There are so many benefits to handmade soap, I’m sure I haven’t listed them all, but this is a great start for anyone wondering what handmade soap is all about. What started as a fix to my crazy sensitive skin, has turned into a fun hobby and business. I love making handmade soap, almost as much as I love using it!
If you haven’t yet, you should keep reading why you should make the switch from store bought to handmade soap. I promise, once you use handmade soap, you will no longer want to buy cheap store soap products again. The benefits to your skin and overall health by using handmade soap is fantastic.
I honestly don’t know why I went so long without trying some. Oh right, because I wanted to do it myself and everyone and their neighbor made it sound like lye made soap was terrible for you and scary stuff to mess with. I can promise you, once the chemical reaction between the oils, fats, and butters to the lye water mix is complete, you do not have anything to worry. The lye is no longer lye, but soap. So if you’re afraid to make the switch to lye soap, don’t be! It is 100% safe and the health benefits are amazing!
*If you plan to make your own cold process or hot process soap I highly recommend you do your research before attempting. Always remember safety first.*
My handmade soap collection and it is growing. Can’t wait to see what I’ll make next!
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All Natural Ingredients
Have you ever taken a gander (watched Sweeney Todd the other day and just had to use ‘gander’) at the ingredients in that favorite bar of soap hanging out in your bathroom? You read all the ingredients in your food, so why wouldn’t you read the label on your beauty products too? I love taking a look at the ingredients and getting really excited if I knew what 2 or more of the ingredients were.
But now that I think about it, isn’t it a little scary only knowing what two of the ingredients are that I’m putting on my skin?
That’s when I started looking at handmade soap. On all handmade soap labels the ingredients are listed clearly. And guess what? I know what each and every ingredient is! Take for instance my plain, basic Pegasus Soap. My ingredients are listed in the typical fashion of what I used most in the formula to least for my oils, then any fragrances or colorants, ending finally with what makes soap soap, water and lye.
Pegasus Soap – Very basic plain soap, great at cleaning and moisturizing.
Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Water, and Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)
Olive oil is my first ingredient. I love making olive oil soaps or Castile soap. Olive oil makes a hard bar of soap that is a great cleanser. My next ingredient is another one you can find in a lot of kitchens, Coconut Oil. Coconut oil is probably my next favorite oil to work with after olive oil. Why? Because coconut oil creates all those wonderful bubbles that you like to see when you washing up. While it’s bubbling, it is cleaning and moisturizing. In other words, olive oil and coconut oil together do wonderful things to your skin.
Finally, we reach my last two ingredients in this basic soap, water and sodium hydroxide. In order to have soap, you there must be a chemical reaction between lye and oils/fats/butters. This reaction creates soap and glycerin. Without that reaction, you do not have soap. This leads me to the next reason you should switch to handmade soap!
2. Amazing for you Skin
If you haven’t figured it out yet, handmade soap is full of wonderful things for your skin! And I do mean handmade soap can do wonders for skin you thought hopeless.
Sprite Soap – This soap is great for skin especially acne, it has activated charcoal in the top and coffee grounds throughout. Coffee grounds are great at exfoliating while activated charcoal removes bacteria and other toxins from your skin naturally.
When you make your soap, the chemical reaction between the lye and oils/fats/butters creates two parts; soap and glycerin. We all know that soap is cleansing, but what do we know about glycerin? Turns out glycerin is amazing for your skin. Without it in soap, soap becomes just a detergent. And guess what? Most store bought bars of soap have had the glycerin removed. They then take that glycerin and put it in lotions that you will most certainly need after washing with a straight detergent.
As many of you know, I have super sensitive skin. I hive up with just about everything. Laundry detergent and household cleaners are the worst! And then a few years ago, I’d get out of the shower covered in hives!
I though maybe it was the perfumes in my shampoo and conditioner, so I switched. That didn’t work. Then I ran out of my favorite body wash and suddenly the hives stopped too. That’s when I started researching ingredients and found out that most ‘soaps’ were not actually ‘soap’, they were detergents. And as I already knew, I was VERY sensitive to laundry detergents, so why wouldn’t I be sensitive to bathroom detergents?
