Handmade soap bar
Why should you care about the soap you choose?
The word ‘soap’ is used to take in all manner of skin cleansers, solid, liquid or even powder, and within each of these categories there are various colours, scents, shapes, packaging, and claims surrounding them.
Some soaps deodorise, others are antimicrobial, antiaging, moisturising and more. Soap is something that almost every person uses, several times a day in most cases, and is one of the primary tools in preventing transmission of some bacterial and viral diseases.
But not all soaps are equal in potency or efficacy, and not every soap is good for your skin.
There are two basic types of soap:
- Handmade, ‘natural’ soaps
- Commercially made soaps
Commercially made soaps are usually considerably cheaper than handmade soaps, but there may be a good reason why this is the case.
Handmade soaps take longer to produce, and usually use higher quality ingredients, hence the added cost, but they do tend to be easier on sensitive skin.
Benefits of Using Natural Soap
There are several benefits to using natural soap, including:
1. Real Soap Instead of “Fake Soap”
Many products that are advertised or displayed using terms like ‘cleanser,’ ‘body bar,’ ‘body wash,’ ‘beauty bar,’ ‘skincare bar,’ and even ‘deodorant soap’ are actually detergent based products, and not really soaps at all.
2. Better Ingredients Used
Commercial soaps are known to regularly contain Parabens, Sulphates, and Triclosan, which are thought to trigger allergies, to influence hormone levels, and possibly increase risk of some cancers.
Natural soaps, however, usually use natural ingredients like olive and coconut oils. These are believed to be very healthy and nourishing for the skin.
3. Wider Choice
As mentioned above, organic soaps are normally made in small batches by a local producer. Small batches not only mean easier control, but also a wider variety of products. Each batch is easily changed to a new scent or style without having to retool large factory equipment. These soaps are therefore easily customisable too. Colour, shape, size, grainy or smooth texture, scent, batch size, and other features are frequently changed to provide maximum choice for the consumer. You can even buy organic soaps in coffee, lemon, black seed and senna.
4. Rich in Antioxidants
Since the ingredients used in organic soaps include many that are natural antioxidants, and since the process doesn’t extract these substances for other purposes, organic soaps can actually help to repair the skin by reducing inflammation, keeping skin hydrated, and therefore helping the user to have young-looking, healthier skin. The gentler pH levels of organic soaps (usually between 9 and 10) help care for your skin in the long term, as well as keeping you looking and feeling clean and fresh now.
5. They Don’t Use Preservatives
Organic products do have a shorter shelf life, but that is for good reason. The preservatives used in non-organic products tend to be toxic to humans or the environment. It sometimes comes down to a choice: do you want the product to be able to sit, unused, on a shelf for a long time, or do you want it to be healthier for the user? The answer is clear
