What makes a soap a good soap?
The only difference between some "natural" soaps and soaps that you buy at the drugstore are packaging and a vegetable base. Many contain synthetic fragrance, artificial colors and preservatives.
Usually, the first thing we do to choose a soap is to smell it. A good fragrance will get us to buy. But there is more to soap than scent. What the soap is made out of - the base is the most important aspect of soap.
Did you know that very few companies make their own soap? In fact, most soaps on the market are made by 5 independent soap makers. Of those 5 only 3 make their own soap base. This all means the many soaps share the same base.
In the natural products industry, more and more companies are making their own soaps and soap base. These are usually "kitchen based" companies. There are two excellent companies that I know about Kreamy Soaps and Spirits soaps. Natural means - nothing artificial, including the fragrance. Both of these companies use pure, high-quality essential oils.
Since the late 18th century in France the process of making a soap base was mixing fat with sodium hydroxide (lye); this process is call saponification. Most soaps are made from animal fat. Unless the bar says "vegetable base" the product is from tallow or animal fat.
After the saponification process, the soap base is dried into a powder which is put into bags and wait to be mixed with those good smelling ingredients for soap.
Vegetable based soaps may use palm oil, coconut oil, olive oil or other vegetable based oil. Did you know that true Castile soap is made from olive oil in the Castile region of Spain? Make sure that is what you are getting.
If the manufacturer adds additional oil or fat (like lanolin) to the soap base, a superfatted soap is created.
Just thought you'd like to know.