Then I discovered handmade soaps. But looking at all the various kinds at different local events I was nervous to try them and get the same results. So I ended up making my own and never turned back. Now I know exactly what is in my soaps and how each oil will effect my skins.
Since I’ve made the switch, my acne is under control, I no longer get hives in the shower and I barely use lotion anymore because my soaps moisturize while I’m in the shower.
3. Variety
I know, I know, variety wasn’t a plus for me as I got so overwhelmed and wondered what I should choose. But now that I know what each oil does, I wouldn’t be overwhelmed. I’d be excited to test out a new and creative soap. In fact, sometimes I just can’t help myself and have to bring home someone else’s handmade soap to try!
Halloween Cupcake Soap – My newest invention! These are adorable for in your bathroom, and this soap is great for acne since it is loaded with activated charcoal and coffee grounds.
What is the best part about all these creative soap makers out there? They are full of information and typically super friendly. You have dry skin? Every soap maker out there will direct you to their version of a great moisturizing soap. In fact, handmade soaps have been known to help people with all sorts of skin conditions including, eczema, acne, and even psoriasis. Just ask your local soap maker what they suggest you use, if they don’t have anything in stock, they could always make something special for you!
That’s one of the great things about small local businesses, they want to help their community. And 9 out of 10, if you are looking for a certain type of soap, someone else is. Which means, because there are so many different oils out there and each has it’s own properties and do different things for you skin, there is an never end to the combinations we can create to make something special just for you! Meaning, soap is customizable! Just ask!
4. Support Local Businesses
Another benefit of buying handmade soaps is you’re most likely supporting a small local business. That person you just bought a few bars of soap from can now pay their electric bill or get their kids those much needed school supplies. By buying local, you are helping your community. And you’re making that soap maker feel awesome in the process.
I know whenever I sell a bar of soap I’m always surprised and I’ve been selling soap for a few years now. It always amazes me when someone wants to try out my soap. It’s even more exciting when I find a fellow sensitive skin person who is looking for a soap solution. Each bar I sell, makes me believe I can do this. I can make soap, something I enjoy doing, and if I keep selling, I could maybe make this my career one day.
So as a small local business owner, I want to say thank you for thinking of us little guys and supporting us one bar at a time.
Mage Soap – This soap is soft and moisturizing to the skin.
Gargoyle Soap – Full of activated charcoal! Great for cleaning pours of bacteria, dirt, and toxins.
5. Better for the Environment
You thought I was done, didn’t you? Just kidding, I have one more benefit of buying handmade soap. Since most handmade soap is made with all natural ingredients, it is a lot better for the environment than regular store bought soap.
In my life before soap and weaving took over, I was an archaeologist. I can’t tell you how many times I had to camp using solar showers and being told to bring only biodegradable shampoos, conditioners, and soaps. Do you know how hard it is to find a biodegradable shampoo, conditioner, and body soap? HARD. Every bathroom product had tons of chemicals and other unnatural ingredients that’d cause harm to the environment. It was super frustrating to wander store to store looking for biodegradable and finding nothing. Then I found one biodegradable shampoo and conditioner. And of course it was super expensive and still had a lot of ingredients I couldn’t recognize. But hey, the label said biodegradable and who was I to argue?
Now that I make my own soaps, I wonder why I didn’t think of it before I went on all those camping trips. Handmade soaps are typically made with natural ingredients, meaning, they will naturally decompose and since many of the ingredients are already found in the ground, they are safe to take with you on a camping trip. Best part, some soap makers (I’m not one of them…yet) make shampoo bar soaps. That’s right, handmade bars designed specially to wash your hair! Bam!
Whelp, that’s all I have for now. I’ll keep researching and using my handmade soaps and if I find out another benefit to handmade soaps, I will add it to the list! But for now, I think that is an awesome list and full of great information. But hey, don’t just believe me! Go out and do some of your own research! You may be surprised by what you’ll find, I know I was.
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Know more benefits? Write a comment below and share! I’d love to hear about more benefits of handmade soap!