Let's be honest

I've been making soaps for over 12 years now but it has only been in the last year or so that I decided to turn my hobby into a business. Best decision I've ever made. I believe it was Confucius that said "Choose a job that you love and you will never have to work a day in your life". I couldn't agree more.

I honestly believe that carefully formulated handmade soap is better than any commercially bought soap out there. However having said that in the last year I have seen so much misinformation in the handmade soap world that it boggles the mind.

 #1 LYE FREE SOAP. This is perhaps the biggest lie ever to circulate in the business of handmade soaps. All soaps are made from lye. If the person you purchase your hand made soaps doesn't handle the lye themselves I can guarantee you the company their soap base is made does. Purchasing a soap base is the only way the soap maker wouldn't have to handle lye personally. There are a variety of soap bases available such as Goat's milk, Aloe Vera, Shea Butter, and Cocoa Butter. Using a soap base ( also known as Melt and pour) is quick and easy. Melt and pour soaps can be used with a wider range of dried flowers (such as lavender and roses) without discolouration than other methods of soap making. The best thing I love about this soap is that it can be made and used the very same day. No waiting.

#2 That Natural Word. This is probably more of a pet peeve to me. The word natural is thrown about so often it's meaning has become diluted. Maybe part of the problem is there is no FDA regulation for "natural" products. So what we get is people slapping the word natural on their labels or in their business name. This irks me as I'm sure it does other soapers. Why? It can be misleading. When I see a name with the word natural in it the last thing I expect to see listed  in the ingredients is Fragrance oils. Fragrance oils are for the most part synthetic. I said for the most part because I have come across in my extensive research plant based Fragrance oils. I am yet to use them myself or come across anyone who has. My concern with these oils is the quantity used in the products. Looking at the usage rate it seems a bit high and doesn't seem to be cost effective. If there is anyone out there who has actually used a Plant derived fragrance oil I would love to hear your views.
The NPA gives a fair description on the essence of what a natural product should be.  http://www.npainfo.org/NPA/NaturalSealCertification/NPANaturalStandardforPersonalCareProducts.aspx

They also have an extensive list on what they consider to be natural ingredients.  http://www.npainfo.org/App_Themes/NPA/docs/naturalseal/Updated%20Illustrative%20list%20v122110.pdf

The NIRC have probably the best guidelines to determine how to label you product as natural. http://naturalingredient.org/pledge.htm 

Unscented Goat's milk, Aloe Vera and Noni freshly cut.

#3 It's Organic. Natural doesn't equal organic and organic doesn't equal certified organic. If a product is labelled as organic understand there is a difference between certified organic and made with organic products. If you want certified organic always look for the certified organic seal. There are many artisans that can afford to use organic ingredients in their products which is excellent. However being certified organic is very different.

Obtaining organic certification is a long and expensive process. It's more than just using organic ingredients. The suppliers and production methods have to be inspected, assessed and pass to obtain certification. Even if products are grown in their own yards chemical free (as I do) they cannot be labelled as organic without certification. I simply describe them as home grown. Simply put Certified Organic is a complete process which differs from a product made with organic ingredients.

#4 Claims. I had a customer approach me once at a market ad said "Which one of your soaps would help me loose weight?" I had to laugh. But laughing aside, I've seen soapers put claims on their labels/pages/websites such as "reduces wrinkles", "reverses sun damage", "make you look like a super model" Ok. Maybe the last one was a bit of a stretch but you see what I'm getting at. These claims should be taken with a pinch of salt. Yes some of our soaps I've used have help improved the appearance of my skin as it has for our customers. But remember what may work for one person may not necessarily work for you. What comes to mind here are those weight loss infomercials where the person has lost 80lbs and if you look at the bottom of your screen  you can see in small print "Results Not Typical". That my dear friends is a disclaimer. As crafters, we need to take caution on any claims we make on our products and on the ingredients that we use. We don't want a disgrunttled customer angry at us because the product they purchased never removed the scar on their face or talking about their negative experience to family and friends.

Results Not Typical

I know there are many people out there that make quality handmade soaps and body products. Soothing, moisturizing, exfoliating gentle products. Sensuous and pampering all while being rejuvenating and relaxing. And yes we do look for some of the best ingredients to put in our products. Face it. That's why most of us got into this business in the first place. Truth in labeling. That's what we believe in. Yes. Our soaps are made with lye. No. There is no lye left at the end of the process. Yes. We do use fragrance oils and we also use essential oils. Yes. We list all our ingredients in a descending percentile order. We believe the same way a customer should be able to read the ingredients of a grocery store product, they should be able to do the same with our products. We believe it's the customer's right to be completely informed. As a customer (and we are all customers) it's what we  deserve. Isn't it?

Say yes to Noni

When I began making soap 12 years ago never did I dream of using nature's ingredients in my soaps. Not that it wasn't being done but more of the uncertainty that comes with being a newbie. Today I jump at the chance of using ingredients found in nature in my products.

Natures products lends more than just colour to soaps. They contribute properties such as antioxidants, anti - inflammatory, and vitamins,  They can exfoliate, be emollients and even soothing.

Last year I discovered that we had a Noni tree growing in our back yard. What?! It just sprung up in an empty plant pot. Wow!! What luck! I could actually feel the gears in my head turning over. What a wonderful additive for my soaps. The question is how many of my customers actually know what is Noni and for those that do, would the pungent odour be a deterrent?

The Noni fruit has a very pungent aroma. Many of the store bought juices are blended with other fruits and the fragrance is more palatable. My Noni juice is homemade. The juice itself, with its strong aroma and sweet undertones; in my opinion, isn't as poignant as the fruit. Just like any other natural additive the scent of the Noni doesn't come through in the final product. But the properties it lends to your soap are just wonderful.

Why Noni? From what I've read it's said that the anti-oxidant found in Noni juice is said to improve the skins elasticity. It also has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.  It's believed the anti-histamine properties are beneficial in relieving certain skin conditions. With its anti-oxidants it rejuvenates cells, fights free radicals and assists ridding the body of toxins. As a humectant Noni juice helps tissue retain moisture.

I couldn't wait to try this fruit in my products . I jumped right in and made my first soap with Coconut milk Aloe Vera and Noni juice. As I stated before the scent of the fruit doesn't come out in the end product.

Coconut Milk, Aloe Vera and Noni juice

It produces a wonderful gentle moisturizing bar. My daughter (who is pregnant with her first child) used this soap. Her skin just loved it. Her skin was beautiful, smooth and radiant. I really need to make more.

For the new year I made my second Noni soap with goat's milk (I have a thing for milk soaps). I couldn't think of a better way for me to bring in 2015. I took a sample of the soap to work and had my colleagues smell it. This was a blind test to determine whether the fruit could be detected. They loved it! They were in complete disbelief when they discovered it was made from Noni. That's great news! 

Goat's milk Aloe Vera and Noni juice

So, I can say without a doubt my favourite additive to my soaps is now Noni. In soaps it's both moisturizing, soothing and just like milk soaps, it's good for sensitive skin.

So if you ever do come across a soap that contains Noni, try it.  Your skin may just love you for it.