Soapmakers can be science lovers at the soul. There so so much precision required in making a really good bar of soap, and generally we’re passionate about the process.
And that’s how you end up with people in the industry like Kevin Dunn, scientist and big name, primarily a chemistry professor, who aids our understanding of the science side of making soap. Check out his website on his book Scientific Soapmaking to learn more.
Back in 2010, Dove released an ad making some claims that were mostly misleading and a little bit flat out false. You can read about it on the Musings From the Farm blog. Dove and other “beauty bars” include a percentage of detergents in their bar that change the way they function, but they still contain soap, work in basically the same way, and still have the capacity to leave what they call “soap scum.”
I’d like to say that I have no idea if Sirona Springs soap leaves “soap scum” on your skin. I do know that we create a bar that feels great on your skin, aids in the cleansing process, and may even help your skin feel better if you note that your skin is dried out after using a bar created mostly with detergents.
The reason why you might find that a bar of handmade soap leaves your skin feeling less dried out than a bar made up of a percentage of detergents is all because of the way it’s created. When we make a batch of Sirona Springs soap, we mix together pure, food-grade vegetable oils and a mixture of water and sodium hydroxide (lye).
The lye gets used up completely when it reacts with the vegetable oils to create two brand-new substances. The first is the star of the show – SOAP! But the second is what keeps your skin from drying out. It’s called glycerin & it’s a humectant, which means it helps things stay moisturized. It’s one of the major ingredients in lotion and most companies that make soap separate it out & sell it at a higher profit than they can get from it while it’s in soap.
So while Dove may be your beauty bar of choice (and it’s OK if it is) if you haven’t given handmade soap a chance yet, pick up a bar on the website. Or stop by your nearest Farmer’s Market – lots of soap makers get their start in the local scene and we ALL love to tell customers how much we love our soap 🙂
Make Me Some Soap... 
Reblogged this on Central Valley Soap and commented:
This is so very true. My soul is nourished by making soap because I get to use not only my creative side, but my analytical side. AND I get to feed my curiosity by experimentation. No other craft I’ve done to date does as much for me personally. Then, I get the added benefit of know my product makes other people really feel good about themselves. Nothing makes you feel more confident or sexier than knowing your skin glows with health and softness.
Hi Ruth:
Excellent article highlighted the passion behind soap making. I think a lot of people confuse “beauty bars”, or soaps that target beauty, exclusively made my larger, commercial cosmetic sellers (I noticed you mentioned Dove as an example). I would like to point out that this is not always the case. Soap makers do not need to be split between a brand that is focused on beauty or hand-crafting. For example, a hand-crafted collection, like the one found on castilesoap.bar or many others, are also focused on beauty or bringing a healthy cleanser to the market.
Soap making can be versatile as our soaps can be both healthy for the skin (beauty) and at the same time unique (hand-crafted).
❤
Great post Ruth! So many people tell me they don’t use soap because it leaves their skin too dry, and are then surprised when my soap doesn’t (IF I can persuade them to try it of course, I still have a couple of friends who won’t!) I guess it’s our job to keep on educating 😀
hi ruth i am from ethiopia, can u help to make liquid soap
Hi Biniyam, unfortunately I don’t have any experience making liquid soap. I wish you luck!
I am definitely going to try these soaps. I have never tried to make my own homemade soap. I have made cleaner once. It was fine. it wasn`t perfect but I managed to clean with it. Thank you for sharing your post! Best regards!
I have been thinking of batch making lye but i really do not understand the 50/50 rule