The Science of Soap:
- Real Soap is made by combining natural oils or fats, with lye. The chemical reaction (Saponification) creates Soap for cleansing, and Glycerin for moisturizing. That’s it! Real soap has been made this way for centuries.
- Many mass-produced “soaps” are synthetic detergents, where modern day synthetic cleansers are a more recent invention. Products called "cleansing bars", "body wash", or "body bars" are made with synthetic chemicals, so they cannot actually be called Soap!
- Mass-produced bars of real soap often have Palm Oil as a main ingredient. If not sourced responsibly, palm oil is a major source of rainforest destruction.
What Makes Real Soap Better than Synthetic "Body Bars"?
- Natural Ingredients: Made from oils or fats.
- Biodegradable: Breaks down naturally.
- No Synthetic Chemicals: Doesn’t have man-made cleaning agents.
- Gentle on Skin: Kinder to your skin.
- At Indigo Soapworks, our bar soaps are intentionally handmade, using natural ingredients, with no harsh chemicals or artificial colorants. Your skin will love the difference!
Some Benefits of Natural Ingredients in Soap:
- Natural Oils (Olive, Coconut, Avocado, Canola, Castor): Super moisturizing and gentle, perfect for sensitive skin. They create a rich, bubbly lather and have great cleansing properties. Never any Palm Oil!
- Natural Butters (Shea, Kokum and Cocoa): These are moisturizing and anti-inflammatory, making them ideal for dry skin. They add firmness and deep hydration.
- Natural Clays (Kaolin and Bentonite): Gentle exfoliants that are great for sensitive skin. They absorb excess oil and impurities, making them perfect for oily skin.
- Extras like Goat Milk and Coconut Milk: These provide gentle cleansing, nourishment, creaminess, and soothing effects for all skin types.
- Natural exfoliants: To get a good scrub, but not scratched, we use ground Oatmeal, ground Coffee Grounds, Spices, Pumice powder, fine Sea Salt, ground Lemon Peel, and Poppyseeds!
How is Handmade Natural Soap better for You and the Earth?
- It's made without chemicals and synthetic ingredients like parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, triclosan, and phosphorus, which irritate and dry the skin. Scientists link some of these ingredients to hormone disruption and cancer.
- It moisturizes your hands better and longer with glycerin. A type of fat naturally found in plants, glycerin organically hydrates and keeps the skin soothed. Many commercial soap companies remove the glycerin from their products to increase their shelf life.
- It comes from Small Businesses! Purchasing handmade soap from local businesses means supporting community members. Commercial soap companies often make their products in factories with machines, not people.
- It’s not harmful to waterways. The natural ingredients in most handmade soaps are biodegradable. In commercial soaps, the synthetic ingredients such as phosphorus, drain into rivers and lakes and harm fish and other living things.
- It’s palm oil-free or only contains sustainably-harvested palm oil. Many commercial soap companies use palm oil harvested from deforested areas. At Indigo Soapworks we never use Palm OIl!
- It’s often vegan and not tested on animals. Many handmade soaps contain no animal fats, milk, or honey products, so they are vegan-friendly. At Indigo Soapworks, we only use goat's milk and honey, where noted.