So, here’s a question I get all the time as a soap maker.
People wonder why they should use homemade soap in the first place. We've already covered the “it’s too beautiful to use” problem, but why even buy it over
commercial “soap” in the first place?
You’d think this question would infuriate a soap maker.
However, once upon a time, many of us were in this same spot. We didn't know
why we should buy, let alone make, soap. I know I personally grew up on liquid
soaps that we made purely with artificial surfectants, and that was the only
thing I knew. When someone said “soap
bar”, I thought of all those commercial soaps that exist on the market these
days, and didn't know that they weren't actually soap. They looked pure to me. But
what are we really using? When I found out, this is what drove me to buy REAL
soap, and it was my crafty spirit that forced me to make it. Well, let me share
some info with you.
Here’s the long and short of it. And for the sake of time,
we’ll only talk about soap bars today, and save shower gels/liquid soaps and
lotions/body creams for another post, okay? Okay. Well, here’s the skinny: Real
soap is made with oils that are carefully chosen, not because they are cheap,
but because of the different properties they have. Now, we can’t talk about
healing skin issues, curing diseases, or treating specific afflictions because,
well, the FDA doesn't like that. But what we can talk about is how nice these
oils make your skin feel. When handmade soap is made, the most basic form is
mixing water and oils with an alkali and it turns it into soap. However, if you
only use enough alkali to turn 94% of the oils into soap, and leave 6% of the
oils untouched, that left over oil is what prevents your skin from drying out. It doesn't leave your skin feeling oily, just soft and clean. And the glycerin,
which is a natural byproduct of soap, stays in the soap and draws moisture to
the skin.
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| No. I don't want you on me. |
So what do commercial “soap” manufacturers do? Well typically
if they are making an actual soap, they do not leave these excess oils in the
soap because taking them out prolongs the shelf life. That means this soap can
last for years and years sitting on the shelf in a warehouse somewhere. They also
manufacture out the glycerin so that moisture is not drawn to it. Then, they add
artificial surfectants as lather and foam boosters. These chemicals, most
commonly sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLS, SLES) are
the same chemicals we use in floor cleaners, dish washing powders, degreasers,
and other powerful cleaners, and can be extremely irritating to the skin. It’s
also commonly used in toothpaste, and if enough is ingested, it can cause some,
well, unwanted digestive issues…Since the free oils and glycerin is taken out,
and irritating chemicals are used, they tend to add cheap waxes to give you the
illusion of being moisturized. But, who are they kidding? They aren't fooling
anyone. Not anymore!
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| I mean, if Tyler Durden says it's ok... |
So what sounds better to you: Handmade soap made with real
ingredients, or a pressed bar of floor cleaner? Yep, that’s what we thought.
And this is why we do what we do!
(please note, no organized fighting clubs take place in or around our soap making studio, unfortunately)
