Handmade Natural Soap On Revolution

We have had many household things used for "green earth" advocacy, ranging from fuel to paper bags. One unlikely item that has also joined the "green earth" trail is soap. It has been proved that the industrial soaps that we normally use are not only harmful to us but also to our environment. This has lead to consumers making their own soaps with modern as well as conventional methods.

Natural soaps have been around from as early as medieval times. In fact, the industrial soaps have for a long time been using the traditional raw materials and processes until the chemicals added as preservatives and colors have posed fear of safety. Consequently, people have gone to the old ways of making natural soap to avoid the dangers posed by the modern industrial soaps and also to advocate to products that are safe for humanity as well as the environment. The results have been more than soaps for individual consumption. Some have resulted to making soaps for commercial purposes, and it is expected that it's just a matter of time for industrial soap makers to turn into the safe old ways of manufacturing the products.

How it is made
Natural soap is normally made from a combination of oils from plant or animals and a strong alkali. There are different processes that can be used to make natural soap, but all aim at blending the oils and the alkaline to form thick molds of soap substance. The substance is then poured into blocks of wood or metal and cooled for several days. This process makes excess alkali to rise up, leaving optimal content of the oil and alkali mixture on the bottom. The top layer of the excess is removed and a pure soapy substance is left in the blocks.

Different substances have been used to form different colors and aromas in the natural soap. Also, different soap makers use various natural ingredients as preservatives; like Rosemary. Once the right end product have been made, the soap molds are then cut using sharp blades or wires to form bars. Depending on whether the soap is meant for household use or commercial, the natural soap can be packaged on different packs.

Why natural soap is safe for your skin
Many people are irritated by industrial soaps after using them, especially after doing some washing. The soaps also cause dryness to the skin and make it itchy. The irritation is normally caused by the chemical content in the soap added as preservatives, fragrances or artificial colors. It can also be caused by oils or alkali that have not fully neutralized during the manufacturing process. This puts your skin at a risk of harmful substances, dehydration and infections. However, since natural soaps are carefully handcrafted, and no artificial chemicals are added, the end-product is safe for use.

Where to get natural soap
You can as well make your own soap by gathering relevant raw materials. There are several stores which are now selling natural soaps. Although you may not be able to differentiate by just looking from a far, you can look at the ingredients that have been used to make the soap. You can as well ask the shop attendant to give you handmade natural soap.

Top Benefits Of Natural Handmade Soap

Natural handmade soap is beneficial to a person and the planet, contrary to commercial ones. When a person uses the former type to the latter one, we notice our skin is not dry and the use of natural ingredients will not pollute our waters. These are top reasons for using made from scratch bodily cleaning items.

Commercial items are usually sold under the title of beauty or body bars, most of them do not have the word "soap" on their labels. The reason for this omission is that the bars do not contain the same organic agents, but rather they contain synthetic lathering agents and chemicals. Many manufactured bars do not use glycerin, which aids in moisturizing the skin. In fact glycerin is what lotions have.

Homemade ones on the other hand contain the needed moisturizing elements that have been taken out of the manufactured ones. This is one of the top reasons why using manmade ones are better for our skin. We will no longer feel our skin is dry after a shower, but rather our bodies will reflect the beneficial moisturizing effect of the soap we've washed up with. The second benefit from using something homemade is that it won't be harmful to our planet due to the use of earth ingredients and no chemicals.

The next time you go shopping opt to buying natural handmade soap. You may spend a little more, due to the making process, but your skin will be much more satisfied with the natural and needed ingredients to keep it soft and silky. In addition you will be doing a favor to our planet by not polluting our waters.

Marketing Handmade Soap

Making handmade soap can be challenging and also very fulfilling. Marketing handmade soap can be down right daunting. After you sell a few bars to family and friends, where do go from there? Craft fairs and Christmas bazaars are a natural choice, though they both have very limited seasons. If you make a commitment to a retail space, then you are truly taking that next big step. That step however could be financially fatal. Many crafters are not in a position to make such large commitment, especially at the outset of their endeavor. This is why finding a viable alternative to renting retail space is the single most important task you will pursue in assuring your crafting hobby turns into a successful small business.

