Why Handmade Soap?
Did you know that most "soap" that you purchase in supermarkets and drug stores are actually detergent bars? That's why their labels say "beauty bar" or "cleansing bar" instead of soap. To be considered true soap, the FDA says a product must meet three conditions:
1. It must be made of the alkali salts of fatty acids and
2. Those alkali salts of fatty acids must be the only material that results in the product's cleansing action and
3. It must be labeled and marketed as only soap. If it moisturizes or deodorizes, it is a cosmetic and must be labeled as such. If it prevents disease, kills germs, or treats a skin condition such as acne or eczema, it is a drug and must be regulated as such.
My handmade soap is made with decadent oils and butters that are mixed with a lye solution made with organic aloe vera juice. When you combine these ingredients, a powerful chemical reaction occurs that results in a hard, long-lasting bar of soap full of natural glycerin. Glycerin is a humectant, which means that it can attract moisture from the air to the skin. Store bought bars made with detergent and surfactants have no naturally occurring glycerin and can strip your skin of oil, leaving it feeling dry, itchy, and irritated. Then you have to purchase extra lotions and creams to replenish that moisture resulting in more money to the company!
One more thing to consider when deciding to make the switch from liquid body washes or mass produced bar soaps to handmade soap is the carbon footprint. A 2009 Swiss study found that liquid soap requires five times more energy to produce and nearly 20 times more energy to package than bar soap. In fact, the overall carbon footprint of liquids is about 25 percent larger than that of bar soaps.
When you buy my handmade soap, you are getting all the things you want in a soap and none of the things you don't. I carefully select up to 10 oils/butters, weighing each one precisely, in order to create the perfect recipe. My soaps do not contain parabens, surfactants, detergents, phthalates, or sulfates. Can you say that about mass-produced beauty bars? And when you purchase from a small business like mine, you aren't funding a third vacation home or collection of sports cars. You are funding supplies for more soap-making, homeschool supplies, or new clothes for the kid who just grew two inches in a month.
Why should you choose Sweet Home Soaps as your handmade soap supplier? If you are looking for gorgeous, properly cured, long-lasting, good-smelling soaps made with luxury ingredients like cruelty free silk, organic aloe vera juice, mango butter, goat milk or coconut milk without all the nasties, I'm your gal! If you're ready to experience the luxury that is handmade soaps, head on over to my shop and see what you've been missing!
