Our handmade soaps are made to be mild and gentle on your skin.
Most of us put effort into watching what goes into our body, but it’s also important to watch what we put on our body.
The ingredients that we use in our soap bars are each chosen to provide a specific quality to the soap that we make. Mrs. Jamie (me), our Master Soapmaker, has soaped since 1999 and after much trial and error have created a recipe that her sensitive skin loves.
OILS AND BUTTERS USED IN OUR SOAPS:
Our soap recipe has been formulated to create a beautiful hard bar of soap with a lotion like lather that leaves your skin so soft. The main ingredient used in the soap that we make is FARM FRESH GOAT MILK. Goat milk is amazing for the skin… it is moisturizing and makes a very mild skin-loving soap. Goat milk has a high content of alpha-hydroxy acids which break down dead skin cell bonds, removing dead skin cells from the skin’s surface and leaving behind new cells on the surface that appear smoother and more youthful. OLIVE OIL produces a soap that is very mild, conditioning, and moisturizing. Olive oil contains antioxidants that fight cell degeneration. Olive oil softens and smooths your skin. TALLOW makes a hard bar of soap that is very moisturizing and gentle. Tallow is an ingredient that has been used in soaps since approximately 2800 BC. Many people these days think that “all-vegetable soaps” are the way to go, but no “all-vegetable soap” has ever done for our skin what our tallow based soap has done. Mrs. Jamie has psoriasis, which leaves her skin inflamed, itchy and flaky. Our tallow based soap is not a miracle cure, but it sure helps Mrs. Jamie's skin to feel better, and the itchiness, redness, and flakiness has been minimized, and even eliminated in some areas. Tallow contains a harmonious balance of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. It also has an abundance of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which as been shown to have anti-inflammatory effect. COCONUT OIL is great for the skin and it adds to the hardness and lather of the soap. COCOA BUTTER is added for superior moisturization. Our soaps contain 10% cocoa butter in each recipe. SUNFLOWER OIL is packed with essential fatty acids and vitamin E, so it feels moisturizing on the skin and is very conditionig. CASTOR OIL adds to the richness of the soap, and also adds fluffiness to the lather.
OTHER INGREDIENTS USED IN OUR SOAPS:
Sodium Lactate is used to help create a harder, longer lasting bar of soap. Derived from the natural fermentation of sugars found in corn and beets, sodium lactate is the sodium salt of lactic acid. Kaolin Clay adds a nice lotion like feel to the soap bar, but it also helps to purify, detox, and nourish the skin. Grains, Flowers, Herbs, or other additives such as oatmeal, lavender, calendula, chamomile, coffee, honey, etc. are used in some bars for the qualities they can give in soap. We enjoy fragrances, so most of our soaps include Fragrance or Essential Oils. We also love pretty colors, so many of our soaps use colorants in the form of micas, titanium dioxide, and other oxides or natural colorants. All fragrances, colorants, and additional ingredients are skin safe.
For the most sensitive skin, I do have a completely natural soap with no color or fragrance called “Plain Jane Goat Milk Soap”.
Lastly, Sodium Hydroxide (lye) is used in all soap. Sodium Hydroxide and the oils used go through a chemical change which, when combined, produces soap. No Sodium Hydroxide is present in completed soap. My soaps are made with excess oils added so that the lye is completely used up, leaving a percentage of unsaponified oils remaining in each bar of soap, thus, creating a more moisturizing bar of soap.
Ingredients are listed for each bar of soap in the description.
Store bought soaps are made to make money.
Large soap manufacturers use some really scary ingredients (detergents, petroleum products, etc.) in their soaps. They also extract the natural glycerin that is found in handmade soaps out of the soap and add it to lotions to combat the drying effects of store bought soap. It's a win-win for them.
This is a photo of the ingredients in a popular soap sold in stores:
LET’S LOOK AT EACH INGREDIENT IN THIS BEAUTY BAR:
Sodium lauroyl isethionate is created by combining fatty acids with isethionic acid. Isethionic acid is created by combining sodium bisulfite in an aqueous solution and ethylene oxide. Ethylene oxide is a known carcinogen. Traces of ethylene oxide can remain in the product, along with carcinogenic 1,4-dioxane.
Stearic acid is an odorless, colorless, wax-like fatty acid that is commonly found in natural vegetable and animal fats.
Sodium Tallowate or Sodium Palmitate, these are natural ingredients that are useful in soapmaking. Sodium Tallowate is animal fat, usually beef fat, that has gone through the saponification (soapmaking) process and is now soap. Sodium Palmitate is basically a vegetable equivalent to animal tallow for those who do not use animal products. It is saponified palm oil.
Sodium stearate is the sodium salt of stearic acid. This white solid is the most common soap. It is found in many types of solid deodorants, rubbers, latex paints, and inks. It is also a component of some food additives and food flavorings.
Water, well, that’s pretty natural and needs no explanation.
Lauric Acid is a byproduct of coconut or palm oil.
Sodium isethionate is an amphoteric detergent used in detergent bar soaps. It makes a dense lather in addition to the lather made by the soap.
Sodium Cocoate or Sodium Palm Kernelate are both natural soapmaking ingredients. Sodium Cocoate is saponified coconut oil, and Sodium Palm Kernelate is saponified palm kernel oil. Both oils contribute to a soaps lathering ability.
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate is used primarily as a detergent cleansing agent, but is potentially drying and can aggravate skin. Can be derived from coconut. It’s tricky to include in formulas due to stability issues, but it does produce copious foam.
Fragrance, self explanatory as well. Adds a nice fragrance to the soap, er… beauty bar.
Dipropylene glycol is a mixture of three isomeric chemical compounds, 4-oxa-2,6-heptandiol, 2-(2-hydroxy-propoxy)-propan-1-ol, and 2-(2-hydroxy-1-methyl-ethoxy)-propan-1-ol. It is a colorless, nearly odorless liquid with a high boiling point and low toxicity. Ummmmm, from what I read about this, it helps to dissolve the fragrance into the soap…
Sodium Chloride is salt. Plain and simple.
Propylene Glycol is a relatively small molecule with two alcohol (hydroxyl) groups (-OH). It is a colorless, odorless liquid that is completely water-soluble. PG is a synthetic product obtained from the hydration of propylene oxide, which is derived from petroleum products.
Tetrasodium Etidronate is used as a water softener in soaps to prevent soap scums and bathtub rings by locking up the calcium and magnesium in the water.
Tetrasodium EDTA is basically a water softening agent and helps to reduce soap scum rings on the side of the tub. The Cosmetics Database considers Tetrasodium EDTA a low to moderate hazard ingredient, depending on its usage. It notes concerns regarding cancer, enhanced skin absorption, organ system toxicity and irritation (due to animal studies that showed skin irritation at low doses). It is classified as a high human health priority and expected to be toxic or harmful.
Hydrolized Silk is a natural protein obtained from natural silk noils (fibers, fibroin) from the cocoon of the silk worm (bombyx mori). Has excellent moisture binding properties & silky smooth feel.
Prunus Persica (peach) Fruit Extract is a natural extract from peaches.
Citrus Aurantium Dulcus (orange) Flower Extract is a natural extract from the flowers of oranges.
Titanium Dioxide, Red, and Yellow are all colorants used to color the soap.
OH MY GOODNESS! ALL OF THAT RESEARCH REALLY GAVE ME A HEADACHE!
Wondering again how the above ingredients compare to our handmade soaps? Look again at the top of the page to see what we use in our soaps.