Do they have to put borax in there?

The short answer? Yes.

Often people ask me "Why the borax? Isn't that what you use to clean things?" In a word, yes.

But, the reason borax cleans is because it is very alkaline (pH approx. 9). Borax is a natural mineral salt. It is found in places where lakes have formed seasonally because of heavy rains but then evaporated. After many years of this the salt accumulates and can be mined. Most borax (sodium borate) comes from Turkey, Chile, Tibet or from Boron, California. Though it is found naturally it can also be reproduced in the lab.

So why is it used in skin care products?

It is an emulsifier. It is generally found in creams where beeswax is used. Bees wax is not an emulsifier on it's own. When bees wax and borax are combined in the recipe, a reaction occurs similar to that of soap making and a true emulsifier is created. This is a very tricky process to master because it is not a guarantee as to how much emulsifier will be created with each reaction even if the amount of bees wax and borax remain constant.

It is a constant in all bath bomb recipes because without it they would not hold their shape and crumble. Trust me, without borax your bath bombs simply crumble into fizzing bath salts!

Now, I understand peoples' concern with see borax listed on the ingredients. I also caution people that just because something is natural doesn't necessarily mean it's safe. Borax can most certainly be toxic if enough of it is ingested. It definitely needs to be kept out of reach of children and pets. However, the amount found in your natural skin care products, when used as an emulsifier, in my humble opinion is more than safe.

Borax also has many other uses you may be interested in.

It is used as a food preservative in some countries to preserve caviar. It is banned in the United States (thankfully) and so they simply use a lot of salt! So, if you're a caviar fan, you might want to check into that!

You probably already know about the myriad of cleaning options such as mold killer, laundry booster, dishwasher powder and all purpose cleaner.

Use it to prevent fleas from hatching in carpets and other bedding.

Mice really don't like it so sprinkle it around where you suspect the devils to be and they probably won't want to come back to that area. (Apparently the don't like peppermint essential oil either!)

So the next time you see borax on the label, think for a moment of the small amount vs. the benefit it creates (without an emulsifier you cream would look like homemade salad dressing) vs. the natural product compared to the chemical emulsifiers in the nasty skin care products!

I say, bring on the borax!

And now you know.