What is Kratom?
Kratom, otherwise known as Mitragyna Speciosa, is a plant that is indigenous to Southeast Asia. This plant grows primarily in the tropical rainforests of Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Bali, and Malaysia.
The main use of Kratom over the years has been to ingest the plant in the form of tea so that the consumer can experience a variety of benefits.
However, in some countries, Kratom is not legal for human consumption. Therefore, Kratom can be used for a variety of other benefits that don’t include ingesting the plant itself.
What are the Benefits of Kratom?
To break down how Kratom can benefit the user, we have to dive deep into the actual make up of the plant.
Mitragyna Speciosa includes two primary alkaloids - 7-Hydroxymitragynine and Mitragynine. These alkaloids are responsible for the effects that someone may experience after consuming the plant itself, creating beneficial effects that include:
- Discomfort relief
- Enhanced mood
- Energy boost
- Restful sleep
- Increased focus
However, those who are using Kratom not for human consumption can reap some benefits of this wonderful plant as well. These benefits are derived from two special compounds called Catechin and Rhamnose. Catechin and Rhamnose are commonly used in products like soap, cosmetics, bath bombs, etc.
Most botanicals contain one or the other of these compounds, but Kratom is special in that it contains both.
What are the Benefits of Catechins?
Catechin is commonly found in fruit and green tea but is also used in many different cosmetic products. This chemical compound is categorized as a flavan-3-ol, making it a natural phenol and antioxidant.
Products containing Catechin are said to reduce the damage caused by sun damage or UV rays, exfoliates, but doesn’t dehydrate, and can break down and synthesize collagen.
What are the Benefits of Rhamnose?
Rhamnose is a naturally occurring deoxy sugar that is usually found in poisonous sumac and buckthorn. Rhamnose molecules bond to hydroxyl fatty acids forming Rhamnolipids when used on the skin, which makes it a great emulsifier used to improve the texture and consistency of cosmetic products.
What Types of Cosmetic and Bath Products Can Use Kratom?
While Kratom seems to be a great option to use in skincare and other products, there really isn’t a current market for this formulation. Many people buy Kratom where it is legal to ingest it, leaving the demand for topical use low.
However, if you would like to create your own Kratom cosmetic and bath products, there are recipes out there! Here are a few things you could look into experimenting with:
Bath Bombs
There seems to be a lot of hype around Kratom bath bombs; this seems to stem from some claims that may or may not be true.
Kratom bath bombs are thought to help soothe someone after a long day’s work, with the aroma and skin rejuvenation combined.
How to Make Kratom Bath Bombs
Making Kratom bath bombs can be a big project, but if you have all the ingredients ready to go - it’s worth a try!
Ingredients you’ll need:
- 80-100 grams of baking soda
- Essential oils of your choice (lemon, orange or lavender are well paired with Kratom)
- Ball molds
- 200 grams of citric acid powder
- Kratom powder
Steps:
- First, you will want to add all the powders in a container, mixing evenly. (Kratom powder, citric acid powder, and Baking soda powder).
- Next, you will add enough essential oils to your powder until the mixture becomes a thick substance that you can form into spheres.
- Add the mixture to the molds, and press them into the molds.
- After about 6 hours, the molds will harden and they will be ready to use!
Botanical Hair Products
Different botanicals have been used in hair products such as shampoo and conditioner for many years, with thoughts that they help with cleansing, stimulating, soothing, moisturizing and deodorizing.
While we are not sure that Kratom has the same effects, it couldn’t hurt to test out the method.
Organic Lotions
Like mentioned above, Rhamnose has been used in many cosmetic products for texture and consistency. This is where Kratom could come in handy when making organic lotions.
Happy Hippo used to have a special formula body cream made of different oils and Kratom powder, and our customers loved it! Unfortunately, we had to discontinue the product because we no longer sell CBD on our site.
However, organic lotions made from Kratom and other essential oils could be in the future for Hippo.