The great equalizer in the world of small business is the internet, or so we were told. Yet there are thousands of small, and large businesses alike that have failed in the arena of ecommerce. Are there any lessons to learn from these failures? Is it possible for a small crafter to compete with the super retailers.

The main advantage of being a crafter is that you posses a product that is truly unique and it has ongoing demand from a very loyal customer base. I have had soap buyers spend weeks to track me down, just to get a bar of my soap that another crafter was selling at a fair. These customers are committed to buying products from local crafters because it helps local communities and supports local economies. These are the types of customers that the crafter should be targeting.

There are several outlets on the internet that target craft buyers. Some of these charge very nominal fees and are a great place to get your feet wet in craft marketing. You can list several items and let the market tell which products are likely to get the best response. One of the best sites is Etsy. If you haven't tried them, you should. They have a very loyal following and their overall business is growing every month. Because they have a great feedback system you can also see what items other crafters are having success with. This is great way to get ideas or new products. Please do not blatantly copy other crafters works. Use these new ideas you see to integrate with your own products.

The other site to get great ideas and market information from is Ebay. Their fees have gotten a bit outrageous lately so be careful as they can kill your marketing budget very quickly. For market research though, they can't be beat. I have discovered many of hot new fragrances for my handmade soap on Ebay. Stores start at 15.95. This is about as cheap as any ecommerce opportunity available today.

Natural Colorants For Handmade Soap

As a soapmaker, you'll notice that many soaps will naturally turn out different colors. For example, whenever I've added honey to soap, the soap has turned honey-colored. If it is important to you, like it is to me, that your soap is 100% all-natural, you'll be disappointed with many of the available soap dyes. Why? Because they contain the same chemicals used to color commercial soaps-namely FD&C colors (FD&C stands for Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics). These are also the ingredients used in food coloring. Some of the known side effects of FD&C colorants include:

 FD&C Red #40 causes lymphomas and tumors

 FD&C Yellow #5 (used in Dial soap) causes allergies, thyroid tumors, lymphomas, chromosomal damage, triggers asthma, hives, and hyperactivity

 FD&C Yellow #6 causes hives, runny nose, nasal congestion, bronchial constriction, anaphylactic reaction, bruising, allergies, and kidney tumors. 

 FD&C Green #3 (used in Irish Spring soap) causes bladder tumors 

 FD&C Blue #2 causes brain tumors

The only color-true natural soap dyesout there are annatto seed (orange), alkanet root (magenta), ratanjot (purple), spirullina, seaweed/kelp (all green), vanilla extract, coffee, cocoa powder (all deep brown), red and/or white wine (both make soap pink), carrot juice (orange), pureed cucumber (green), and tomato (peach). These colorants definitely hold up in handmilling and may stand up in cold processing. I also know for sure that beets (reddish-pink) do not work in coloring soap whether used in cold-processing or handmilling. Turmeric (bright yellow) and paprika (orange) can also be used to dye soap with pretty good results.

The only natural soap dyes that I know of made commercially are available from TKB Trading, Cranberry Lane, and Sun Feather Natural Soap Co. TKB Trading offers oil-based natural dyes: oil-based blue (from blue gardenia flowers), oil-based green (from chlorophyll--the stuff that causes grass stains), oil-based red (from beetles or "carmine"--this one is not vegan), and oil-based yellow (from annatto seed). Be aware that TKB Trading has a $20 minimum for orders. Cranberry Lane offers Ratanjot (purple) and Annatto Seeds (yellow). Sun Feather offers powdered natural pigments, which are made of pulverized minerals and plant material. Their offerings include: yellowish-brown (brown ochre), bright white (titanium dioxide), purple (ultramarine purple), earthy green (chromium oxide), earthy yellow (yellow ochre), bright blue (ultramarine blue), and earthy yellow (yellow sienna).

Furthermore, most all color in soap will fade over time. Ironically, reds are known for bleeding. Mineral pigments (and micas) are more likely to fade in the light than others. Do not use things that are not made for soaps, cosmetics, or food, such as crayons, candle dyes, or paint.