I also read that you can't legally label your products as organic. Why do you?
I read somewhere that soap is too harsh to be used on skin or hair. Is that true?
So what's the deal with lanolin content anyway? How much lanolin does your soap have in it?
How do you make your soap and what do you make it with?
Why do you put silicone in the spray lanolin? Is it harmful?
I'm tired of lavender and chamomile and I absolutely hate tea tree and eucalyptus...are there any other oils that I can count on to keep bugs away from my wool?
Should I rinse my wool before or after washing or at all?
What's the difference between the wool wash bars and the liquid wool wash? Do I need both?
Could you please explain the difference between liquid lanolin and solid lanolin?
How often should I wash?
How often should I lanolize?
I can lanolize dry wool?!?
I have hard water. What does this mean and how will this change my wool care routine?
Why are the bars different sizes or colors and why are they sometimes lumpy?
Why were my bottles/tins filled to a lower level than the last time?
I've washed this wool dozens of times with no problems, why did the color run this time?
My wool gets sticky spots on it when I lanolize, what's the deal?
What about dyed wool and fragrance oils?
Why don't we wash wool after every use anyway?
I know I'm not supposed to wring my wet wool, hang it up, or put it into the dryer, but is there a way to help it dry faster?
Organic SOAP?!? Does it REALLY matter?
YES! Soap is made by combining lye with fats or oils. Fats and oils used for soap usually come from plants. Plants are treated with all kinds of nasty things like pesticides and chemical fertilizers and the oils are often extracted from the leaves and stems using harsh solvents. Chemical residues from these processes are not saponified (turned into soap). They're simply carried into the final soap product and could react with the lye to create even more "interesting" substances. You don't want this stuff on your clothing and you certainly don't want it on your skin! While the jury is still out on the relative toxicity of the residues left on our clothing and skin, what we do know about the harmful effects of pesticides and chemical fertilizers on our environment and the creatures we share it with certainly makes the organic effort more than worthwhile!
So what exactly does "organic" MEAN?!?
In order to comply with NOP labelling standards "A raw or processed agricultural product sold, labeled, or represented as "organic" must contain (by weight or fluid volume, excluding water and salt) not less than 95 percent organically produced raw or processed agricultural products. Any remaining product ingredients must be organically produced, unless not commercially available in organic form..." My organic wool wash bars, organic liquid wool wash, organic lanolin, and organic lanolin balm meet or exceed this requirement.
I read somewhere that non-organic lanolin from the USA is better than organic lanolin from other countries. Is that true?
Of course it's not true! Wherever you got that information, I can assure you that they've got a serious case of sour grapes! They wouldn't be saying that if they had organic lanolin to sell to you. Seriously though, at the risk of sounding a bit unpatriotic, do you really think the US of A is the only place in the world where you can get quality organic ingredients? Do you really think other countries are that backwards? Au contraire, mon frere. Last time I checked, Australia wasn't a third-world country. America is actually jumping on the organic bandwagon pretty late in the game, and many other countries have far more reliable systems for protecting their consumers and the goods they purchase. Which would you rather have...USA lanolin from penned sheep that have been dipped in pesticides, shot up with antibiotics & hormones, and "cleaned" with carcinogenic petroleum-based detergents, or Australian CERTIFIED organic lanolin from free-range, organic-vegetarian fed, non-mulesed, drug-free sheep, gently scoured with biodegradable, non-toxic surfactants? I've made my choice.
I also read that you can't legally label your products as organic. Why do you?
I assure you I am well within the law when I label my products "organic". The USDA's NOP (National Organic Program) has jurisdiction over raw, fresh, and processed FOOD products only. (You don't eat this stuff do you?) The FDA does not define or regulate the term "organic" as it applies to cosmetics, body care, laundry, or personal care products (though a manufacturer can pay to have them certified if they meet NOP standards.) Furthermore, cosmetics, body care, laundry, and personal care products CAN be certified to other, private standards and be marketed to those standards (including foreign organics) in the US. The USDA's NOP also does not regulate the labelling of such products. For what it\’s worth, there is NO established requirement for ingredient disclosure on ANY laundry care or household cleaning products in the US. (If there were, you can imagine the uproar that would ensue when people learned what was in their detergents and cleansers!) I choose to inform you of all the ingredients in my products so you can be assured of their natural purity and safety. To my knowledge, we are the only wool care line that offers complete ingredient disclosure on all products. (I wonder why...) Please be careful and smart about what and where you buy.
I read somewhere that soap is too harsh to be used on skin or hair. Is that true?
