Your skin is your body's largest organ and is incredibly porous. Toxins and chemicals can be drawn through the skin and into your blood stream which makes it important to be mindful of what you are using, applying and exposing your skin to every day.
1. Ingredients
With the knowledge of how porous your skin is knowing the ingredients that are in your soap that you are using on your skin and where those ingredients came from should be important to all of us.
Handcrafted soaps are made from base oils such as olive, sustainable palm, coconut or butters such as cocoa or shea.
These ingredients are all rich antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients that are essential for healthy skin.
Some soaps such as goat's milk soap contain the added benefit of goats milk which is rich in Vitamins A and Selenium, contains caprylic acid a fatty acid which acts as a gentle cleanser, and also Alpha-hydroxy acids and Lactic Acid.
Everyone wants to make the best choices for their skin and switching to a handcrafted soap is one of the best choices you can make. If you have any questions about finding the right soap, or the ingredients in a particular soap ask the person behind the bar. I take pride in the bars I create and the recipes that I have formulated. If you have a question, or a need please don't hesitate to ask.
2. Soap vs Beauty Bar
When you stroll down the beauty aisle you are presented with a myriad of choices from bars to washes. They are labeled as deodorant soap, body bars, body washes, skin care bar, and beauty bars. But what are they really? I can tell you they are anything but a true soap. According to the FDA in order to be a true soap it is only a combination of oils, lye (to create the saponification process), fragrance, and color. This is a true soap.
Anything else may contain synthetic ingredients such as sulphates (SLS or SLES), parabens, sodium tallowate, PEG-8, artificial colors such as Yellow 8, Red 40, and other ingredients that are difficult to pronounce. These ingredients, I quickly grabbed from the old "skin care bar" that I use to use. These are chemicals that dehydrate and age your skin, can cause allergic reactions, and some of the ingredients have been linked to cancer. They are harmful and not necessary to make a true bar of soap. A true soap does not contain detergents or chemicals.
3. Glycerin
Glycerin is created during the soap making process. In the chemical concoction that was discussed above there is very little glycerin left or existent in the bar. Glycerin is retained in handcrafted soap and is vital to your skin to attract moisture to your skin. It is a natural emollient. Handcrafted soap due to its high glycerin content produces a lather rich in this natural emollient.
With one use of a handcrafted soap and continued use your skin should feel soft and supple from the cleansing nature of natural oils and butters verses a concoction of chemicals and detergents. Your skin will never be stripped of its essential nutrients and will be continuously fed with vital nutrients to allow you the joy of healthy and happy skin the way nature intended.
