The FDA ruling on antibacterial soap and why Handmade Natural Soap is different.

Soap making began long before we were urged to make our life easier with chemicals. Early settlers made Handmade Natural soaps by combining ash and fats to create a soap. Today, true handmade soap is made in a similar fashion but instead of ash, the soap is cooked with sodium hydroxide which turns oil into soap. All true soap is made with Lye, but once a soap is fully cooked, and or cured, no lye remains in the final product.  The FDA has ruled that manufacturers stop using certain chemicals in their soaps-supporting a decision to choose natural ingredients.

It can be difficult to discern what is truly a handmade soap and it is a bit of a pet peeve here at Salty Soaps. At farmers markets or craft shows you may find a soap that says it is natural, but also that it is derived from a Base. Huge red flag for melt and pour. Now, do not get me wrong, melt and pour soaps are fun and can be quite beautiful. But since they are made to easily be melted down they contain chemicals. They also do not contain the amount of oils and glycerin that is achieved by making true handmade soap. Further these soaps break down easily and can be drying. 

Handmade Natural Soap is just that. It is soap made by hand from a recipe specifically formulated by the soap maker, often one like ours that has been passed down for generations. The ingredients are all Natural-most importantly the fragrance is made from only essential oils- not Fragrance oils. Fragrance oil companies do not have to divulge what the fragrance is made of and you can bet it is not natural.  Did you know soap like Zest, are really not true soaps at all. They are completely the opposite of a handmade natural soap-and is made of chemicals and chemical by products, many of which have found their way to the potential harmful chemical list. Choosing a true handmade natural soap is a simple way to limit your families exposure to chemicals. In turn, your skin will look and feel better. 

You can read more about chemicals in soap at the campaign for safer cosmetics.   To read about what the the National Institute of Health says about tea tree oil and other essential ouils, visit http://nccam.nih.gov/health/tea/treeoil.htm

We think, and have been told over and over, our soaps are the best soaps on the market. Click here to shop them all.