Soapy Saturday: Handemade vs Commercial

Why buy handmade?
There's a multitude of reasons, in fact here's 101 Reasons to buy Handmade! Mainly you are supporting small business (ME!) rather than a corporate giant. When you have an issue you will be talking to me. Not an outsourced customer service rep to whom you are just another phone call during an 8 hour shift. I care about you

Handmade has a sense of value. It means more because it is more. There is care, thought, effort and endless amount os creativity poured into every bar of soap I make. I'm not just thinking about profit margins, decreased overhead and marketing strategy I am also thinking "Does this benefit my customer? Is this product something I would use myself? What are the health repercussions?"

The soap you buy from a huge retailer is not actually soap. It is a mass produced harsh detergent filled with chemicals and synthetics. Handmade soap is created in two ways: Melting Glycerin base  or by a method called the Cold Process. (There is also hot process and rebatching but those both work off the cold process initially.) These are then combined with FDA approved essential oils and/or fragrance oils and FDA approved colorants and/or natural colorants to create beautifully crafted and scented soap.

Soaps made by the cold process are made by mixing sodium hydroxide (lye) with oils and butters warmed to a certain temperature. When these two substances mix together a process called saponification takes place; this is the sodium hydroxide turning the oils and butters into soap. During this process a substance called glycerin is created.

Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it attracts water to your skin and keeps it moisturized and supple. Handmade soap retains all this natural glycerin and deposits it on your skin as you use the soap, along with scrubbing away the dirt and germs, of course. This leaves your skin moisturized afterwards, and moisturized skin looks and feels younger, retards fine line and wrinkles, and is less irritable.


"Treasures are handmade with love and thought,
not mass produced."

Commercial soap starts out the same way. But instead of using vegetable oils, manufacturers use animal tallow and lard (these come from the fatty areas of butchered livestock).  After the sodium hydroxide is mixed with the tallow or lard, all the natural glycerin is removed and sold for use in other high-end products. Then the soap goes through a milling process, where it is first shredded and then chemicals and preservatives are added to make it smell good and to retard mold growth. Then it is re-melted down into the typical bar shape you find in the stores.

Skin is an organ, the largest one human beings have and it needs to be protected and nourished as much as any other organ. You don't eat rancid food just because it's cheaper, why is this any different?

If you are interested in buying handmade, summer is a great time to start with all of the craft and community festivals, art shows, farmer’s markets, and open air events. Make sure to check out activities in your area.