The billion dollar chemical detergent industry would have you believe that it is! The truth is, that it depends on what type of soap you are using and how it was made. There are so many oils that are used for soap making. Some, when saponified, are excellent but very harsh cleansers. Others leave a lot of residue (typically those that make a lot of large bubbles). Some will even suds-up in sea water! Naturally, using such oils in high proportions (or at all) in a soap meant for delicate skin or the protein fibers of your hair or your wool would not be wise. Soap that is made with oils chosen for their mildness; soap that is made with a recipe that has a moderate amount of superfatting (to ensure that all of the lye is neutralized and that extra oils are present to condition and moisturize); soap that leaves little or no residue is perfectly fine for you, your baby, your hair, and yes, even your wool.
So what's the deal with lanolin content anyway? How much lanolin does your soap have in it?
A lot of wool wash bars and liquids attempt to amaze you with claims like "contains 35% lanolin!" (I've even seen it as high as 50%) Well, I hate to burst your bubble (pun intended) but you can't just dump a bunch of lanolin into a soap recipe and call it wool wash! We've done our research, and to tell you the truth, 35% lanolin is actually nothing to write home about. Lanolin (or any other wax, fat, or oil for that matter) can be added to soap during one of two points in the soapmaking process. Added to the lye and water at the beginning, the lanolin would be converted to soap. Unfortunately, saponified lanolin does not make a mild soap, a hard bar, nor a particularly good cleanser. Having tested most of the other brands, every bar we have used that was made this way left bleached spots on our wool and made our hands dry and ashy after use. Added at the end of soapmaking, lanolin would be used for what is called superfatting or enriching. Since the lye has already reacted with the base oils and turned them into soap, any extra wax, fat, or oil you add is suspended in the soap and is readily available in it's complete molecular state to condition, enrich, and moisturize the skin and/or wool. Any soaper worth their salt (another pun, sorry) knows that soaps shouldn't be superfatted above 10%. They'd be ridiculously soft and would disappear after only a few washes and leave your skin and your wool feeling greasy and sticky. Simply put, 35% lanolin, or anything close to it, no matter when it is added to the soap is a waste of money and materials.
Another thing to consider is the lanolin content of other liquid wool care products. You may notice that the liquid in their bottles is a homogeneous mixture, meaning that it is the same from top to bottom and doesn't require shaking before use. (Sudz, if left to stand, will separate into layers) The reason other wool washes do not separate is because they have added a chemical dispersant to the solution. Dispersants are used in water-based cosmetic and laundering products containing water and fats to ensure that they do not separate. They also function to reduce the adherence of oils/lanolin to solid surfaces. Quite useful really if you don't want the oil/lanolin to remain on the fibers after rinsing, or if you have oil/lanolin on the fibers that you wish to remove! A dispersant renders the lanolin water-soluble so it rinses away and has the interesting and unfortunate consequence of doing the very same thing to the lanolin that is already in and on your wool! In other words, less than ideal for wool soakers and covers and actually necessitating more frequent lanolizing!
How do you make your soap and what do you make it with?
We use the cold-process method of soapmaking which ensures a pure, gentle soap, rich in natural glycerin.. We do not whip our soap, nor do we mill, rebatch, or use melt& pour bases for our wool wash or castile soaps.
Our product formulations were developed and perfected after HOURS of late-night, insomnia-induced, coffee-enabled research. Countless batches with varying formulations were sent to a discriminating panel of wool-crazy cloth diapering moms for testing and review. Their suggestions for improvement were followed, resulting in the perfection currently for sale! The organic oils selected for the soaps (coconut, castor, and olive to name a few) are very mild, cleanse gently, offer a silky lather, and last a long time. The organic oil used in the balm and spray (jojoba) was selected for their moisturizing, conditioning, emollient, and anti-oxidant properties. Despite their beneficial properties, out of concern for potential allergic complications, I do not, nor will I ever, use peanut oil, wheat germ, hempseed, or almond oil and it's close cousins, apricot and peach kernel oils without disclosing it to the customer.
Why do you put silicone in the spray lanolin? Is it harmful?
The silicone we use is a clear, odorless, non-toxic, and inert (doesn't react with anything) ingredient that is perfectly safe for you and your wool. The molecules are too large to penetrate the skin, the cell membrane, or the cuticle of the wool. It is added to the oil-based spray lanolin to make the lanolin oil and jojoba oil "thin" enough to get through the sprayer. I also serves as an emollient (helps hold moisture) and leaves no residue. It evaporates quickly, but does not dry or damage the wool like alcohol would. Silicone is not technically a natural ingredient (though it’s synthesis is earth-friendly), so if you are looking for an all-natural product, we suggest you try the Organic Lanolin, or the Liquid Lanolin. Other brands that are water-based use chemical dispersants and emulsifiers to keep the lanolin sprayable and suspended in solution. Not only are these much more dangerous and volatile chemicals than silicone, but they render the lanolin water-soluble, destroying the very properties that make it so effective on your wool.
