Not You Mama’s Soap

With skin being the largest organ on your body, it’s no wonder there are a gazillion products to choose from these days. Going “all natural” seems to be the trend when it comes to what we are putting on our skin and in our bodies. One of these products on the rise is hand crafted body and face soap.

Whether you make your own or buy from Etsy or in a local shop, hand crafted soap seems to be all the rage. Homemade soap has proven to be at the top of its class for many reasons. It doesn’t strip your skin of natural oils but instead, gently cleanses excess oil and bacteria. When selecting hand crafted soap, it’s important to really know what it is you’re looking for.

Three Types of Soap – There are basically three base ingredients in soap. Lye, animal or vegetable fat and water or some kind of liquid. Often times you will see milk or goat’s milk used as the other liquid. Glycerin (the naturally occurring byproduct of vegetable or animal fat oil mixed with lye) is what most people love about handcrafted soap. With glycerin being all natural, glycerin soap is fantastic for people who suffer from eczema or other skin conditions. It is absolutely the best when it comes to moisturizing your skin.

Watch out for synthetics – Commercial soaps will often times replace glycerin with a synthetic product, then sell the glycerin to other companies for the profit. These companies will also claim that their products are all natural or contain natural ingredients but will often just put the bare minimum of these natural ingredients in the soap to be able to put the information on the labels and upsell their products. Pretty sneaky! Hand crafted soaps should have only a few ingredients and never have any additives.

Good Oils and Not-so-Good Oils – When purchasing your hand crafted soap, do your research. While all ingredients are natural and safe, not all oils give the purchaser the desired affect they are looking for. Soaps containing coconut oil for instance has a much higher lather rate then other oils used but can be a bit drying. Olive Oil based soaps have very few bubbles but these bars of soap are superb for sensitive skin. It all depends on what you are looking for and it is important to read up on the different oil properties. Soap makers will also add essential oils to their bars. Essential oils add different fragrances to the bar but again, not everyone is the same and it is important to make sure you are not allergic or can tolerate a certain fragrances or smell.
Getting Down to Brass Tax – The cost of handcrafted soap tends to be a bit higher then store bought soap so something to think about when making the transition. People with very sensitive skin often find out that it is worth it to pay more in exchange for happy heathy skin.

Now that you are armed with the soapy facts, it’s time for you to test, explore and discover your own signature suds. Whether it be an oatmeal facial scrub, or a lavender essential oil bar that is your thing your friends and family will appreciate you doing your research and buying quality products.

 

Learn more about Houston Maid in the Shade, and schedule your cleaning service today! Visit our website at www.maid-houston.local or call 713-665-6243.
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