Reasons To Use All-Natural Soap
When it comes to grabbing soap off the shelf, few people give it much thought. Many of us are guilty of choosing the cheapest one, picking a cute package, or going after a scent that might be nice. However, it's worth stopping and giving this seemingly simple choice more thought.
After all, if you intend to put it on your skin and in your hair, shouldn’t you make sure it's healthy? The recent wave of interest surrounding natural soaps is by no means a quirky fad. Anyone who has tried this product can list off a bunch of reasons to use all-natural soap; the least of which is that it cleans your body better and are better for you! As big fans of good housekeeping, we would be remiss in failing to list our favorite aspects of these amazing soap bars.
It Isn’t a Chemical Concoction
One of the main reasons people give natural soaps a chance is the ingredients list. While other soaps on the shelf have huge blocks of text listing unpronounceable ingredients, natural soap is straightforward. What allows soap makers to call these items natural is the process used and lack of chemicals in all-natural soap. These soap bars are made in the same way people have been making soap for hundreds of years. The contents are natural fats and lye, plus fragrances or dyes if desired. For those out there that consider natural soaps to be too fancy for everyday use, don't worry! It's even possible to get natural soap sans scents and other ingredients for the authentic old-fashioned experience.
That’s it—no strange and confusing compounds or suspicious ingredients. Just check the label for yourself! Furthermore, much of the stuff that’s in generic soaps are bad for you. Washing with unnatural synthetics causes those ingredients to leech into your skin. The focus of these soaps is to kill bacteria and strip oils, which they do. However, it's to an industrial degree which dries out the skin, worsens dandruff, and fries hair. Your skin is not a piece of machinery that has to be routinely sterilized—you need a natural solution that doesn’t have side effects!
You Know What’s in It
Besides no gross chemicals, what’s in a natural soap bar is very straightforward. Typically, the base is a natural fat or oil such as olive oil, cocoa butter, or coconut oil. Lye made from the wood ash is added which produces the essential glycerin element that other soaps lack. Besides this, other ingredients include natural aromatics. For instance, essential oils, incense resins and powders, and juices are commonly added. Sometimes herbs and other ingredients such as salt and charcoal are also added for their exfoliating qualities. In other words, makers put everything you would put in soap if you made it yourself, and all-natural soap contains no mystery ingredients that are only available to mass producers!
Healthier for Your Skin and Hair
What separates junky store soaps from natural soaps is the glycerin that is produced when lye and fats interact. Glycerin is the stuff that makes soap buttery smooth and forms a ton of creamy lather. Chemical soaps contain none of the ingredients that all-natural soap has always utilized, and they therefore rely on unhealthy synthetic material to mimic these traits.
That’s why a lot of bars on the shelf are unpleasantly hard and lack that extra soapy quality without much more scrubbing effort. It takes more effort to get even a little lather out of these things, and though they’re cheaper, these soaps aren’t as healthy and get used up faster. Glycerin is what makes soaps moisturizing, so if you’re interested in healthy skin and soft and glossy hair, these all-natural soap products are for you!
Aromatherapy Options for Everyone
As mentioned, natural soaps are often scented. This is typically done by directly adding essential oils to the liquid mixture of lye and fats. Besides that, crafters also like to add whole herbs, flower petals, and incense powders. All these options are clean and natural ingredients that come straight from the earth—not a factory. There are no weird synthetic olfactory imitations involved. Since crafters can draw directly from the plethora of plants and scents found around them, buyers have a massive selection of scents to choose from.
Much like the ever-popular essential oil industry, natural soaps can be used to induce moods. Choose your favorite scents to support your personal needs. For instance, help yourself to a chamomile or vanilla bath to end the evening, or a lemon and rosemary soap to start the day. Additionally, the lack of synthetic smells is also easier on people with allergies to perfumes and other chemical scents.
A Greener Choice
All those awful chemicals of unnatural soaps don’t just soak into you—they go down your drain and spread pollution. Besides that, the companies that make these soaps end up with the same unnecessary waste that must be disposed of. In the end, it’s planet Earth that pays the difference for cheap products. If helping the environment is at all a concern, try out a natural bar of soap. There are no nasty byproducts that go into making these soaps, as they utilize natural everyday ingredients. Natural soaps put other excess materials to use, making them a great way to recycle excess ingredients into one indulgent item.
A Socially-Conscious Purchase
One of the coolest reasons to use all-natural soap is to make a positive impact on the future of the industry. When you bar one of these luxury soap bars, you aren’t just taking better care of yourself—you are also voting “yes” to healthy options and taking money away from companies that are still trying to push toxic merchandise. The impact your dollar has can already be seen across the nation, as many big-box retailers scramble to add this amazing product to their teeming shelves.
Regardless of who you buy soap from, you’re likely supporting a regular person handcrafting soaps or a small business doing likewise. Even if you purchase of the shelf of a big box store, you’re telling those companies directly that you want more clean products. Every dollar that goes towards products with real ingredients helps change industry standards toward a better and more sustainable future.
