New soaplover, my experience as im looking for natural soaps

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Alisia Bolivar

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Hello soapmakers and soap enthusiasts! I'm Alisia. I'm a new user, and overall, a newcomer to the world of soap lovers, as I've just recently discovered handmade soap. I want to ask for advice and share my experience.

In an advertisement, I learned that regular store-bought soap can be harsh on the skin (by the way, I have very dry and weather-sensitive skin). I've been thinking about finding a bar soap for washing with a natural composition. I absolutely love natural scents and am drawn to the idea of supporting handmade products, especially if it's a small business. Honestly, I started searching on Google, but there were commercial options, and for some reason, I'm put off by the idea of buying something from mass-market, given the abundance of misinformation.

Then, I visited local stores with organic products and found a company called Pacha Soap. I had read about them online just before standing in front of their soap display, and I liked it. The scents were pleasant, but it bothered me that all the soap was unpackaged and just laid out on the shelf. I picked up a blue piece to test it out.

I also bought a piece of soap from Potager Soap, again relying solely on the appearance and not the manufacturer's popularity. It was a decent experience, but still, after both options, I had to use moisturizing lotion to keep my skin hydrated.

A few weeks later, I came across an ad on Facebook for 11 Elves Naturals, and apparently, it's a tiny company, but their soap looked so visually appealing that I managed to order a couple of bars—Honey and Lemongrass. I must admit that I stopped using my moisturizing cream because my skin stopped feeling tight. I had to place one soap bar in the shower to use instead of shower gel and the other for washing my face. Attaching a photo of Pacha Soap in the store and the exact ad that led me to try 11 Elves Naturals. Has anyone had any experience with this company? Do you know more about it?
 

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I don't know anything about either of these companies. From the ingredients list on the 11 Elves soap, it seems like a pretty simple recipe and apparently your skin likes the ingredients of olive oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil and cocoa butter. There are so many handmade soaps - etsy is one place to look. You know the ingredients you like, so that might help narrow it down. Handmade soap retains the glycerin that is naturally produced during saponification of oils, water and lye (making soap). Local markets are another place to check. I'm sure the soap is lovely, but $13.50 for a 5 ounce bar (plus the cost of shipping) seems high to me.

You might give soapmaking a try - it's fun! Although if you get smacked by the soaping bug, it can be cheaper to just pay too much for a few bars someone else makes a few times a year 😂
 
Welcome, Alisia. I live in a large city and there are a number of farmers' and artistans' markets around that sell soap from local makers.

I'll also encourage you to make your own! C'mon, all the cool kids do it!

t is so cool to watch lye and oil turn in to soap! I got into soaping purely as a creative outlet and was pleasantly surprised that my skin health turned around completely. I just thought I had dry, rashy skin and resigned to live with it. Not anymore. I could've saved decades of dermatologist and pharmacy bills! And even tho' I occasionally buy other handmade soaps, I much prefer my own. Keep us posted if you jump in!

I'll also put a plug in for making your own lotion bars -- no harsh chemicals, easy peasy, fast and inexpensive. Lotion bars are like chapstick for your hands and skin. Melt equal parts wax, a butter, and an oil! Add essential oil if you want. For butters, there's shea, cocoa, mango, etc. For oils, there's jojoba, sunflower, coconut, meadowfoam seed, etc.
 
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I don't know anything about either of these companies. From the ingredients list on the 11 Elves soap, it seems like a pretty simple recipe and apparently your skin likes the ingredients of olive oil, coconut oil, sweet almond oil and cocoa butter. There are so many handmade soaps - etsy is one place to look. You know the ingredients you like, so that might help narrow it down. Handmade soap retains the glycerin that is naturally produced during saponification of oils, water and lye (making soap). Local markets are another place to check. I'm sure the soap is lovely, but $13.50 for a 5 ounce bar (plus the cost of shipping) seems high to me.

You might give soapmaking a try - it's fun! Although if you get smacked by the soaping bug, it can be cheaper to just pay too much for a few bars someone else makes a few times a year 😂
Thank you for your response!🙏 Yes, these companies might not be well-known, likely local businesses from the state of California. As I mentioned before, I'm genuinely drawn to supporting small businesses because... by purchasing their products, I feel like.. I'm making a meaningful contribution. I had a small business myself in 2019, so I understand that every person matters 🤪 But that's a bit of a digression.

My true desire is to use soap that cleanses and moisturizes my skin without harsh chemicals. I've never thought about making soap myself... It seems like you need to develop your own formula for that, or am I mistaken? I apologize Im an absolute novice in the world of soap

Welcome, Alisia. I live in a large city and there are a number of farmers' and artistans' markets around that sell soap from local makers.

I'll also encourage you to make your own! C'mon, all the cool kids do it!

t is so cool to watch lye and oil turn in to soap! I got into soaping purely as a creative outlet and was pleasantly surprised that my skin health turned around completely. I just thought I had dry, rashy skin and resigned to live with it. Not anymore. I could've saved decades of dermatologist and pharmacy bills! And even tho' I occasionally buy other handmade soaps, I much prefer my own. Keep us posted if you jump in!

