I have discussed soaps on this blog before, but with the proliferation of soap makers, I wanted to address what makes a soap truly natural versus made from a base. I will be continuing to review many soapers this summer, and want to make sure to clarify the different types of soap.
So here are the top five tips you must know before going to a soap website:
1. Cold process soaps are made from a mix of saponified oils that chemically react with lye to result in the finished soap. There is no lye in the finished soap
2. Hot process soaps also use saponified oils but the chemical reactions is accelerated by heating the batch.
3. If you can’t pronounce an ingredient in a soap, it is likely not Handmade in the hot or cold process methods
4. Some soap sellers bill their soaps as natural, but use pre-made bases before adding natural additives (ie lavender or whatnot) — if you want absolutely natural, made from scratch, stay away from milled soaps (or melt and pour soaps) and focus on ingredients that mention saponified oils.
5. Cold process soaps are considered the most moisturizing, but I have had good luck with hot process soaps. The quality of the oils matters more than the actual heating.
And finally bonus tip 6: Always store your natural soaps in a soap dish that allows water to drain off, and do not store in the direct stream of your shower.
General Disclosures & Disclaimers
