When I first began the natural skin care journey, I was opposed to any and all things “soap bar” related. Commercial soaps were drying and so was any other soap bar. I use to say, “Give me body wash any day”! When I was learning how to make my own skin care products, handmade soap would often come up and seeing all the colors often made me think of dye, skin allergies, eczema, dermatitis. All the things I had experienced in the past from using many commercial products. I had a major aversion. HOWEVER, what I have learned along my natural skin care journey from research and my own experiments is that HANDMADE SOAP IS LIFE! I wanted to lay down a few reasons here as to why I love natural, handmade soap so much and why I honestly think everyone should invest in this product.
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Handmade Soap is Moisturizing
One of the natural by products of handmade soap is glycerin, a humectant that draws
moisture to the skin and leaves skin feeling incredibly soft. In many commercial soaps, this natural byproduct is removed and used to make lotions or creams. Removing this byproduct causes skin to feel dry, itchy, harsh, flaky and can contribute to irritated skin for those who are sensitive. Those who make natural soap do not remove this natural byproduct and as a result handmade soap leaves your skin feeling incredibly soft after use! Many of my customers often remark that their skin feels even SOFTER after using handmade soap than it does after using body wash.
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Handmade Soap Uses Natural Ingredients
Handmade soap is made with natural ingredients such as coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter, almond oil, goat’s milk, aloe vera juice, and clays. These ingredients are very gentle on the skin and help to nourish the skin. This is very different from many commercial soaps and body washes that use synthetic ingredients. While I am not completely opposed to their use (I do enjoy making body wash myself), however, I am aware that these are synthetic ingredients and are really detergents that can cause eczema and dermatitis in those sensitive skin. As a result, I tend to prefer to make handmade soap and encourage those around me to invest in this method of cleansing as well. While it’s true that handcrafted soap costs more than commercial, its value is in the results it has on the skin. It is true that many handcrafted soaps use fragrance oils in their products which is a synthetic ingredient; however, at The Loving Essence, we make absolute sure to use phthalate free fragrance oils as they do not have any effect on the reproductive and endocrine system of our users. Health is wealth and we make sure to use the best.
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Handmade Soap is Unique
In addition to nourishing, moisturizing benefits of handmade soap, and probably one of my favorite parts of soap crafting, is its uniqueness! To me, handmade soap makes natural skin care even more fun! Even if you don’t use fragrance oils and choose to only use unscented products, you can still indulge in a nicely designed bar of soap with the same nourishing/moisturizing benefits and other natural skin care products and cleansers. Every soap maker has their own style and technique for designing soap, but the benefits are always there! For me, I enjoy the process of “room temperature soaping”. I find this route to be quick yet effective and I can get to my favorite part: designing!
Most people opt for handmade soap once they realize how moisturizing and nourishing it is on the skin. Just one use and people are often excited to come back for more. It’s really that good!
Visit The Loving Essence to try these handmade soaps and more!
The Loving Essence Blog 
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