Tag: soap

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Micelle Cleansers – Not New and Beware Petroleum Versions

Micelle Cleansing

Everywhere you read, people are introducing micellar water, micellar cleansers, and micellar tonics. Funny, when we launched our Island Rx Micellar cleanser 16 years ago, not many listened or cared. What did happen, though, is that it became one of our top selling products because of our vegan micellar structure. The reason for that is that micelle in the soap makes it clean deeper and leaves the skin not harmed like chemical-based detergent facial cleansers.

Micelle is Not a Chemical

Over the years, the general first question we get about Island Rx, MetaClean, and Windsurfer is, “Are Micelle a chemical?” No, it is an ionic structure created by the soap making process that both loves and hate water at the same time. We use this principle of science to allow the micelle to like water on one side of the ionic bond, and it loves oil on the other side of the ion. Micelle is why we can deliver ayurvedic oils or moisturizing oil via the soap. This functionality is a huge deal, while the micelle also offers the ability to remove grime from the skin without stripping oils. All said scientists in school take a long time to understand how and what a micelle does. What is right for you, is that we know it.

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Micelle & Keys Island RX Soaps

The Micelle Magic – It’s All In The Soap!

Bob Root, Keys Technologist

The secret to clean vibrant skin is a natural oil-based soap that is full of Micelle.  They are magical in almost every way imaginable.

When I first developed Island Rx soap, it was because I could not find a Castile soap that was lower in alkalinity. As I formulated and saponified oils like Avocado, Jojoba, Coconut and Olive oil, I not only noticed that they were not as alkaline, but that there was some different reaction on the skin. Researching my ingredients and processes, I realized I was releasing something called a Micelle.

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Micelles are polar critters that live in a real soap. One end of the structure loves water, and the other loves oil. So the more micelle in soap the more effective it is in clearing oil, dirt, grime, and pollutants from a surface like the skin. These are not little creatures that live in a Jedi Knight’s blood like in Star Wars, but an ionic compound that does work.

On the skin, micelle act to remove all sorts of things and a high-density micelle soap like Island Rx foaming wash does many things at once. Here are just a few:

1) It removes dirt and grime
2) Removes “loose” acne-causing bacteria
3) Dissolves dead skin (exfoliates)
4) Affects skin collagen
5) Removes complex oils
6) Balances pH
7) Causes positive skin reactions
8) Deep cleans and opens pores releasing pollutants
9) Carries oils from the soap formulation and deposits them on the skin
10) Rinses quickly and thoroughly carrying away unwanted contaminants

In other words, a micelle-based soap is Magic. Unlike surfactant based cleanses, it gives and takes. It nourishes the skin and removes things the skin does not want. I believe Island Rx soap and foaming wash have the highest concentration of micelle available anywhere.

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Galleyon Antibacterial Foaming Soap is Now Supercharged

Antibacterial Foaming SoapGalleyon Natural Antibacterial Foaming Soap has been a cornerstone of Keys for near 15 years. Galleyon is an alternative to soaps that contained Triclosan. Unlike antibacterial soaps, it is not a biocide, so it does not kill our skin’s natural Probiome. It reduces the levels of harmful bacteria without harming the natural colonies of bacteria on our skin.

Antibacterial Foaming Soap & More

Over the years, Galleyon has become much more. Surgeons and medical workers have been known to wash with a clinical bacteriacide and then wash with Galleyon to protect their skin from the bactericidal soaps and gloves they have to wear. A car mechanic reports how great Galleyon was at removing automotive grease and grime. Teens like to shower with Galleyon because it tingles, smells good and makes them feel good. Runners and athletes love it as a whole body soap, and even surfers use it to get rid of the crud they surf through. All the interesting stuff.

The secret to Galleyon is the Lakota Sioux Spearmint Essential oil and the blood orange essential oils we use. The spearmint is off the scale for quality and bacteria reducing properties. The blood orange essential oil is cleansing, deep cleaning and very friendly to the skin. Our base Castile soap was designed to be low alkalinity and brags to be the mildest Castile available. Put them together with avocado oil, and you have Galleyon.

So What Is New?

To the naturally cleansing Castile base soap, we add the spearmint blood orange and avocado oil. What is different is that we have figured out how to get more of the spearmint and blood orange into the soap base without separating. More is better, right? The main benefit is that all the benefits of the essential oils are now in higher concentration without affecting the gentleness of the product. Galleyon’s pH is the same as it was, but the intensity and cleansing properties are better now.

What you will notice is a stronger scent of spearmint and a bit of a raspberry scent coming from the California Blood Orange essential oil.

For our cult full body users, you will notice more tingle and a softer feel. All without a price increase!

Enjoy Galleyon Antibacterial Foaming Soap.

Antibacterial Foaming Soap

Avoid Triclosan

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FDA Taking Closer Look at ‘Antibacterial’ Soap

Over the years we have published a number of articles about antibacterial products containing Triclosan and parabens.  We encourage you to search Clean Green Cafe to read some of these articles and the entire chapter in Bob Root’s book, Chemical-Free Skin Health.  To recap, antibacterial can mean a bactericide like parabens and triclosan, or reducing bacteria levels without killing good bacteria with the bad.  The National Institutes of Health Human Microbiome Project points out that we have ten times more bacteria on our skin than skin cells.  Most good, these bacteria live symbiotically with our skin to protect us from bad bacteria like Staph and eColi.  The contention has been and still remains that killing all bacteria on our skin leads to the formation of “super-bugs.”  So using soaps like Keys Galleyon reduce bacterial levels because they contain spearmint, are Castile like soap and have slightly higher alkalinity that is