Store bought versus Home Made

There is a large amount of information about the advantages of homemade soap over the
commonly available commercial products.

Homemade soap retains all of the glycerine which is produced as a by product of the soap making process. Glycerine is widely used in the cosmetics industry and is frequently removed by the large manufacturers of commercial soap for sale to that industry. Glycerine is a natural moisturizing agent and accounts for many of the benefits of handmade soap.

Most of the homemade (or handcrafted) soapmakers, use natural vegetable oils in their recipes.
These oils are more expensive than those used by the large commercial manufacturers; but, the resulting soap is superior in texture, moisturizing properties and cleaning ability.
Chemicals, detergents degreasers and the like are absent from homemade soaps. While these compounds will clean your skin, they also remove the natural oils and dry the skin.

The first and foremost advantage of natural handmade soap is First, do no Harm!
Handmade, natural soap has no harmful, or potentially harmful chemicals. To illustrate some of the advantages of handcrafted soap over mass produced commercial soaps, lets compare two soaps or beauty bars “Dove” and 'Lever 2000'. On the back of the soap package, the ingredients are listed, in order, by the quantity of that ingredient in the product, with the largest quantity listed first.

For Dove these are:

Sodium Tallowate Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, microcrystalline wax, Sodium Palmitate, Lauric Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Water, Sodium Stearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoate or Sodium Palm Kernelate, Fragrance, Sodium Chloride, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronate, olefin sulfonate ,Titanium Dioxide (Cl 77891).

For “Lever 2000 “these are:
Sodium tallowate, sodium cocoyl isethionate, sodium cocoate, water, sodium isethionate, stearic acid, coconut fatty acid, fragrance, titanium dioxide, sodium chloride, disodium phosphate, tetrasodium EDTA, trisodium etidronate, BHT, FD & C blue no. 1, D&C red no. 33.


Notice that sodium tallowate is listed first in both of these soaps. This soap compound is the natural result of combining sodium hydroxide (lye) with beef tallow.

Tallow has been used in soap making for about 5,000 years.

Also, tallow is considered by some to clog pores, cause blackheads, and increase eczema for those individuals with sensitive skin. The attractiveness of tallow for mass producing soap is that it
processes quickly, produces a hard bar of soap, is cheap and plentiful. Pioneers on the American frontier had few, or no, alternatives to the use of animal fats for making soap .Today, there are many vegetable oils which are better alternatives.

Sodium cocoate is listed in both sets of ingredients for our example commercial soaps. Sodium cocoate is the result of combining coconut oil with sodium hydroxide (lye) Nothing controversial here. Coconut oil is a main ingredient in many quality soaps. Sodium palm kernalate is listed next .This soap compound results from the combination of palm kernel oil with sodium hydroxide (lye).
Beginning to see a pattern here? No Lye, No Soap! This is just as true for the manufacturers as it is for the homemade soapmakers. Anyway, back to sodium palm kernalate. This is an excellent soap compound -- white in color, very hard, and excellent lather. Unfortunately due to the destruction of the Rain Forest I, personally, have stopped using Palm Oil until I can find a sustainable source.
Stearic Acid is listed in both sets of ingredients. Stearic acid is a saturated fatty acid usually derived
from tallow or lard and sometimes palm oil. The use of stearic acid can contribute to a harder, more long-lasting bar of soap.
Titanium dioxide is a neutral, very white powder used in combination with other colorants. It is not considered to be harmful.

And now for the bad guys!!!

If Unilever and Colgate-Palmolive had stopped with the ingredients listed above their soap would have been merely cheap; and, for the most part questionable only for their use of tallow.
But read on.…


Tetrasodium EDTA - Synthetic preservative - can be irritating to the eyes/mucous membranes.

Sodium cocoyl isethionate - synthetic detergent. Technically, an anionic surfactant, meaning it reduces
surface tension, making water 'wetter'.

Sodium isethionate - synthetic detergent. Technically, a moisture absorber, surfactant and anti-static agent.

Trisodium etidronate - A preservative. Possible irritant.

BHT - (butylhydroxytoluene)
Synthetic antioxidant to keep oils in formula from going rancid. When ingested, implicated in tumour formation and liver enlargement in rodent tests. Sometimes used as a food preservative.

Disodium phosphate - Buffering agent, used to adjust pH.

Sodium Laurdyl....cheap foamer used in the auto industry to clean car motors.

Microcrystalline Wax.....A type of wax from petroleum products used to harden soap.

Etidronate......chelating agent used to soften water and soap to prevent soap scum. Aggravates skin problems particularly eczema.
The Dove soap commercials!! Now you know why their beauty bars don’t leave soap scum on the mirrors!!! Are you willing to have this chemical on your skin? I don’t know about you but I would rather clean soap scum off the bottom of my tub than have this going into my blood stream!!

Olefin Sulfonate......Man made plastic like chemical used as a hardener.
Known to cause birth defects and reproduction/ fertility

And now our soap!!! You will be surprised!!

Coconut Oil.........grown on trees and totally safe to eat!!
Great for moisturizing and produces a good thick lather even in cold water!

Olive Oil.......great in salads and grown on Olive trees...a wonderful unsaturated fat!
A very good moisturizer because it attracts external moisture and holds it close to the skin. It forms a breathable film to prevent loss of inner moisture.

Canola oil.......grown in our prairie provinces and a great oil to cook and saute.
Contributes protein and moisturizing qualities.

Cocoa Butter......We all know its in our chocolate ladies!!
Cocoa Butter lays down a protective layer that holds moisture to the skin making it a great skin softener.

Neem Oil....another oil that grows on trees and is indigenous to India.
This is great oil that is used to treat dandruff, oily skin, and skin diseases such as scabies. Great mosquito repellent!!

Castor Oil....a vegetable oil from the castor bean
Acts as humectants by attracting and retaining moisture to the skin. Great for shampoo and any skin care.

Shea Butter.....ivory colored natural fat extracted from the seed of the African shea tree.
Also known as African karite butter it is an awesome moisturizer. Helps to heal cracked, dry feet and leaves the skin soft and supple.

Grapeseed Oil.......extracted from the seeds of grapes, typically wine grapes.
Loaded with anti-oxidants and possessing regenerative and reconstructive qualities makes this a great oil for aging skin.

Avocado Oil......also grown on trees...native to Mexico, Caribbean, South and Central America
It contains protein, amino acids, and large amounts of vitamin A, D, and E. They not only moisturize but also heal. They enable the Avocado Oil to regenerate cells, soften tissue and heal scaly skin and scalp.Great for aging and sensitive skin!!

Did you notice one common factor in all the ingredients in the homemade soap???

You got it!!! Yes.....they are all natural oils!! Most of these are oils you use to cook!! That means they are as healthy for your insides as your outside!!

There you have it! .......You Decide!!!