People ask me all the time, "Why buy handcrafted soaps when you can get more soap for less money at Wal-mart or other stores?"

I asked myself the same question until I started making my own soaps and discovered all the benefits of using it. Quite honestly, I might never use another bar of commercial soap again.

Handcrafted soap is a cleanser made with simple ingredients that are actually good for your skin. It’s created from the process of combining fats and/or oils with lye and water to induce a chemical reaction that creates soap containing glycerin.

Commercial soap is made by this same process, but lacks the moisturizing and beneficial ingredient, glycerin, which is extracted by the manufacturer during the soap making process.

And exactly why do they remove the glycerin from commercial soaps?

To make money, of course! Pound for pound glycerin is more profitable than soap and it’s sold by soap manufacturers to companies who produce lotions.  So they are removing the natural ingredient in soap that’s actually good for your skin, so you can turn around and buy it from the lotion manufacturers.

Additionally, most commercial soaps are loaded with chemical additives. Additives that not only dry out your skin but can lead to allergic reactions, skin irritation, and premature aging.

You might notice ingredients on commercial soaps that make them appear more natural, but those ingredients are only added in small quantities to make the buyer think they are something special, and oh yes, more natural.

The real kicker is that most of the ingredients that appear natural aren’t. They are synthetic copies added to fool the consumer into thinking they are buying something better for their skin.

It boils down to this. Using commercial soaps over time will leave your skin dried out, sensitive and feeling like it is unclean and require you to use separate products to reintroduce moisture to it. 

Using handcrafted soaps cleanses your skin while the natural glycerin moisturizes it. It’s loaded with natural ingredients that can restore and retain moisture in your skin, helping to prevent irritation, premature aging, and still get you squeaky clean.

Try just one bar and you will be amazed at the difference.

What’s used to make handcrafted soap?

Using high quality fats and oils will produce a better soap with super moisturizing power. So for my handcrafted bars, I use the highest quality, skin-loving oils such as high volumes of olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, sweet almond oil, castor oil and sometimes shea butter.  

Essential oils, herbs, and specially formulated body safe fragrance oils add the soap's fragrance; herb and spices add color to my soap (if I color them at all); spices, and other natural ingredients add texture and exfoliates. It is not unusual to find handcrafted soap made with such things as oatmeal, sliced almonds, corn meal, rosemary leaves, lavender leaves and buds, and other goodies that provide light, gentle exfoliation for your skin.

Will the lye in my handcrafted soap burn me? 

Although lye is used to make soap, the chemical reaction between all of the ingredients used in the process causes the lye to be literally be “reacted away,” and leaves behind no trace of lye.

How do I take care of my handcrafted soap?

1. Handcrafted soap is best stored out of water so that it air dries. Rest your soap on a draining soap dish or stand it on its side, out of the spray range of the shower head. If left in water your soap will dissolve.
2. Store in a cool, dry place, preferably NOT under the sink if you have metal or leaky pipes. Soap's glycerin will attract moisture from condensation on pipes heated as hot water flows through them. Many people say storing soap in linen cupboards and dresser drawers will give towels and clothing a fresh clean scent.
3. Allow soap to completely dry out between uses.
4. Soap properly cared for will have a life of 3 years or longer. I recently spoke to a woman who was cleaning her parents home out after her mother passed away. She found soap in a box marked 1988, used it, and said it worked wonderfully. I’ve heard of people discovering soap much older that was still in great shape.
   
    

Cautions

As with any skin care product, if irritation develops, discontinue use. Quite honestly, I have never had a single customer report having any irritation or allergic reactions using my soaps, but there is always a possibility it could happen. Even customers with the most sensitive skin using it sing the praises of even my scented soaps.

Some soap contains nut oils; please read the ingredients carefully.

As with any soap, avoid eye contact and do not eat the soap no matter how good it smells. This should go without saying but you just never know about some people so I thought I should throw it out there.

So now if you are ready to make the leap, check out my Soap-N-Stuff page to see how you can order some of my fantastic handcrafted soaps. You won’t regret it.
 

Now taking bulk orders for my soaps. Click here to see the details.

Interested in how I make handcrafted soap? Click here.