What is SOAP? 

True soap is very basic. It consists of oils, lye and water. 'Soap' is created when these three basic ingredients are mixed together. This is called saponification.  In this process, heat, in the presence of an aqueous alkali (lye in a liquid)  converts fat or oil into soap and alcohol (glycerol or glycerin).  That's all that is needed to cleanse the body properly without disrupting the pH levels of the skin. Mass produced soap and body wash found in stores have a plethora of chemicals and detergents. What companies do is remove the glycerin, a beautiful byproduct of saponification that has humectant properties and seals in the skin's moisture, and re-infuse the product with other additives. In fact, what you're really using is a 'detergent' bar or body wash. To call it true soap would be a misnomer since there is very little actual soap left over in the product.  Kind of a weird thing really. 

What we consumers end up buying is a bar of cheap quality oils and ingredients that cleanses harshly and also messes with our skin's moisture and pH levels. After using our washes etc, we then need a moisturizer to replenish our skin because the harsh additives in the wash have stripped the skin's natural oils! Crazy! Yep..what's missing is..the...glycerin.  Sigh.

Remember this --- big companies have a philosophy:  to make the MOST quantity out of the CHEAPEST ingredients, and charge the MOST money as possible. :( 

Tiny independent businesses, like Soap Lab, don't do that because-

1 - we have a conscience and morals, and would feel awful about screwing people over and,

2 - we want people to keep coming back for more soap because it is so lovely and moisturizing that they cannot possibly live without it!

THE PROCESS MATTERS.

Handmade soap can be made in three ways.
1. Melt and Pour.      This is not the type of soap you want to buy. It is usually bought in a block or loaf in a craft store. It has the same cheap ingredients, fillers and chemicals that are found in store soap and washes. Melt and Pour is more of a novelty craft type product.
2. Cold Process.      This is old school soaping, and what humans have been doing since saponification became a 'thing'. It's the slowest and most time consuming way to made wonderful soap. Lye, oils and a liquid are mixed, along with colorants and/or scents, poured into molds, and allowed to sit for 'curing', which can be anywhere from 4 weeks to even a year for 100% Olive Oil soap. Lather (creamy or bubbly), bar hardness, moisturizing and cleansing levels all depend on the ratio and type of oils used. It really is a science! Soap makers spend years tweaking and testing to get the perfect formula for what they're after.
3. Hot Process.     This method is identical to cold process, except the recipe is 'cooked' in a crock pot or stove. It speeds up the saponification that would normally take weeks, into 1 or 2 hours. Soap quality is outstanding as well. This is how Soap Lab makes our amazing soap btw~

WHAT IS GLYCERIN?

Glycerin is the byproduct of soapmaking. Remember--

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    Oil + lye + water = soap + glycerin.

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 Glycerin serves as a humectant, which is a substance that attracts moisture. It pulls the water from deeper skin layers up to the surface to combat dry skin, as well as draws in moisture from the air and slows its evaporation on your skin.

It is ALWAYS in homemade soap, and does its job to seal and protect Ye Ole Epidermis. 

WHY BUY HOMEMADE SOAP FROM A SMALL BUSINESS?

Buying from a local shop or tiny online store has many benefits, for both the consumer and the shop owner. It's a total win-win!  Here are a few of the wonderful reasons to partake of artisan handcrafted soap --

For you: 

• high quality ingredients

• fresh products, meticulously thought out and designed

• supporting a local or small entrepreneur   

• numerous options, scents, types of soap available to choose   

• a wholesome product made with love,  lots of times in very small batches or to order

• many small shops are cruelty free, organic and/or use only essential oils

For owners:

• the joy of being creative and having customers enjoy the fruits of that creativity

• able to make a business out of a passion they love

• using environmentally safe and/or vegan natural ingredients  

• donating back to their local communities

• a one on one relationship with their clientele