I started the natural soap making journey about three years ago. It was merely for fun at first. However, the idea of able to incorporate literally any ingredient into a soap bar has hooked me up. I added every ingredient that I can possibly find in my kitchen to my handmade soap - from honey, coconut milk to even salt. It was amazing to see the effect of each ingredient on a batch of new soap.
The day I started the soap making journey is also the day I bid farewell to commercial body wash. The more I research about personal care products' ingredients, the more I realize how much better a natural soap is as compared to conventional body wash. Here are some of the benefits I found along my journey:
No SLS/SLES
Natural soap doesn't contain common skin irritants such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES). SLS and SLES are detergent that will strip excess oil from our body. However, these two ingredients are so common and cheap that you can find them in 99% of the cleansing personal care products in the market. Natural soap can also create nice, creamy lather without SLS or SLES, thanks to coconut oil. All the soap I made contains coconut oil to impart the bubbly property that everyone likes.
Contain Glycerin
A true natural soap bar contains skin-soothing ingredient - glycerin. Glycerin is not added into the soap bar. In fact, glycerin is naturally produced during the saponification process (Oils + Lye = Soap + Glycerin). Glycerin is the powerful ingredient that makes a natural soap stands out from their commercial counterparts.
The reason why commercial soap bar has a bad reputation of being drying is because glycerin is taken out from it to be sold separately for higher profit. We don't do that for natural soap. That's why it is more moisturizing and good for sensitive skin.
Scented with Essential Oil
Essential oils are used to scent a natural soap. One drop of essential oil are distilled from few kilos of plant materials. It contains the plant's healing properties in a concentrated form. Therefore, a natural soap doesn't only smell lovely, it also offers aromatherapy benefits to our skin.
On the other hand, conventional body wash is usually scented with fragrance oil that offers nothing but skin irritation. Most of the fragrances tend to linger on our skin for a long period of time due to the use of phthalates. Research has shown that over exposure of phthalates will disrupt hormones and cause cancer in reproductive organs.
With these THREE benefits of using natural soap, I have never looked back since I embarked on my natural soap journey. I hope with this information, you will be able to make a wiser choice for your next personal care purchase. Let's live naturally!
