Why use handmade soap?

Handmade soap is more gentle and moisturising for your skin.

Handmade soap, or more specifically lye-based soap, is made using the old fashioned method of oil + lye = soap. This creates glycerin naturally and is 100% retained in the final soap. Glycerin is the most important part of this process because glycerin is a humectant (attract moisture from air to skin), so it keeps in your skin's natural moisture and prevents over-drying.This is essentially what makes handmade soap more gentle, milder and kinder on your skin!

Some commercial soaps sell soaps with glycerin removed - because they sell glycerin to make other products - and thus the remaining soap is harsher and drying. Also, some commercial soaps (especially liquid soaps) are often made with chemical detergents, synthetic lathering agents - that can be irritating for some people and also harsher overall.

I found that according to the US FDA, if soaps are not made in this oil + lye = soap method, or made with detergents, they cannot be labelled "soap". That's why many "soaps" are actually called "body bars", "body foam", "body wash" or "hand wash". (Keep your eye out to see if its true! Check the labels & ingredients.)

But of course there are very good synthetic detergents out there made specifically for sensitive skin. Those I do not take offense with! I do believe, not all chemicals are bad for you, since basically everything is a chemical! We need O2 and H20 to survive don't we?

Why do you have lye (sodium hydroxide) in your ingredients?

In my ingredients list, I always have "sodium hydroxide", aka Lye, because my ingredients listing is based on what I put into the mix at the beginning of making soap, and not what comes out at the end. As I have no chemical lab to test what comes out at the end, I can only put what goes in!

However, I put a disclaimer that all the lye has been saponified and none remains in the soap. This is true, because the process of making soap is oil + lye = soap. The oil uses up all the lye (measured to the 0.1g) and makes soap as the by-product, leaving no residual lye. I do test also to make sure! So although I use lye to make soap, they ae not in the final soap and are totally safe for use!

Soap ingredients can be listed in a number of ways:
1. Ingredients: Water, Olive Oil, Lye (my way)
2. Ingredients: Saponified Oil of Olive
3. Ingredients: Sodium Olivate

They are basically all the same. And it may seem like they don't use lye, but they definitely do in order to saponify (aka make soap). (Take note, the water used also disappears from the ingredients list - doesn't mean it wasn't added in!)

Is your soap Castile soap?

If you mean vegetable based soaps? Yes, except for Body Soap (with Tallow).

True Castile Soaps are made with 100% olive oil - and I don't make these.

However, Castile soaps are now used to call all soaps that are made from vegetable oils. All my gentle/face soaps, vegan soaps & 100% coconut soaps are thus Castile Soaps.

Why use tallow?

I use beef tallow in my Body Soap (with tallow) and these are very gentle soaps. Tallow in soap makes it a hard bar, and longer lasting in the shower. Tallow also is similar to human fat - therefore makes it a great moisturiser, and the lather is creamier and gentle on the skin.

What if I have allergies?

Please read our ingredients list carefully to check if you are allergic to any of the ingredients. I use essential oils - which can sometimes be allergenic and cause a reaction in some people - as they have their own therapeutic benefits. I never go above the EU recommended usage levels for essential oils, but for ones with sensitive skin, I recommend using unscented, plain soaps.

I also use ingredients like neem, coconut milk, coffee, rose, lavender, mint, oats, spirulina, clays - which may cause allergic reactions. If you are not sure, contact us for clarification on each soap. And if you are prone to sensitivities, do a patch test first! I will refund you if you have an allergic reaction!! (I too am a sufferer of sensitive skin!)

Will your soaps treat/cure my condition?

My soaps cannot cure or treat any skin conditions, and I cannot make any claims for product capabilities. They are not medicinal or therapeutic soaps.