I'm tired of lavender and chamomile and I absolutely hate tea tree and eucalyptus...are there any other oils that I can count on to keep bugs away from my wool?
How do cedar, clove, peppermint, litsea cubeba, rosemary, lemongrass, verbena, geranium, pine, cinnamon, basil, and allspice sound?
To rinse or not to rinse, that is the question.
RINSE, RINSE, RINSE! Before washing, because it cleans off the caustic urine salts that are coating the wool which dry the fibers and make it stinky which is why you are washing in the first place! After, because the cleaning/lanolizing you just gave it will last longer without soap residue sitting there, interfering with the natural abilities of the wool or turning rancid (and smelly) from exposure to urine. Rinsing with cool water is best as warm water will melt and wash away the lanolin.
What's the difference between the wool wash bars and the liquid wool wash? Do I need both?
The liquid wool wash and wool wash bars are equally mild and smell wonderful, but they do have different functions. The liquid is great for using on wool that just needs a little freshening. It will not strip the lanolin from your wool and, in fact, it will replenish what is normally lost during washing. The bar, on the other hand, is essential for removing food, dirt, and poo stains. Its cleansing properties are unrivalled and it is very rich in lanolin. Regular use of the wool wash bar can significantly reduce the frequency of lanolizing treatments or even completely eliminate them.
Could you please explain the difference between liquid lanolin and solid lanolin?
Their source is the same, the contents different. Their purpose is the same, the effectiveness different. Both my liquid and solid lanolin are extracted from sheeps wool. Both are pesticide and detergent free. Liquid lanolin has been centrifuged to remove the wax from the woolfat/oils. It is available in tubes, or in a conditioning spray. Solid lanolin is sold as pure organic lanolin, or blended into a conditioning balm. Because it retains the waxy component, solid lanolin is a more effective water-proofer. Many people find, especially on processed wool, that exclusive long-term use of liquid lanolin is inadequate and that periodic lanolizing treatments with a form of solid lanolin are required to keep their wool at peak function.
How often should I wash?
Listen carefully. If your wool stinks, you've waited too long. If your wool isn't functioning properly, you've waited too long. If you run water over the wet zone and it absorbs instantly, you've waited too long. By waiting for the wool to smell bad, you've allowed the urine salts to build up. This uses up the lanolin, dries out the fibers, and can permanently damage their structure, rendering them useless for their intended purpose. If your wool isn't working well, you're headed in that same direction. If your wool soaks up water like a thirsty traveller, you might as well use it as a diaper. Three things will help your wool remain effective and healthy. The first thing is absorbent diapers. Wool is not PUL and it won't hold back the Hoover Dam. The second thing is sufficient, and regular lanolin replenishment. When it was still on the sheep, the wool received a steady supply didn't it? The third thing, as you may have guessed, is proper washing. Dirty, salty wool won't perform like wool. Your washing schedule will depend on the number of woolens you own and how much you use them. If you are hoping to make your wool wash bar or liquid last longer and your wool isn't dirty enough to need a wash, please consider giving the wool a weekly rinse in cool water. This will effectively remove the urine salts, and you can even pat in a bit of lanolin while you're at it.
How often should I lanolize?
I could write a dissertation on this one alone! I wish I could offer a straight answer on this one, but instead I'll give you a list of the many factors that can affect the frequency of lanolizing: how often you wash, what kind of wool wash you use, what kind of lanolin you use (see above), which lanolizing method you use (see below), how often you change diapers, nighttime vs. daytime use, the age of your child (urine concentration), the force of the urine stream, the number of covers in rotation or how frequently the wool is worn, how dirty or stained the covers get, whether the wool is worn as pants or is covered by clothing, how processed the wool was, how old the wool is, and of course, how sticky (or not) you prefer your wool. If you are using Sudz bar or liquid, which were designed to reduce the frequency of lanolizing treatments, you can expect to go at least twice as long as you had previously waited between lanolizing treatments. For most, this will be about every 6-8 washes (rather than 3-4).
