Natural Homemade Soaps- The difference between Handcrafted and Commercial soaps

Is choosing hand soaps for you and your family as easy as buying the cheapest price soap? Or the best smelling soap? For some that may be the case but more and more conscientious women and mothers are starting to choose natural homemade soaps. But’s not as easy as picking the soap that says “natural homemade soap” or “dry skin soap” on the front label. In order for you to care for your skin and the skin of your loved ones properly you will need to understand a few basic facts about soap manufacturing and what the end result is.

Glycerine. It is a compound that is very low in toxicity and hygroscopic in nature (simply meaning is attracts and holds water). It is a natural byproduct of the soap making process (saponification). During the saponification process glycerine is made and is suspended in the soap. The other byproduct is a surfactant which acts as a detergent taking away oils and dirt from your skin. When you use the soap the surfactant cleans away dirt, oils AND moisture from your skin. The glycerine acts as a humectant, drawing moisture from lower layers of your skin to the top layer replacing the lost moisture and keeping your skin moist.

However, not all soaps are made the same. While natural homemade soaps are created with all the original glycerine content in tact some large manufacturers of soaps will extract the glycerine leaving only the detergent part of the soap behind. Glycerine is a very useful substance in a variety of industries. Glycerine is used as a an ingredient in food sweetener, cough syrups and pharmaceutical products, and in antifreeze. It also makes a great addition to beauty products like facial make-up, lip gloss, hand body lotions, and personal lubricants. Large manufacturers will extract the glycerine and sell it or use it in other products they manufacture. This leaves hand soaps short in the glycerine content and high in the detergent content.

The soap with high detergent content and reduced glycerine content will dry your skin. Dry skin can lead to a variety of skin problem. Eczema, rashes, acne, and contact dermatitis or just some of the skin problems that can result from dry skin. While many women use lotions and creams others may even seek help from a doctor and use prescription medication containing cortisone to counteract the effects of dry skin.

A very simple way to reduce your dry skin and the cost of lotions, creams and doctors is to buy natural homemade soaps. There are many manufacturers and they can be bought in stores, farmer’s markets and online.