The Many Benefits of Soap Making
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It is no mystery that Tamara and I are very aware of the quality of the foods that go into our bodies as well as the quality of the products that go onto our bodies. Eating pasture raised animals, organically grown produce, and avoiding toxic chemicals are all things we do to ensure a healthy life.
After I had figured out which foods I needed to be putting into my and my family's bodies, I started to focus on our skin. What was going onto our bodies? I started looking at things like shampoo, deodorant, soap, toothpaste, and our cleaning products!
Seems overwhelming, right?? Not to worry! Check out this awesome PDF that we created just for YOU!
After reading Mommypotomus's book, DIY Organic Beauty Recipes, I was inspired! Not only by recipes, but how EASY it would be! I really wanted to start making soap. It seemed easy and it was something that we all used every day! I have discovered that I love making soap for my family!
So, why should YOU stop buying “soap” at the store and start making your own?
The Benefits of Soap Making
It protects your skin!
I love reading labels on food, and it is no different with products I put onto my body. As it turns out, the “soap” that is sold in stores isn't really soap. It is a detergent. Look closely and you will find beauty bars and moisturizing bars. Companies can't refer to their products as soap unless it is ACTUALLY natural soap. Natural soap is the result of a chemical reaction between water, lye (sodium hydroxide), fats and oils. This process (saponification) creates soap and glycerin. Glycerin is excellent for your skin! Glycerin attracts moisture to your skin and leaves your skin soft and moisturized! Did you know that commercial “soaps” remove the glycerin from the final product? They take it out and put it in things like lotion – that you will surely have to buy since your skin will be so dry and squeaky clean from using their “soap.”
One thing I love most about making my own soaps is that I know EXACTLY what is going in to it. I choose the fats, oils, and everything else. And I know what they are! Here is a list of ingredients of a “beauty bar” that you would find at a store:
Sodium tallowate, sodium cocoyl isethionate, sodium cocoate, sodium laurel sulfate, water, sodium isethionate, stearic acid, coconut fatty acid, fragrance, titanium dioxide, sodium chloride, disodium phosphate, tetrasodium EDTA, trisodium etidronate, BHT, FD&C blue no. 1, D&C red no. 33.
I won't go on and on about how these chemicals are not good for our bodies. You know that. For me, my rule is if I know what the ingredient is and it is a natural ingredient, I will use it. Above, water looks like the only natural ingredient. Now you can see why these store bought “soaps” are called detergents. Protect your skin by avoiding toxic chemicals and use soothing natural ingredients instead!
Making your own soap saves you money!
What does a package of soap (6 bars?) cost you at the store? $1 per bar? Probably more, actually. I can buy my oils and fats in bulk. The last batch of soap made 12 bars. I should actually do a cost break down, but I am certain that I spend less than $1 per bar of soap.
Put your Essential Oils to good use!
Essential Oils are a great way to add a fragrance to your soaps! I can taylor each batch of soap to the current needs of our family. Since soap has a very long and stable shelf life, we can use them again as our needs change. For example, I may put lavender in a soap to help alleviate allergy symptoms and promote a calming feeling. The calming is great for my boys since they take their showers at night right now before bed. I might choose to use peppermint and lemon for a great pick me up to use in the morning! The options are endless!
Fragrances used in commercial products are incredibly toxic and can cause a host of issues! Most of the chemicals present in fragrances are known to cause cancer, birth defects, allergic reactions, and central nervous system damage. I do not want that stuff on my body, in my nose, or on my kids. Yuck.
You guys, it's fun!
Seriously, making my own soap – while totally intimidating at first – has been a chore that I look forward to! The process of it all totally fascinates me and I love trying new recipes!
Do you make your own soap? What are your favorite recipes? What is your favorite method? Please share with us in the comments!
Oh Lardy prefers Young Living Essential Oils. Have you started your oily journey yet?
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I have five favorites. I is coffee and cocoa with lemon oil. Good antioxidant, wake me up and cellulite. 2. Cucumber and jojoba and emu oil very gentle face soap. 3. Himalayan salt and kelp. It smells so good and the salt is an excellent scrubber. 4 turmeric and roseh soap an excellent antioxidant soap. 5. Carrot & avocado with tea tree oil it is so moisturizing, but also good for skin conditions. I could keep naming them down.
I have been making my own soap for many years now. I give it away to all my friends and co-workers. It has 4 ingredients: biodiesel glycerin, sodium hydroxide (lye), coconut oil, and water. The resultant bars are soft and only last about 6 – 7 showers. Since it is plentiful, I didn’t mind. But I wondered if I could make the bars last a bit longer by somehow making them harder. So I added some sodium lactate. That did the trick. It hardened up the bars nicely. I wondered if I could harden them up even more. So I reduced the amount of coconut oil and added lauric acid. Wow! What a difference that made! Now my bars are nearly as long-lasting as commercially made soaps. The get me super clean, leave my skin nice and smooth, and cost me about $.30 each! I make eighty (that’s 80) 8.2 oz bars (that’s more than a half pound each) in about 35 minutes. It’s awesome! I’ll never go back!