Safety is First in Home Products

Safety when creating home made products. This information should have actually been the first blog I wrote. I gave this some thought and looked around and I am not finding this information anywhere in anybody's information when it comes to home recipes for lotions and creams, soap, bath salts, or anything in that nature.  
I am beginning to think that as homemakers and professionals in the cooking field, we take it for granted that everyone knows how to be safe when it comes to making home made products.  In this day and age, I will not take anything for granted anymore, as we are fast changing lanes as to how things are done with the government and its rules and regulations. One company that is one with all the products we need is http://www.sepmar.com.au/

Safety Precautions

It has been said that there are no nonhazardous chemicals, only nonhazardous ways of dealing with them. Water, for example, is not generally considered to be a hazardous chemical but many people die each year from drowning. Lead is considered to be a hazardous chemical, but I’m sure that its ingestion as a poison contributes to far fewer deaths and injuries than its use in bullets. There are a variety of ways in which you can be harmed by chemicals, and there are also a variety of ways that you can use to help protect yourself from being harmed by chemicals.

o First of all, pay attention to what you are doing and what you are working with. 

o You should always wear safety glasses or goggles when working with dangerous chemicals. Remember, your eyes are irreplaceable. Since you won't always know which chemicals or ingredients are dangerous, the safest thing is to wear the glasses whenever you are working with chemicals. Chemicals are ingredients and the other way around.  Also wear them when you're near someone working with chemicals also..  

o You should know where the laboratory safety equipment is located. Take a moment when you are in the lab to have the instructor show you where the eye-washes are and how to use them. Also, find out about the other safety equipment in the lab like the emergency shower, the fire extinguisher, and the first aid kit. When working with chemicals, if you should get any in your eye, use the special eyewash. 

o Keep food and drinks out of the laboratory work area.  

o When dealing with chemicals, you should always read labels carefully to be absolutely certain you have the right chemical. Sometimes names are very similar. If you don't get the right chemical, it may ruin your experiment; and of course, you might get a dangerous reaction. 

o Sometimes you will be told to use a certain concentration of a solution. In those cases, be sure you check the label for concentration as well as the name of the chemical. Sometimes the concentration will be indicated as "concentrated" or "diluted." Sometimes it will be given in terms of numbers--usually as a number followed by a capital M or N. For example you might be told to use "2M sodium chloride". Then you should check for the "2M" as well as the "sodium chloride" on the label. You should be aware though that the higher the number, the more concentrated the chemical is.

o Also, never mix chemicals that you haven't been told to mix without an OK from the manufacturer or someone who knows.

o If you spill a chemical, wipe it up immediately and advise the owner or call and ask the fire department what to do in this type of hazard if it is that bad.

o Acids, in general, are fairly hazardous chemicals so you should be sure to wear safety glasses while using them. If you should get any one of them (or any other chemical) on you, rinse it off immediately with lots of water and let the instructor know what you spilled--on your way to rinsing it off. That is another very important reason for reading the labels. Know what chemicals you are dealing with because if there is an emergency, quite often what we need to do depends on what the chemical is. So keep in mind what chemicals you are working with. With spilled acids, sodium bicarbonate (any brand) is often a good neutralizing agent.

Fire Extinguisher

The above directions are ones you would get when working in a lab. I consider whatever room you are using a lab when you are using it to make creations with chemicals. Everything we work with, even if it is from the kitchen cupboard is a chemical when we start to mix them in a way to make products. We need to know what reaction you will get when you mix certain chemicals or ingredients together. 

So, if you are a beginner, please read everything and then read it again. This way you are informed. If you do not understand something, call a company that makes these ingredients and get help. I know that on some sites that sell the ingredients or chemicals, will provide the consumer with information on products, what they do, recipes and standards to follow. They sometimes have the guidelines for what the USDA wants from us as companies.   

Safety Glasses with anti-fog.

A pair of safety glasses should be worn when you are making lotions, candles, bath bombs, soap and all other home made products. Soap making is using lye. Lye is a chemical that can cause so much damage if you were to get it in your eyes or spill it on your skin. I truly believe that as home crafters we are responsible to ourselves and our family and friends to wear safety glasses at all times, have a fire extinguisher available and an eye wash kit and first aid kit at hand at all times. I am doing that now. If you don't do this and something happens, then only you are at fault for any harm that comes from an accidental spill or fire..

Since I am not finding this information anywhere , in anyone's information, this will be the next topic for making laws about how we make products at home for the public consumption. I so do not want that to happen. So, please insert some safety precautions into your recipes and directions for doing home products and creations.