5 Reasons Why You Should Switch to Natural Handmade Soaps

Here are 5 reasons why you should switch to using natural handmade soaps. Not only are they better for your skin, but they also are environmentally friendly.
natural-handmade-soaps

By Stéphanie Dion

At fairs, I always get the question of “Why would someone want to use natural handmade soaps instead of commercial soaps?”

Natural-Soaps

This is the question that I am asked the most at fairs or in real-life selling. Why would someone choose natural handmade soaps over less expensive commercial soaps? There are many reasons why handmade soaps are better for your skin, your wallet, and the environment.  

For the record, all of our soaps are handmade with natural, eco-friendly ingredients and time-tested methods.

So read on to learn what differentiates handmade soaps from commercial soaps, why they are better for your skin, and why handmade is best!

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Why are Natural Handmade Soaps Better?

There is a reason why these last few years natural handmade soaps have grown in popularity. They used to only be available in specialty stores or at fairs and now, they are available in most stores.

The jury is still out regarding why these handmade soaps are better than commercial soaps or is it? For many, after trying handmade soap only once, there is no going back to commercial soap, the difference in price is definitely compensated by the benefits.

Table of Contents

Actual Soap, not a detergent

As you are walking down the bath and body aisles, you see colorful packages selling different soaps, body shower,s and countless other products with different scents and textures. The looks, the scents, the claimed benefits are all enticing you to buy, but what are you buying exactly?

Here’s the catch, commercial soap is in fact a detergent, not a soap. These soaps are made with chemicals, which can be harsh on your skin, especially if it is sensitive. But don’t take my word on it, let’s see what the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) in the USA has to say.

“Today there are very few true soaps on the market. Most body cleansers, both liquid and solid, are synthetic detergent products. Detergent cleansers are popular because they make suds easily in water and don’t form gummy deposits. Some of these detergent products are marketed as “soap” but are not true soap according to the regulatory definition of the word.” source

So, if commercial soaps are detergent, then what is the difference with natural handmade soaps? I guess the next logical question is what is soap? Soaps are a combination of fats and an alkali, such as lye, when mixed together go through a chemical reaction, to create soaps. 

After a curing period of 4 to 6 weeks, what’s left in the bar of soap is soap, glycerin, and water. If you have not yet heard of it, glycerin is a natural and great humectant for the skin, this ingredient is a huge factor in the moisturizing properties of the soap. 

I keep hearing “but I do not want lye on my skin!”, well, neither do I. A well-formulated soap recipe has no lye at the end of the soap-making process. Actually, a soap with lye at the end, is not safe for the skin! 

Skin-loving ingredients

Actual Soap, not a Detergent

As you are walking down the bath and body aisles, you see colorful packages selling different soaps, body showers and countless other products with different scents and textures. The looks, the scents, the claimed benefits are all enticing you to buy, but what are you buying exactly?

Here’s the thing. Every soapmaker has its own recipes, a combination of butter and oils that together create awesome bars of natural handmade soaps. In our soaps, I use a combination of some or all of these oils, depending on the soap and the results I am seeking:

  • Olive Oil – not only great for cooking, but olive oil also offers great benefits for the skin

  • Coconut Oil – will contribute to lather

  • Shea Butter – helps with moisturizing and skin irritation

If you are looking for the Holy Grail natural handmade soaps recipe, as far as I know, it does not exist because every person’s skin is different. I have developed my own tried-and-true soap recipes, the end results are on my Website.  

No fragrances

With the same idea, we have decided not to use fragrances in our products (ok, except for potty bombs, I doubt the toilet will know or care about the difference!). There is a simple reason for this, as our soaps are striving to be as natural as possible.  

David Suzuki mentioned that “Of the thousands of chemicals used in fragrances, most have not been tested for toxicity, alone or in combination. Many of these unlisted ingredients are irritants and can trigger allergies, migraines, and asthma symptoms. Iiisource

For a while, at fairs, I would promote some of my soaps as unscented. The comment I received was that my soaps were scented. What I meant is that my “unscented” soaps do not have any scents added.

We make soaps scented with blends of essential oils or without. In the last case, the soap will still smell the natural smell of the soaps and the oils.

Natural

Let’s talk about the word “natural”. Since natural is not defined anywhere and there is no agreed terminology nor definition, let’s go over what we mean by natural handmade soap.

The fun part of making soaps is to plan the recipe, the oils and butter, the coloring, and the scents.

There are many different ways to color soaps. We have chosen the one that we think offers benefits for the skin and do not tax the environment.

Let’s be honest here, our soap scums end up in the different waterways. With that in mind, we limit ourselves to clays, activated charcoals, and botanical extracts.

Some of the soap’s color can be influenced by the natural tint of the essential oils, others are intentionally created by slowly infusing oils with spices, roots, or simply adding these to the soap batter.

Biodegradable

Natural handmade soaps are biodegradable. This means that they will degrade in nature. However, the natural PH level of a soap bar is alkaline, greater than 7 (neutral), if you remember from chemistry lessons. 

If you want to use soap close to waterways, rivers, or lakes, the recommended distance is about 50 feet or 15 meters from the water. The reason is that the greywater will enter the soil and its PH level will stabilize before going to the water.

Being environmentally friendly does not mean that it may not disturb the ecosystem.

So, Now What?

Well, now you know about 5 reasons why your should switch to natural handmade soap for your day-to-day needs.

We offer quite a few options for you to choose from.

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Stéphanie Dion

Stéphanie Dion

Stephanie has been making soap and other bath and body products since 2008. She is a mother of two young adults, with one that has experience food intolerances and skin reactions to chemical products. These conditions started a path toward more natural products and lifestyle, while working full time and managing a small business.

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