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Vegetable Glycerine / glycerol / glycerin is a colourless, viscous liquid. Glycerine has three hydrophilic hydroxyl groups that are responsible for its solubility in water and its hygroscopic nature. A very interesting property of vegetable glycerin is that it is very highly hygroscopic, which means that it absorbs water froms the air. For example, if you leave a bottle of glycerine / glycerol exposed to air, it would eventually become 80% glycerin and 20% water. Up until the 19th Century, glycerin was mostly produced by the candle-making industry that made candles from animal fats at that time.
PLEASE NOTE: This product is not for human or animal consumption.
Vegetable Glycerine / glycerol / glycerin is used in many cosmetic and personal care preparations. It improves smoothness and acts as a lubricant and humactant (moisturiser). It is used in soaps, creams, hair products, sprays and in water based personal lubricants.
Glycerine soaps have become very popular with more and more people making their own. Apart from being relatively easy to make they allow makers to tailor the soap using their own additives, fragrances, essential oils, botanicals etc. Glycerine soap is excellent for those with sensitive skin and a great moisturiser.
Glycerine is a very effective antifreeze and a 70:30 glycerine : water will reduce the freezing point of water to -37°C. It does this by disputing the formation of ice crystals when temperatures fall below 0°C. Although not as effective as ethylene glycol or propylene glycol, Glycerine / Glycerol / glycerin offers a safer, non toxic option.
Glycerine will help prevent mirrors and glass from fogging or steaming up. Add a small amount to water and apply to surface and buff dry.
In organic synthesis, glycerine is used as a readily available prochiral building block.
Glycerine can also serve as a substitute for petroleum based products. Glycerine derived propylene glycol are substitutes for petroleum-based propylene.
Vegetable Glycerine / Glycerol / glycerin is a common component of solvents for enzymatic reagents stored at temperatures below zero degrees Celsius due to the depression of the freezing temperature of solutions with high concentrations of glycerine / glycerol / glycerin. It is also dissolved in water to reduce damage by ice crystals to laboratory organisms that are stored in frozen solutions, such as bacteria, nematodes, and fruit flies. Samples are loaded into agarose gel electrophoresis mixed in loading buffers that mainly consist of Glycerine / Glycerol / glycerin; when the sample is injected into wells, the Glycerine / Glycerol / glycerin causes the solution to sink through the running buffer to the bottom of the well.
Some potential uses for vegetable Glycerine / Glycerol include the following:
Glycerine / glycerol is excellent for hydrating the hair by locking moisture into the hair cuticles and helps produce better quality curls without frizzing. Its great for making afro hair soft and shiny. It is claimed that as glycerine make hair healthier it helps promote hair growth. Glycerine should never be used in its concentrated form as it will leave hair feeling very oily. Make up a solution by mixing glycerine / glycerol 50;50 with water in a spray bottle. Add a few drops of your favourite essential oils. Spray onto your hair after showering.
Properties of Glycerine:
Click here to see an article on "Fun things to do with glycerine"
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