Some consumers are put off by the cost of handmade soap. You probably look at a bar of natural soap and wonder why it costs more. I mean, soap is soap, right? Both bars clean your skin, right? While I may agree that both bars clean the skin, the similarity goes no further.
Simply put, commercial soaps contain synthetic ingredients that are very cheap to produce in a lab. Commercial soap companies do not want extra oils or glycerin in their soaps because they decrease shelf-life.
Without these extra oils to moisturize your skin, you must reach for that bottle of lotion! So, although a bar of commercial soap may cost less, what happens to the cost once you add in the price of all of that cream and lotion which is also filled with chemicals that you need to slather all over your dry, itchy skin?
Also, many of the synthetic ingredients needed to create lather, colors, scent, and years of shelf-life are known to be skin irritants. If your soap is causing irritated skin conditions, the simple change to a natural soap may decrease a trip to the dermatologist or the prescription cream to help clear the irritation. If you use a liquid body wash the main ingredient is water. You pay for water. A properly cured soap bar has very little water remaining, meaning you are getting exactly what you pay for.
Natural handmade soaps may come with a higher price tag, but they provide a host of benefits when it comes to your skin. Natural soaps are made with higher quality ingredients:. Have a look at the labels on your favorite bar soaps in order to learn what you are actually paying for as well as what you are putting on your skin.
I believe that old saying, "You get what you pay for," rings true when comparing a handmade bar of a natural soap to a commercial brand! We want to be better. I find it odd that a product we use to keep our bodies clean is doing quite the opposite for our environment. As we take a bath or shower with commercial "soap" bars or washes, we coat our skin with synthetic compounds like fragrances, dyes, preservatives, and detergents. All of these chemicals, many of which do not naturally break down, have to go somewhere.
They wash down our drains into our septic fields or water treatment facilities. Studies have found that these chemicals often end up in our water systems and accumulate in our ecosystems. These chemicals affect wildlife--from fish to birds and natural foliage to flowers. Our soaps are made with organic ingredients. Organic ingredients mean organic farming and organic farming is better for the environment. It improves the quality of our environment by protecting our land and groundwater from contamination and by promoting the use of sustainable resources and the conservation of soil and water.
When it comes to the environment, there are other benefits when choosing a natural bar of soap. Natural soap companies like ours tend to use eco-friendly materials for packaging and shipping. Also, if you use a liquid body wash, how many plastic bottles and pumps do you dispose of in a single year? Furthermore, because liquid body wash is mostly water, it is heavier to transport and therefore creates a larger carbon footprint. I make handmade natural soap.
I did not invent anything new. But what I know is that our natural soap is made in small batches by people who have a passion as well as a mission for making natural products. For me, soapmaking is a synergy of science and art that took years to perfect.
It is a labor of love. I take the time to create wholesome soap recipes that do not sacrifice beauty or scent while incorporating amazing natural and organic ingredients. Commercial soaps are typically mass-produced by companies that focus on maximizing profits at the expense of individual skin needs. There is nothing unique about them.
At Chagrin Valley, the formulas we create for each type of bar are unique. Our recipes are designed in-house using research and ingredients from nature. Of course, we want our bars to be pretty, but that is not our focus. Our colors, scents, and textures come from nature.
We use certified organic ingredients--herbs and flowers, vegetables and fruits, sustainable oils and butters, and pure essential oils to create awesome soaps that will nourish your skin and be kind to our planet. No matter your skin type or personal preferences, there is one of our natural soap bars out there just waiting for you.
If you love variety then handmade soap will not disappoint you. Considering that your skin is the largest organ on your body, there is a real delight in discovering the right soap that treats it gently. While I am sure there are some large commercial soap companies with a social conscience, natural soapmakers tend to have the utmost respect for the earth and all its creatures. Environmental stewardship is not a buzzword for us. It is not a talking point, not a political stance nor is it about optics!
At Chagrin Valley it is our practice to use raw materials that are sourced in an environmentally and ethically responsible manner.
Dedication to a kinder and gentler way of living is a big part of why we do what we do. If you are reading this blog I do not have to convince you that shopping small business is important.
Glycerin is a compound that naturally occurs during the saponification process of making homemade soap. It is retained in the finished product. Glycerin, like honey, is a natural humectant. It helps retain moisture in the skin. There is lots of glycerin in handmade soap, which makes it naturally hydrating. Glycerin is responsible for keeping your skin plump and moist for long periods of time.
Mass-produced chemical-based soap removes glycerin during the production process and sells that off to other manufacturers to be put into skin lotions. Thousands of people love to make soap, myself included. As with any craft or trade, we take great pride in our products and creations. We put a lot of research and work into the final recipe.
When you buy soap from a local maker, you are supporting a local business—in many cases, a woman-owned local business! And it's easy to find a local maker online, at a craft fair, or at a farmer's market.
You will never get bored with homemade soap options. It's not possible. There are no limitations to the recipes that can be created, and most soap makers will be willing to make custom blends if asked. No matter your skin type or preferences, someone out there is making a soap with your name written all over it.
There literally is no end to what can be created, and that will be much more gentle and nourishing for your skin and health.
I started a small home-based business in making soap. I always wanted to learn and had made many changes in my lifestyle, diet, and skincare regimen before making soap. I was fortunate enough to find an experienced brilliant soap maker that taught me how to make it. After that, all my views on skincare changed again. I became much more aware of what I put on my skin for any reason.
Animal cruelty products have been eliminated from my home. This is the type of hobby that can change your life and the lives of people you care about. The main reason why soap is better for you than commercial detergents is based on the ingredients.
However, if you handcraft soap with all-natural ingredients and skip the chemical color and fragrance part you will have a wonderfully good for your skin bar of soap. Each of the ingredients used in our soaps is chosen based on their effect on the final bar moisturizing, exfoliant, odor removing, lathering, etc. Unfortunately no. Not all handmade soap is created with high quality and natural ingredients. Other soap makers will use a chemical-based additive to make their soaps look pretty or smell better.
As with all products, read the labels. The process should take about 20 seconds—there are only a few ingredients in a bar of real soap. Cure time is the amount of time it takes for the bar to fully mature , and to be a long-lasting bar of soap.
A good soaper will tell you that their cure times can vary based on the ingredients of the soap, but each bar will typically take between weeks. If the bar is bright orange, watch out and ask the soaper how they got that orange color. If they can tell you about the herbal infusions, and gel stages they worked hard to achieve, then you found a great bar of soap.
Note: not all colors additives are bad , just be sure you know what you are purchasing by doing a bit of research and talking with your soaper.
We prefer to use natural ingredients like coffee, mint from our garden, other herbs, and techniques to color our soap. Everyone has different skin types, different water conditions hard vs. My sister has hard water and loves how my salted spa bar bubbles for her, but my water is softer and I prefer my bars unsalted. Some people will find that they prefer different soaps for different uses: hair, skin, face, feet, one for the bath, and a different one for the kitchen.
Talk with your soapmaker and let them know what you want your bar of soap to do. They will be able to help you find the right bar for exfoliating your feet, and one to really clean off the garlic smell after cooking in the kitchen. Want to talk to us about soap? Remember me Log in. Lost your password?
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