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?
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