Handmade Soap VS Commercial Soap

Handmade Soap

Skin is our largest organ and basically everything that touches it gets filtered through our liver. Pure Soap is a pretty basic chemical reaction, in order to make soap, Fats (from Vegetables or Animals) and Lye are combined during a process called saponification.

The best thing about handmade soaps is their ingredients! Handmade Soap Bars are usually made with skin-loving vegetable oils and butters that are full of antioxidants and other additives that are sourced naturally. Natural handmade soap bars can include a wide range of natural ingredients to help treat various skin conditions and complaints while reducing unnecessary exposure to toxic chemicals.

However, it’s important to note that not all handmade soaps are created equally. Many soap makers will add synthetic colors or fragrances to make their soap look and smell better, compromising the integrity of the product. Simply put, soap shouldn’t be neon in color or smell like birthday cake if it’s truly natural. With any product, always check the list of ingredients and don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Commercial Soap

Many mass produced soap bars are actually synthetic detergents comprised of artificial colors, fragrances, dyes, lathering agents, preservatives and other questionable ingredients that are not only hard to pronounce, but often associated with adverse health effects like cancer! These ingredients can pollute our drinking water and cause irritation and damage to our sensitive skin and hair.

Commercial soap bars often contain ingredients like Triclosan and Talc which have been linked to cancer. Pretty scary right? Talc is a powder found in everything from eyeshadow and blush to baby powder and deodorant and any Talc that’s contaminated with asbestos fiber is a recognized carcinogen. Carcinogens are classified as substance capable of causing cancer in a living tissue.

Glycerin is a compound that naturally occurs during the saponification process. Similar to honey, Glycerin is a natural humectant that helps retain moisture in the skin, making handmade soaps naturally hydrating. That’s all that is needed in order to cleanse the skin without disrupting the skins PH levels. Mass produced chemical based soap removes Glycerin during the saponification process for monetary value. What you’re left with is not exactly soap, but rather a plethora of detergent and chemicals that can be drying and outright irritating to the skin.