I'll also put a plug in for making your own lotion bars -- no harsh chemicals, easy peasy, fast and inexpensive. Lotion bars are like chapstick for your hands and skin. Melt equal parts wax, a butter, and an oil! Add essential oil if you want. For butters, there's shea, cocoa, mango, etc. For oils, there's jojoba, sunflower, coconut, meadowfoam seed, etc.
Sounds great! You make soap only for personal use, or do you sell it as well? It's intriguing because I've never considered making my own soap... It seems like it requires a good understanding to get the results right. 💁‍♀️ Could you share which soap you prefer? What do you look for when choosing soap in the store or making it? mmm...I was sure that the simpler the composition, the better the soap. Also!! in some articles, I learned that coconut oil dries the skin, and now I'm confused about why soap with coconut oil is considered moisturizing. I'm open to experiments now, and I'm quite fascinated by this topic 🙃
 
I am only a hobbyist and keep myself, relatives, and friends in good supply. I need to make new friends actually to get rid of all my soap!

Just jump in. Do a search on this forum for "holy trinity." It's 1/3 each of olive oil, coconut oil, and palm oil. I started with that -- all ingredients purchased at the grocery store -- and then tweaked from there. I continued to refine my base recipe until I decided on one that I liked. Here's a good guide on what properties various oils and butters provide, Free Beginner's Guide to Soapmaking: Common Soapmaking Oils - Soap Queen .

I didn't purchase a whole lot and most of my supplies are from thrift stores and dollar stores.

I think often for beginners the main concern is handling lye. It was never an issue for me. I wear safety goggles and rubber gloves. I think of it like bleach -- respect it but don't fear it.

I love coconut oil mostly because it adds a lot of bubbles and I'm not as sensitive to it being drying.

Besides safety, the other mandatory thing is to learn how to use a lye calculator. You type in your oils and it spits out how much lye to use. I now use a more involved calculator -- but a simpler calculator is https://www.brambleberry.com/calculator?calcType=lye . Even if you find a simple beginner recipe on here, online, or a book, you still have to use a lye calculator to double-check. You don't want soap with too much lye in it.

My normal modus operandi is to over-research everything before tackling a project. However, when I first made soap I was under a Christmas deadline and found a simple holy trinity recipe. I was blissfully unaware that there was a whole sub-culture of YouTube, this forum, Etsy, etc.!

My other tip is to keep it simple initially. I got into it for creativity -- color and scent -- but there are steps to master at first. Leave the additives, clays, colorants, scents, swirls, designs, layers for later.
 
@Zing has shared some really good advice. I, too, am a hobbyist and don't/have no desire to sell. Katie Carson of Royalty Soaps has a series of YouTube videos designed for beginning soap making. Here is the first one of the series of six.

There are lots of recipes right here on SMF. Look through the beginners soapmaking forum. I also cannot stress enough how important it is to learn to use a lye calculator, even when using a recipe that is not your own. If you decide you want to give it a try, post for advice and there are a lot of people willing to help you get started.

Coconut oil is lovely on the skin in its natural state. But you will learn that mixing NaOH (lye) with any oil/fat will change the properties. Too much coconut oil can be drying for some people. I'm in the camp of 25% is fine for me and mine, but none of us have skin problems.

As far as supporting small business, I am 100% behind that. :) If you decide that making soap isn't for you, or not for you right now, you will be able to find a maker that has lovely soaps that you will find to be a true pleasure to use. If you have an interest, I do hope you will give it a try.
 
My true desire is to use soap that cleanses and moisturizes my skin without harsh chemicals.
Soap does not moisturize, it is a rinse-off product. If you decide to make your own soap, make soap that is less cleansing. IMO, becoming familiar with the values listed in SoapCalc and Soapmaking Friend is very helpful in creating a recipe for what you desire in a soap. Experiment with small batches until you come up with a recipe suited to your needs. What I look for in a soap may be completely different than what someone else likes.:)
 
Pacha is a nationwide business. I believe they're commonly at places like Whole Foods. It's left unwrapped to reduce plastic waste.

moisturizes my skin

Like Isg says, soap does not moisturize. I know there's a lot of misinformation and bad advertising out there that claims otherwise. That being said, some soaps are more drying/harsher than others and some soaps are less drying/gentler than others. But soap can't be expected to do the job of a lotion, cream, etc.
 
@Zing has shared some really good advice. I, too, am a hobbyist and don't/have no desire to sell. Katie Carson of Royalty Soaps has a series of YouTube videos designed for beginning soap making. Here is the first one of the series of six.

There are lots of recipes right here on SMF. Look through the beginners soapmaking forum. I also cannot stress enough how important it is to learn to use a lye calculator, even when using a recipe that is not your own. If you decide you want to give it a try, post for advice and there are a lot of people willing to help you get started.

Coconut oil is lovely on the skin in its natural state. But you will learn that mixing NaOH (lye) with any oil/fat will change the properties. Too much coconut oil can be drying for some people. I'm in the camp of 25% is fine for me and mine, but none of us have skin problems.

As far as supporting small business, I am 100% behind that. :) If you decide that making soap isn't for you, or not for you right now, you will be able to find a maker that has lovely soaps that you will find to be a true pleasure to use. If you have an interest, I do hope you will give it a try.

@dibbles thanks for introducing me to Royalty Soaps. I am a hot process soaper but i have been trying to find a good instructional video on cold process and Katie nailed it. The only thing she didn’t answer for me is the zap test. Do you not do that for cold process?
 
@dibbles thanks for introducing me to Royalty Soaps. I am a hot process soaper but i have been trying to find a good instructional video on cold process and Katie nailed it. The only thing she didn’t answer for me is the zap test. Do you not do that for cold process?
You zap test CP after saponification is complete. For me, that is when I cut at 12-24 hours. Here is a link with instructions. How To Properly/Safely Conduct The Zap/Tongue Test
 

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