What are Handmade Pure Soaps:-
Handmade soaps (cold processed or hot processed) are the ones that are made from lye (i.e. sodium hydroxide or caustic soda), pure oils and butter. These are thus known as Pure soaps. These are rich in vitamins and minerals that are healthy for the skin. They not only improve the quality of the skin but also help in healing many diseases.
Ingredients of Handmade Pure Soaps
One of the ingredients in soap is lye also known as sodium hydroxide or caustic soda. Lye with Purified water when gets mixed with oils generates the process called saponification. And in that process, lye gets converted into soap. Thus lye doesn’t exist in the final product.
Other major ingredients used to make these soaps are the pure oils and butters. These oils consist of coconut, olive, castor, sesame, and almond oil. And butter used are shea, kokum, mango and cocoa butters.
These oils and butter are not only nourishing for the skin but help in healing many skin problems.
Palm oil shouldn’t be used for environmental issues. Because this oil is cheap, it is used by many manufacturers. But due to excessive demand, there is deforestation of land. Thus, it is best avoided.
For Fragrance, pure essential oils can be used like lemon, lavender, lemongrass, eucalyptus, ylang ylang and other essential oils, which are healthy and safe for our skin and also for our environment. These are unlike the perfumes used in commercial soaps that are made from chemicals whose exact ingredients are never listed due to trade secrets.
For colors, various natural clays and leaf powders can be used to give various colours and hues in the soaps. Clays can be of various colors like Red, Pink, Green, Bentonite, Kaolin, Rhassoul and Fuller Earth clay.
Other additives added for extra benefits and its significance in healing skin can be neem, turmeric, charcoal, aloe vera, oats, honey etc.
Safe and Healthy for skin and our environment
Thus, these soaps are very safe and gentle for our skin and our environment. These soaps do not produce any chemicals that may pollute soil or water like other detergent-based cleaners do. These are cruelty-free also as it is not tested on animals.
Why not to buy commercial detergent-based bars and cleaners
Commercial soaps are detergent-based and contain many harmful chemicals as mentioned below, which are not only harmful for the body but also pollute our environment:-
- Sulfates:- SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) and SLES (sodium laureth sulfate)
- Ureas Formerly known as Diazolidinyl Urea, Imidazolidinyl, DMDM hydantoin
- Diethanolamine (DEA)
- Propylene Glycol, Propylene Oxide, Polyethylene Glycol
- 1,4-Dioxane (myreth, oleth, laureth, ceteareth, any other “eth,” PEG, polyethylene, polyethylene glycol, polyoxyethylene, or oxynol)
- Triclosan
- Parabens
- Synthetic Colors
- Fragrance like phthalates
Then, there are Handmade Melt and Pour Soaps also in the market but those are not pure soaps. M&P Soaps uses chemical detergent-based soap bars as base which are melted with added Glycerine, fragrance and colors to give it a transparent and attractive look.
Thus all handmade soaps are not pure soaps, so before buying soaps one needs to check all the ingredients listed on it.
