Why homemade soap?

What do you think when you hear 'homemade soap'?

Do you think spa level luxurious, silky bubbles, and the old Herbal Essence commercials kind of excitement? Oooo!

Or...

Do you think harsh and drying, with a high probability of getting lye burns?  Ouch!

I won't lie.  I thought the latter.  That is, until I made some. Correction: until I used some.
I had done all the calculations..  twice... and run the recipe through an online calculator to be extra sure, but I still used disposable gloves the first time I used my own soap, lol. I was incredibly impressed when it actually made suds.  "I made real soap!"

My confidence boosted, but still hesitant, I took off the gloves. What came next was more surprising than having all 4 of my kids in a good mood at the same time - I loved my homemade soap! It wasn't harsh. It didn't burn a layer of skin off. And it didn't leave a dry, tight feeling.  I didn't know soap could do that!
It was moisturizing. It smelled nice. And it left my skin softer, smoother, and healthier looking.  I was sold. My homemade soap was, and continues to be, the most luxurious bath product I use.  

See, a natural byproduct of soap is glycerin. From all that I've read and am now getting to experience, glycerin is something of a miracle worker. You'll find it in lots of other skin care products like lotions, skin masks, and anti-aging cremes. It is even used in some printing inks, explosives (nitroglycerin, anybody?)  and preservatives. Simply put, everybody loves it!  It is a known humectant, meaning it pulls moisture out of the air to your skin, and some believe it has the ability to prevent or even reverse wrinkles and age spots (I have not seen these effects yet, but I'm hopeful!).

Because it has so many uses, many commercial soap makers actually remove the glycerin from their soap and sell it separately for lots of moolah, striping the benefits from their soap, resulting in a soap that is drying and harsh.

What's that? Your soap doesn't dry you out? Are you sure you have soap? And no, I'm not kidding. I had been using the same name brand bar of 'soap' for quite a few years only to find out that it wasn't even soap!  It was made up mostly of synthetic detergents which uses cheaper ingredients than natural oils - that's why these bars cost less. If your package says something along the lines of moisturizing beauty bar instead of soap... cha-ching! You probably have some detergents in there. If you're okay with that, no judgement here, but it's not for me or my little girl with PRP.  I'd rather have detergents washing my clothes or dishes than my skin.

Another benefit of homemade soap is knowing exactly what goes into it - oils and lye water - and maybe a few natural add-ins to exfoliate or soothe skin. I love that I can pick the oils that will result in a desirable soap property, like creamy lather or extra moisturizing. Every combination will result in a different soap, so if you don't like one, try another! It took me, ahem, a few batches before I created my favorite soap.  The possibilities are, literally, endless!

Did I convince you? Are you dying to try some homemade soap now? Check out my Etsy store for my just listed Spinach-Tea Tree Soap and Orange-Cedarwood Soap!

What is your initial thought when you hear the phrase 'homemade soap? Let me know in the comments! And be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram.