What Is Glycerin?
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Glycerin is a thick liquid that is colorless and sweet tasting. It has a high boiling point and freezes to a paste. Glycerin's most common use is in soap and other beauty products like lotions, though it is also used, in the form of nitroglycerin, to create dynamite.
Glycerin is popular in beauty products because it is a humectant — it pulls moisture to the skin. Not only is it used in the soap making process, it's a byproduct too. Many soap manufacturers actually extract glycerin during the soap making process and reserve it for use in more expensive products. However, even when soap manufacturers reserve glycerin for other products, some amount of glycerin remains in every bar of soap.
Additional glycerin may be added to a bar of soap in order to produce a clear finish and extra moisturizing qualities. The extra glycerin also enhances the cleaning aspect of soap.
Glycerin can be dissolved easily into alcohol and water but not into oils. The pure chemical element is called Glycerol, which indicates that it is an alcohol. The impure commercial product is called glycerin.
Glycerin also easily absorbs water from the surrounding air, which means it is hygroscopic. If you were to leave some glycerin in the open, it would absorb water from the surrounding air to eventually become 20% water and 80% glycerin. If you were to place a small amount of pure glycerin on your tongue, you're tongue would blister because glycerin is dehydrating. When water is used to dilute it, however, it makes the skin soft.
Where we got glycerin has changed over time. In 1889, for example, commercial candlemaking was the only way to obtain glycerin. At that time, candles made from animal fat which served as the source of glycerin. Extraction is a complicated process and there are various ways of going about it. The simplest way is to mix fat with lye. When the two are mixed, soap is formed and glycerin is then removed. Still, a small amount of glycerin remains in the soap.
Glycerin has a variety of uses. As stated above, it can be used to make dynamite. It is not explosive alone, however, and it has to be processed before it can be used as an explosive. It's also used in prints and inks, preserved fruits, lotions and as a lubricant. It can also be used to prevent hydraulic jacks from freezing. Its antiseptic qualities permit its use in the preservation of scientific specimens.
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39
You can make your own beauty lotion with glycerine. one part glycerine one part lemon or lime juice (fresh squeezed) if you want you can add rose water to it. amazing results in just couple of days!You can keep this mix on room temp for many months. - anon60076
38
I have pure glycerin I use on my face once in a while. It feels great because I love moisture. Is pure glycerin good for a moisturizer alone? - anon59845
37
can glycerin be used to boost viscosity of bubble bath?
- anon58802
36
glycerin is natural! and it can be vegan or from animal. you can choose. - anon54467
35
it shouldn't be used concentrated as it will have the adverse effect. in the right percentage it will draw moisture to the skin. - anon54466
34
How would glycerin react to cementitious-based products such as stucco or plaster?
I want to retard the dry time in thin coats of plaster to add other colors of plaster over large areas and achieve a consistent burnishing to the finish when all phases of the application are complete. Is this the right product to use or am I going to get poor adhesion? - anon54020
33
I would like to know the anwer to question #6 2521 on glycerin? Thank you. - f4343
32
Can we use glycerin in tobacco zarda products? if yes tell me the quantity. - anon52659
31
I want to use glycerin in face moisturizer, but its stickiness is undesirable. Can I use something to diminish the stickiness? - anon52537
28
please can't i make a glycerin lotion myself, and if i can, what is the process? - anon44359
27
I recently bought a teeth bleaching product containing glycerin. Is this a good product? - mowgli
26
I have dry, chapped & blistered lips. My doctor asked me to use glycerin. Are there any side effects with this?
- anon29044
25
can glycerin be used on your face including your eyes? - jbk
24
I have heard that mixing sugar & glycerin together is a good cure for pressure ulcer. what consistency would i mix? - bulldog2888
22
Is it true that most glycerine are from pork? - roslanukur
21
glycerin is good for the skin. you can buy 100% vegetable glycerin also. - anon14856
19
I am interested if glycerin mixed with equal parts of water would be good for your face and neck? - coco
18
i want to know can glycerin be put on the face after a bath? is it good for skin or no without mixing with anything else? pls suggest if glycerin makes under eyes dark as it is hot in nature .
glycerin is warm for the face or it is cold or it is a chemical or natural? - dhanvanti
17
as glycerine is hot to touch, can i can use directly on my face or mix with water after applying glycerine can i can use cream can u tell me whether glycerine is good for skin or it is bad does it vanish wrinkle and it is good around eyes area due to that does dark circle appears pls help me toward this question and is it good for hair. - anon13709
16
Is there any form of glycerin that is guaranteed to be animal-product free and made completely with vegetable fat? If so, how can one tell on a product's ingredient list to ensure that there are no animal by-products? - anon9961
14
Yes, glycerin is used by watercolorists. You can put a small amount on the squeezed paint to keep it from drying out on your palette if you're not painting for a while. Or with a drop of water on the "hard pan" watercolors that you put in travel paintboxes, to help them moisten up more easily when it's time to paint. - anon6303
13
What is the BTU value of glycerin? - anon5897
12
what is the effect of glycerin in the methanization process? we are producing biogas from the methanizer tanks in a composting facility. we would want to maintain a certain temperature to keep the methanogenic bacteria alive. will the addition of glycerin cause these bacteria to hibernate or deactivated? - EnviRon
11
can glycerin intoxicate you? is it animal derived too? - anon4752
10
Is glycerin used by watercolourists?
If yes what for? - anon3605
9
my question as embarrassing as is, some stores sell products with glycerin in such as flavored hot gel that people use on one another for intimacy purposes. Someone I know became very ill after having this applied on their body parts. To the point that he nearly passed out. Was it possibly another medical condition or did this lotion, which is hot to the touch, cause him to break into extreme sweat, get dizzy and almost pass out? If so, why sell the product. - anon3450
7
My hands always seem to breakout with little water blisters that itch when I use a product containing glycerin. It doesn't happen all the time? I wonder if it depends on how much glycerin is in the product. This has been happening for years. - anon2923
6
In soap making they said, "you can make your own soap using Glycerin "melt and pour soap." but I saw liquid glycerin ready in the store. Can u make soap with liquid glycerin? please help? - anon2521
5
Can it be used on the scalp to promote hair growth ?
If yes, diluted or undiluted? - anon2003
4
Just wanted to kno whether or not glycerin comes from pork? or are some products that use glycerin use different "animals"? - anon1968
3
I heard on the radio someone say that you can mix glycerine with something else (powdered, like baking soda or cornstarch, etc.) to make a paste that you can rub onto an old grease or oil stain on textiles (table linens, shirts) that will remove it. Does anyone know what the substance is that you mix with glycerin?
- bhammonds
2
I have a strange question. If Glycerin is sweet tasting, does it contain any sugar as in carbs? I take a liquid Vitamin B that has glycerin in it and I cant seem to find out if it has any sugar carbs in it. I am on a low carb diet. - anon788
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Written by
Garry Crystal
Last Modified: 11 January 2010
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