I can lanolize dry wool?!? Yep! ...and it was yours truly that pioneered the first product that made it possible with solid lanolin. I grew weary of sticky, messy, time-consuming, and inneffective wet/sink treatments and started spreading regular lanolin in my hand and patting it onto my wool. Unfortunately, I ended up with sticky blotchy wool that attracted dirt faster than Maya's fingernails! I decided to blend the lanolin with small amounts of oils, carefully chosen for their antioxidant properties and their ability to penetrate the cuticle of the wool fiber. Voila! I had a silky smooth balm that left my covers soft, pleasantly scented, and ready for duty! No waiting, no mess. About once a week, another pea-sized blob, a few gentle pats, and my wool was ready for action again. One of the many benefits of this method, is you can do tiny booster treatments and always keep your wool at peak performance, rather than the over-kill of sink lanolizing and the slow fade in effectiveness over the weeks following. So why would anyone want to use the wet/sink method? Well, it is rather soothing to gently swirl your wool in a warm basin of water, isn't it? Those of you with ample supply of wool won't be concerned with the dry time. Soft water makes dissolving/emulsifying the lanolin MUCH easier than with hard water (what I have here in Texas). Simplicity, nostalgia, economy...I'm not knocking it, I just wanted to provide another choice, and one that might be better for some or many!
I have hard water. What does this mean and how will this change my wool care routine?
If you have hard water, there are minerals (calcium and magnesium) dissolved and suspended in your tap water. These minerals react with air & water to oxidize, forming what you see as hard, white, stubborn film on your dishes, pipes, and sinks. This same film will coat the fibers of your wool, sealing the cuticle and reducing or even eliminating it's urine absorbing properties. Wool that is washed in hard water may also feel rough, chalky, or dry. This doesn't necessarily mean it needs lanolizing, it might just mean you have mineral build-up. To prevent this, rinse or soak the wool in a mild vinegar solution before washing.
Why are the bars different sizes or colors and why are they sometimes lumpy?
With nearly two years of soap-making experience under my belt, I've learned many things about the process, and in particular, how to use the temperature of the ingredients to my advantage to produce a compact, dense bar of soap. Still, sometimes a batch (usually one made with fragrance oil) will surprise me and expand (due to the heat), making the bars look significantly bigger than the ones I made the day before, yet weighing the same! Even unscented bars from the hot and well-insulated center of the mold, are thicker than the ones I remove from the outside edges, which stay cooler. Fragrance oils, because of their chemical composition, cause very interesting reactions when added to the raw soap. Most of them lead to a rather dramatic increase in temperature, either immediately, or once the soap has been poured into the mold. If it gets really hot, the soap will actually "explode", oozing scalding molten soap all over the place. Most fo's with some vanilla content in them will deepen to various shades of brown as they dry. Others cause what is called "seizing", where the soap is immediately transformed from a thick smooth liquid, to a consistency about as stirrable as frozen peanut butter. I'm sure you can imagine how much fun it is to pack THAT into a soap mold! Allspice Nutmeg is an essential oil blend that almost always seizes...it's a pain in the neck to get it into the mold, the bars look awful, but boy do they smell good!
Why were my bottles/tins filled to a lower level than the last time?
"....Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?" Matthew 20: 13-15
Rest assured, if you have paid for a 2 or 4 or 8 or whatever ounce bottle or tin, you will receive the full measurement of product therin. Keep in mind that these bottles are sometimes filled by a 6 1/2 year old or a 10 year old...so you can easily imagine how it might happen that sometimes you are blessed with a little bit extra.
I've washed this wool dozens of times with no problems, why did the color run this time?
- What was the water temperature? A few degrees either way can make all the difference in the world. Water that is too hot or too cold can release dye, felt the wool, remove lanolin, and set stains. Ideal wool washing temperature is 85 degrees Fahrenheit...too cool for a bath but too warm to drink!
- When was the last time you washed? Don't wait till your wool reeks of urine to wash it. What you smell are ammonia salts and they are very drying and NOT good for your wool. When dissolved in the wash water, they make it highly caustic. High pH will leach color, felt the wool, and strip the lanolin. It is best to rinse your wool before each wash to remove the excess urine and prepare the fibers for washing.
- How old is the wool? Wool is a natural fiber, and like our hair, prone to occupational stress! Plus it has been removed from its natural source of nourishment and moisture and it has to rely on us to care for it properly and protect what's left of the internal lanolin. Time will take its toll on wool and eventually, no matter how gently it is cared for, the fibers will weaken, the cuticle will open and color will gradually fade.
- How much soap did you use? How often do you wash? No matter which brand you use, a little goes a long way, trust me on this one. If you washed your hair too often, or with too much shampoo, no matter how mild it was, it would also lose its color because the cuticle has been weakened.
My wool gets sticky spots on it when I lanolize, what's the deal?
