Natural Soap Versus Milled Soap

Though many areas of the cosmetic industry are bound by cosmetic disclosure laws, an exception permits soap manufacturers to reveal only what they choose to reveal about their soaps. This makes it very difficult for consumers to know what they're using on their skin. Big business historically has been pressured by the need to surpass the last quarter's profits, which often leads to compromising soap's purity to achieve an impressive balance sheet.

Though some companies offer superior products, we unfortunately cannot count on the large soap-producing industry to provide the purity and the quality we think we're purchasing.

Only the Finest Ingredients
Homemade soap has no limits other than the energy and the imagination of the soapmaker. When we make our own soap, we use only the oils and ingredients especially suited to skin-care needs. No harsh chemicals are added and only the finest ingredients are used to produce a bar of soap that is a perfect complement to your skin.

Synthetic Chemicals transform Milled Soap
Milled soaps are made by machines that press freshly made soap between sets of rollers to flatten it paper thin and prepare it to be shredded. Once shredded, the soap flakes are ground through the rollers again and again, squeezing and mixing them together. The mixture then goes through extrusion machinery that squeezes out a long bar of tightly compacted soap flakes and cuts it into smaller bars. The flakes are no longer distinguishable within these dense bars of soap.

The continuous compression creates a very hard soap with a polished appearance, while the very thin flakes increase lathering quality. These soaps are truly beautiful but we, as consumers, must remember to focus on content. Milled soaps are rarely made without tallow (beef rendering) and many synthetic chemicals.

The milling industry adds a variety of synthetic chemicals to transform soap from its more natural state and give it enough plasticity to withstand the milling process. Detergents are used in combination with soap to make a toilet bar, also known as syndet bars. Detergent additives, called lime-soap dispersants, ensure solubility in all kinds of water. You'll find these additives (using various names) on the labels of the most familiar bars of soap on store shelves. These harsh chemicals are in our clothes from detergents, in our hair products and skin care products.

Nature or the Lab!
Our skin is remarkably capable of functioning on its own to protect us. As we use more and more harsh, foreign substances, we alter the body's chemical makeup and leave our skin without its natural defenses. We risk becoming dependent on stronger and stronger synthetics to take the place of the body's natural systems. We must each, as individuals, decide which route to go, the way of nature, or the way of the lab.

Allow your skin to breathe
Natural handmade soap retains the natural glycerin created during the saponification process and no chemicals are used to alter the natural reactions. With nothing added and nothing taken away, the final product is soap and not a laboratory imitation. Synthetics and chemicals can clog your pores causing any number of skin problems. Using natural soap will allow your skin to breathe. More oxygen to your cells helps skin look and feel younger while regaining its natural balance.