Kratom Organic Bar Soap
When referring to Kratom soap, we basically mean a solid organic bar soap that you can use to exfoliate in the shower or use as a daily hand wash. These soap bars could act as any other natural soap, with a variety of benefits including the soothing of the skin, exfoliating, and improving the overall appearance and feel of the skin after multiple uses.
While we cannot be completely sure how accurate these benefits are, these are what people claim to see after using Kratom soap.
How to Make Kratom Soap
Making Kratom soap requires more ingredients than making Kratom bath bombs, however, the outcome is much more desirable.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- 3 cups of glycerin soap flakes
- ¼ cup of jasmine flower, lemongrass, tea tree, or any other botanical such as lavender or tulsi.
- 2 teaspoons of essential oils
- 1-2 teaspoons of plain leaf Kratom powder
- Silicone soap-making molds
Steps:
- First, you will want to simmer the Kratom and other herbs/flowers in water for about 15 minutes.
- While you simmer those ingredients, you will want to warm the soap flakes in a separate pot to melt it into a liquid.
- Add the essential oils to the liquid soap and stir, while slowly adding the herbs as well.
- Pour the final mixture into the silicone molds and place it on the counter or in the fridge for 48 hours.
- Once the soap has hardened, you can start to use them in your daily routine!
What Other Products Can Be Made From Kratom?
Now that we covered all the cosmetic items that are most popular for Kratom use, we can do an honorable mention for products that other users might enjoy.
Incense
Some may be surprised, but some people actually enjoy the smell of Kratom! Many customers have reported that it smells fresh or soothing like other herbal incense. This is why some may experiment with optimizing Kratom for an aromatic sensation rather than a topical treatment.
How to Make Kratom Herbal Incense
Making incense in general is no easy craft - you have to gather unique supplies and the entire process is quite meticulous. But no worries! We break it down here for those who are interested.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Uncoated Bamboo sticks
- Herbs of preference (lavender, lemongrass, cedar, etc.)
- Kratom Powder
- Mortar and Pestle
- Makko Powder
- Distilled Water
- Wax Paper
Steps:
- First, you will want to grab your Mortar and Pestle and grind up all your selected herbs together - including the Kratom. Then, mix in the Makko powder.
- The next goal is to make the powder into a consistency like playdough. To do this you will need to add the distilled water, starting with a small amount and working your way up until it has reached the desired texture.
- You will now need to knead the dough for a few minutes to ensure that all the lumps are gone, and the dough is easy to work with.
- From there, you can wrap the dough on ¾ of the sticks - if you’ve ever used incense, you noticed that the bottom half of the stick is uncovered so that you can grab it with your fingers.
- After you finish wrapping the sticks, you will need to let them sit to dry for at least a few days. Once they are no longer sticky, you can light them and burn your new homemade incense!
Essential Oils
Essential oils have become mainstream on the market within the more recent years, and you can pretty much find some at any grocery store or shopping market today.
Essential oils are plant extracts that are created by pressing or steaming certain parts of a plant (usually a flower) to capture compounds that produce a fragrance. Certain botanicals such as lavender has been widely marketed as a “calming” scent, and other plants followed.
But can you create a Kratom essential oil?
Kratom extracts have become a widespread product in the industry, mainly for consumption, but they can also be used as an essential oil if desired. The fragrance is much less potent after going through the extraction process, but some people love the subtle, botanical scent that some Kratom extracts offer.
The Best Place to Buy Kratom Powder
If your goal is to buy quality Kratom powder or Kratom extracts to create these alternative Kratom products - Happy Hippo is the place for you!
We carry a variety of sizes in Kratom Powder for whatever project you want to tackle, and also carry a few Kratom Extracts that can easily be used as an essential oil or put into cosmetics for better consistency.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are a variety of uses for the wonderful botanical plant known as Mitragyna Speciosa.
Although the major market for Kratom is for consumption or making Kratom tea, there are other ways that people can enjoy this product without ingesting the plant itself. Whether that’s for topical use or just for the aroma, the possibilities are more diverse than some may think.
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