap will feel rough and itchy on the skin.

Now pour the mixture into the mold. Before using the mold, make sure that its hollow parts are covered with plastic cutouts so the soap will not stick to the mold and can easily be removed from the mold. Using a scraper, level and smoothen the top portion of the soap. Once it becomes smooth, set it aside for five hours to cure.

After some time, you will notice changes in the color of the soap. Heat will also be released by the soap. These are both signs that the soap is hardening. Even if the soap has already hardened after five hours, don’t remove it from the mold until the following day, when it has really cooled down. Once cool, cut the long bar into approximately 60 pieces. Smoothen the edges of the soap. Use the soap only after 24 hours.

Glutathione herbal soap remains in the best condition for use from 1 to 1.5 years. According to Aveno, herbal soaps that are eight months to a year old are very well cured and so are better to use. After about a year, because the extracts drip in the form of moisture, herbal soaps shrink by some 5 grams. Chemical-based soaps, because they use preservatives, may remain hard and last longer.

 

Finishing touches

To package the soap, wrap it in clear plastic and label it properly. To attract more people to buy the soap, state in the label its key ingredients.

The price of a 130 gram bar of glutathione herbal soap in the market ranges from P100 to P200. While you may use this price range to sell individual bars, you may opt to lower the price for wholesale buyers.

Even though the market is flooded with this kind of product, it is possible to compete for a share of the market. One strategy is to use a website to advertise your products and to also join online selling sites. You can also add to your soap other natural ingredients, such as honey, papaya, and vitamin E-rich fruit.

For this project, what is recommended for use is the active white glutathione capsule imported from Texas in the United States. Each capsule contains corn, yeast, wheat, soy, rice, barley, lactose, citrus, milk, fish, and egg products. Other brands may also be used so long as they are registered with the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD).

 

To know the registered brands of glutathione capsules in the market, you may inquire from BFAD’s Policy Planning and Advocacy Division at Tel. (02) 842.5606.

 

Things to remember:

Measure ingredients accurately and precisely.

Empty the containers thoroughly so you don’t waste anything.

Avoid contact with the soap mixture before and during the curing and hardening period.

Where to train and to look for supplies:

LENG AVENO
ESF Cakes and Bread House
2/F Emer Bldg., 13 Rizal Ave. Ext., Kaloocan City
Telephone: (02) 948.6112

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