Herbal Soaps - Homemade Soaps For Your Family

One of the best reasons to buy herbal soaps, is to get away from all of the chemical additives that damage your skin. The main reason the chemical additives are bad is that they dry out your skin, but for many people, including children, they often lead to rashes and other skin irritation problems. The main reasons for this is that commercial soap companies are using synthetic additives in their soap, and at the same time they are removing the glycerin from their product. This is one of the main reasons herbal soaps that are homemade are becoming more popular every day.

One thing that all consumers should do is look at the labels of the soaps they are buying, and look at the unhealthy ingredients that these companies are using. They attempt to give consumers the allusion that the soaps are beneficial and healthy, but in reality they are not. They have become very adept at cleverly deceiving the public.

Herbal soaps that are completely natural will over time restore your skin from dried out, to moist and healthy looking. It is important to make sure that the homemade soap you use is as natural as possible, and uses only natural ingredients.

Soaps that have been made using natural vegetable oils, such as olive oil or essential oils, date back to old Muslim times when chemists used natural ingredients, and when it comes to soapmaking, not much has changed since then.

Arabian soaps were colored and scented and were both liquid and solid soap. In more modern days soaps have been made mixing animal fats with lye. This leads to the question of, "is lye safe". The answer is yes, it's very safe. When you mix lye with your other ingredients there is a chemical reaction that changes the lye into a mild and pure form of soap.

There are many herbal soaps on the market. One of my favorites is Neem soap. This is a wonderful herb that helps to expel excess sugar from your body; one of the prime reasons for many skin disorders.

Neem also helps to restrain viruses from multiplying, as it binds to your skin cells. It prevents viral growth and this makes it a wonderful germicidal soap. It also has properties that are anti fungal, as well as antibacterial, and is one of the most recommended soaps for those who suffer with acne. Great for teenagers, and a great way to get them started off on the right foot when it comes to natural soaps.

Another wonderful soap is one that is made using turmeric. This has been traditionally used in medical practices for centuries, and is felt to be very effective in treating infections and boils. It's a wonderful soap for people who are diabetic. It helps to prevent bacteria in the skin as well as restoring skin to a natural luster.

Last but not least, one of my all time favorites is Sandalwood. It has a wonderful deep fragrance, most often used in aromatherapy, but it is also famous for making your skin feel lustrous, smooth and unblemished. I highly recommend this herbal soap for an overall feeling of well being.

Although you will find that herbal soaps are slightly more expensive than store bought soaps, the price difference is not that much, and when you take into consideration the benefits you get for those few extra pennies it is more than worth it.

Soaps such as lavender give you such a great relaxing feeling and rosemary mint soap gives you a great pick me up that it's hard to resist not treating yourself to these inexpensive luxuries. The little extra that you pay a month for a herbal soap is more than worth it.

Herbal Soaps are a very popular soap to make at home and soap making is becoming more popular every day. For more information on homemade herbal soaps visit our website Soap Making Made Easy.

Lye in Soap Making

Lye in Soap making have always gone alongside soap making.

But really, what is lye?

Lye, also known as Sodium hydroxide is a caustic alkaline chemical that dissolves substances like fat and reacts highly with other materials.

If you are a soap maker or at least have a basic knowledge about soap making, you would know that almost all handmade soaps are made of Sodium hydroxide except for liquid soaps which are often made from Potassium hydroxide.

Potassium hydroxide, unknown to many, is also a type of lye used to make liquid soaps.

So to put it simply, all soaps are made of lye.

It is important to note though that Sodium hydroxide and Potassium hydroxide shouldn't be interchanged in the making process as these chemicals produce different reactions.

Lye is an essential component in creating soap as the hydroxide in lye mixes with the fat to form a hard bar.

Lye has been widely known as an extremely caustic agent which when comes in contact with the skin, might cause burns. So, if we knew this all along,

why put such a harsh chemical on our soaps?

If we where to look back and Let me take you back to high school Chemistry.

We have learned that mixing a base with an acid forms a neutral. This is exactly what happens in the making process.

Mixing a base(lye) with an acid(fat) forms a neutral.

So, lye when mixed with soap making oils and fats will form a natural soap safe to use on the skin.

One must keep in mind though that too much lye in the soaps can cause burns on the skin and too little may not be enough to harden the bar.

So it is very important to know just the right concentration and the right amount to balance the proportion between the acid and the base.

Dealing with lye during soap creation may be scary for some people but like any chemical, it can be dealt with safely and accordingly.

One must be cautious when handling lye and take note of other precautions like using the proper equipments and donning protective gloves and clothing when handling lye.

Also, be sure that the lye you purchase is labeled for making soap as there are also other uses for lye aside from those in soap making.

As long as you know what you're doing, everything will be just fine.

So how do you make lye soap?

All you need is lye, distilled water and some oils or fats to make a basic handmade soap.

For a more luxurious product, you can add colorants, some fragrances and essential oils and some additives of your choice.