Wool that has been heavily processed (commercial detergents, felting, dye, etc...) has had most of it\’s natural lanolin removed, leaving it very thirsty. Traditional lanolizing is difficult because the lanolin, whether liquid or solid tends to float on top of the water rather than disperse evenly IN the water. Mixing your lanolin in HOT water, with a bit of baby shampoo to emulsify it, then adding it to the sinkfull of tepid water is a common solution. Lanolizing dry wool, rather than wet wool might also be helpful in this case. If you use a lanolin spray, increase the distance between the pump and the wool, using a towel to protect your counter or floor if necessary. This will ensure a fine even mist is distributed over the wool. If you use solid lanolin or lanolin balm, warm it and spread it in your hands before patting it into your wool. Use just enough to put a thin coat on your skin, you can always repeat if you need more. The sticky spots will eventually be absorbed into the wool, onto clothing worn above, or the diaper below, but I recommend removing heavy deposits of lanolin with Dawn. Overly sticky wool will attract dirt.
What about dyed wool and fragrance oils?
You may have read or heard that fragrance oils are not recommended for dyed wool. This is true, but keep reading! Fragrance oils are solvent based, meaning they are capable of dispersing into most liquid substances (soap, water, oil, etc...) This quality also gives them the rather unusual ability to cause other substances to dissolve into THEM! Dye particles are highly susceptible to the solvents used in fragrance oils so with heavily fragranced products, you'll notice otherwise well-set garments start to bleed. That said, higher quality fo's generally use milder solvents in lower proportions than less cheap fo's. Each batch of Sudz bars contains no more than 3 fl oz (90 mls) of top quality fragrance oil. Divide this amongst 18 bars, and you've got 5 ml's per bar. Consider 40-50 uses per bar and that leaves you with about a tenth of a milliliter in your wash water. Hardly enough to ruin a dye job, but enough to impart a delicious scent to your woolies!
Why don't we wash wool after every use anyway?
Wool is a natural fiber containing natural oils (fatty acids). It has a natural pH between 5.5 and 6.5 (meaning it is slightly acidic). Urine is mostly urea and ammonia (pH 7.5-8.5...a weak base) If you remember anything at all from Chemistry 101 it's "acid + base = water + a salt". This holds true with our precious wool...the acid is the lanolin, the base is the urine. The water, however evaporates, leaving salt residue on the wool fibers. Salt is neutral, and generally does not have an odor which is why we can re-use wool once it is dry. After repeated use, the acidic lanolin is "used up" by the caustic urine and any further peeing will leave an odor because there are no fatty acids present with which it can be neutralized into a salt. You may have read somewhere that wool is self-cleansing and doesn't need to be washed with soap because the lanolin and the urine combine to make their own soap. While true soap is chemically a salt, this statement is grossly inaccurate. Your baby would have to have a serious chemical imbalance to produce urine strong enough to convert the lanolin and woolfats into a true soap and you'd have much bigger problems to worry about than saving a few bucks on woolwash! Wool soap IS necessary and it should have three properties: the ability to cleanse the wool of any dirt or stains, the ability to do so GENTLY (without stripping it of its natural moisture and oils), and the ability to replenish the moisture and lanolin lost through processing, use, and time.
I know I'm not supposed to wring my wet wool, hang it up, or put it into the dryer, but is there a way to help it dry faster?
Some people keep one of those nifty mesh tables that sits on the edges of the bathtub and allows the air to circluate over an item that is lying flat upon it, but we have three daughters who USE the bathtub, so this isn't a practical solution in our home. My favorite method of water extraction involves a lanolized prefold. Yes, you read that correctly. If the fabric has not been lanolized, the dry fibers of your prefold will grab the lanolin straight off of your nice wet slippery wool fibers. Take a prefold or towel that has seen better days and save it from the dismal fate of the rag bucket. Make sure it is clean and give it a nice long soak with some wool wash (liquid or bar, doesn't matter). Now give it a nice coat of lanolin. (again, solid, liquid, balm, spray, it doesn't matter). Once it is dry, it is ready for it's new and glorious occupation. Before removing your sopping wet wool from the sink, fold it up, and press on it to squash most of the water out. Lay your wool lengthwise on top of the prefold and roll it up. You might have to do this twice with longies, starting the roll once at each end. Take the ends of the prefold in your hands and gently twist and squeeze as if you were wrapping a piece of old-fashioned salt-water taffy. Now switch directions, gently, please! Well done! Some mamas enjoy laying the wool flat between two prefolds and then stepping on them to press water out, and this is fine too, just don't get violent and start jumping on them! If your wool is particularly prone to pilling or felting, we suggest inserting another lanolized prefold inside the garment, so the fibers are not rubbing against one another when you squeeze or step on it.
