What is the difference between handmade soaps & commercial bar soaps?

Did you know that the term “soap” is heavily regulated? Companies are not allowed to use the word soap unless it is truly a REAL handcrafted bar of soap. Commerical soaps are actually detergent bars.

The two biggest differences are the glycerin in handmade soaps and the lack of detergents.

Glycerin is naturally produced during saponification. It’s a humectant which means it draws moisture from the air to your skin so it leaves your skin soft and moisturized. Commercial soaps (detergent base soap) remove the glycerin and sell it separately and/or use glycerin in more profitable products like moisturizers.

Detergents are synthetic often petroleum based cleansers whereas handmade soap is simply oils and butters saponified with lye. Detergents strip your skin, leaving it dry whereas handmade soap cleanses without stripping.

Another issue with detergent based soaps is that the preservatives required to keep these acidic soaps from growing bacteria are toxic and drying as well. A well formulated handmade soap will outshine a detergent based bar soap any day!

If you are new to handmade soaps, you are in for a huge treat because they leave your skin feeling completely different than commercial soaps. We superfat all our soaps by about 5%, which means that we leave 5% extra oils/butters that doesn’t get turned into soap. Those extra oils/butters leave your skin moisturized.

What do all your ingredients in your soap do?

• Olive Oil - cleans well, attracts and holds external moisture and forms a breathable film without blocking natural skin functions.
• Coconut Oil - moisturizing, promotes lathering and hardness.
• Palm Oil - mild, promotes soap hardness and stabilizes lather.
• Castor Oil - mild, wonderful lather and conditioning.
• Shea Butter - soothes and softens dry, chapped skin while nourishing all skin types, good for sensitive skin.

6 Benefits of using natural soap:

• Helps to hydrate and soften dry skin.
• Allow your skin to ‘breathe’ more freely.
• Rich in vitamins and anti-oxidants that helps nourish the skin.
• The natural glycerin present in handmade soaps moisturizes and nourishes the skin and is suitable for all skin types.
• Helps to reduce blemishes and scars.
• Helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
• Your skin will feel healthier and firmer after just a few weeks