Vegetable glycerin is a common ingredient found in a wide variety of creams, lotions, shampoos, and other personal care products. Recently it has grown in popularity as an important ingredient in many homemade liquid soap recipes. Appreciated for its natural moisturizing and humectant properties, this odorless and sweet plant-based ingredient should be a staple in your home if you are interested in any kind of DIY project.

If you want to buy glycerin in order to utilize this helpful plant-based ingredient in your soap-making or lotion-crafting efforts, this guide will help you better understand its various uses and also detail the difference between high-quality vegetable glycerin and inferior varieties.

What Vegetable Glycerin is Used For

There are few ingredients quite as versatile as vegetable glycerin. This substance is derived from wholly natural sources such as palm and coconut oils, which are heated under pressure. This process splits the glycerin from the fats, forming a syrupy substance that is edible, gentle on the skin, and naturally moisturizing.

What can you use glycerin for when it comes to creating your own personal care products? Just about everything, really. It doesn’t clog pores, so you are free to use it in facial moisturizers and similar products. It’s great as an ingredient in bath gels, body washes, liquid soaps, hand sanitizers, and even in shampoos. In fact, glycerin is often used alone for hair to strengthen and protect it.

The uses for vegetable glycerin don’t stop there. You can add it to conditioners, lotions, moisture-locking serums, skin toner, lip balm, and even a natural way to combat dry skin. This substance is even commonly used for various foods, especially for candy, cakes, icing, and similar items.

It’s clear at this point that having a little of this plant-based substance around the house can help you with a wide range of different DIY recipes, but first, you have to make sure you’re using the right kind of glycerin.

Make Sure Your Glycerin is High Quality

Not all kinds of glycerin are created equal, unfortunately. If you want to buy glycerin and use it in your personal care recipes, you have to make sure that it is natural, kosher, and 100% safe to use on your skin.

There are several varieties of “glycerin” that are actually byproducts of the biodiesel industry. What this means is that these substances are produced during the process of refining biodiesel and don’t possess the same beneficial qualities as the kind that is derived from fruits. This substance, known as crude glycerin or glycerol, often appears murkier in color and is most certainly not 100% safe for use in skin care and hair care products.

The glycerin you want should be kosher, all-natural, and crafted specifically for use in personal care formulas. It should have a clear white appearance and light syrupy texture. Anything else is simply not at the grade you want if you intend on using it for personal care.

Additional Resources for Using Vegetable Glycerin

If you are ready to start crafting using this amazing ingredient, you’re in the right place. You can buy glycerin right here in our online store, where we have quite the selection of soap-making and DIY ingredients for sale. We even have this ingredient available in larger quantities in case buying in bulk is your thing. This is perfect if you are running a soap-making business or need large amounts of glycerin. By purchasing in bulk you can save money as well.

It’s important that if you are getting into making your own soaps, shampoos, body washes, hand sanitizers, and other products, that you know exactly what ingredients you need and how they benefit your body. When you are in control of the recipe, you can tailor the end-product exactly how you want it so that it is truly effective. This means prioritizing quality ingredients, which you will find plenty of here at MakeYourOwn.buzz. Our online store is full of a wide selection of fragrances, surfactants, moisturizing ingredients, essential oils, soap bases, and just about anything else you can think of that you might need during the process of formulating your own recipes.

If you are interested in learning more about how to utilize glycerin, we have plenty of resources on the subject to help you out. You can view our blog on all of the different DIY uses for glycerin here, as well as additional information on why this substance is simply one of the best soap-making ingredients around. In case you need some inspiration for recipes, our formulary is full of different ways you can use glycerin and our other popular ingredients as well.

Here at MakeYourOwn.buzz, we know that quality matters when it comes to the ingredients you need to create the perfect soaps, shampoos, and other products. This quality is reflected in all of the products we carry throughout our store. Take a look through our product catalog and see for yourself!