# Aleppo Soap and French Soap...



## Stinkydancer (Dec 18, 2013)

Ok, what is the deal with Aleppo Soap? Apparently there is a huge draw for this but what makes it so special? Castile with Bay Laurel made in Syria- got it- but has anyone ever used it and is it nice? I'm just trying to figure out what the draw is.

French soap as well- every French soap I have used has dried me out- why people think this is a luxury is beyond me. Is my skin just bad or is French soap overrated? 
Oh and everyone thinks it's cute to get a soap maker soap or even worse- Bath and Body Works stuff. LOL I don't get it.

(Sorry if this is in the wrong place- I wasn't sure where to post it.)

Help me out people!


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## boyago (Dec 18, 2013)

I don't know but "Stinkydancer" is an awesome handle!


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## Stinkydancer (Dec 18, 2013)

boyago said:


> I don't know but "Stinkydancer" is an awesome handle!


LOL- thanks! I hope it gave you a chuckle. :clap:


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## newbie (Dec 19, 2013)

Never used Aleppo or French soap so can't say. However, my mom just got me THREE bottles of shampoo with rosemary in it when she knows perfectly well I make shampoo bars with rosemary in it and I like it. She told me how expensive it is etc...I guess I didn't hide my perplexity well enough because she told me to give it back to her and she sent something else instead. Sheez!


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## Obsidian (Dec 19, 2013)

I've used handmilled french soaps before and I didn't notice them really being any different then any other store bought soap. I want to try Aleppo mainly to see what it smells like and if it will be good for my overly sensitive face.
I've seen a few places on etsy selling real aleppo soap from syria.


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## judymoody (Dec 19, 2013)

Quote:
 	 	 		 			 				 					Originally Posted by *boyago* 

 
_I don't know but "Stinkydancer" is an awesome handle!_

LOL- thanks! I hope it gave you a chuckle. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





My daughter is a dancer and when I drive her and her friends home from rehearsal, the car is pretty stinky!


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## Lin (Dec 19, 2013)

I also don't understand the big deal about hand milled french soaps. They also seem the same as commercial soaps to my skin. And the milling... Its rebatched soap, why does that make it better? And why does doing it 3 times make it so much better? I think fresh cp is nicer..


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## Stinkydancer (Dec 20, 2013)

judymoody said:


> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *boyago*
> 
> 
> ...



That is  exactly how we came up with the name. My daughter was 8 at the time and she reeked the car up after a dance class. I was taking Yoga too so I'm sure I did help. LOL


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## Stinkydancer (Dec 20, 2013)

Lin said:


> I also don't understand the big deal about hand milled french soaps. They also seem the same as commercial soaps to my skin. And the milling... Its rebatched soap, why does that make it better? And why does doing it 3 times make it so much better? I think fresh cp is nicer..



Same here.


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## praecordia (Dec 20, 2013)

I think its just advertised enough to be so much better that subliminally you think it is. Its one of those things you get hooked into buying by the advertising, use once and never buy again. I cant say Ive never been fooled by a pretty package or two, or 10. :-( not anymore. Haha


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## dixiedragon (Dec 20, 2013)

Yeah, I think "French" and "triple milled" just sounds fancy.

I don't mind when people give me handmade soap. They know I make soap and think, "Oh, she might like this cool soap!" And sometimes I buy it. But only when my mom and sister aren't looking, b/c they say, "You are on soap time out!" I especilaly like to get goat milk soap from people who milk their own goats. Because I think goats are neat, and because my track record with milk soap is not good.


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## DeeAnna (Dec 20, 2013)

Milling and rebatching aren't really the same, although it seems the two processes are often confused. 

Milling, unlike rebatching, is not practical for the handcrafted soap maker. I think I've seen rebatching called "hand milling", but the connection between rebatching soap and milling soap is basically wishful thinking.

A cool, cured soap is milled by forcing the soap between two hard rollers of a milling machine -- think of putting a piece of clothing into the wringers of an old wringer washer and you'll get the idea. The milling machine generates a fair amount of pressure to compress the soap, so it becomes very hard and glossy and lasts a long time. "Triple" milled soap is soap that has been put through the milling machine three times. Not all milled soap is triple milled -- usually it is only milled once.

In addition to hardening the soap and changing its texture, milling also allows the soap maker to incorporate delicate fragrances into the soap that would evaporate or deteriorate if the soap is at all warm (as would be true with rebatching). 

In the olden days (mid 1800s to early 1900s) some soap was milled by hand, but the worker had to use the industrial equivalent of a mortar and pestle to rub and compress the soap -- it took a long time to do and was very labor intensive.

Now whether a fancy triple-milled soap from France is actually nice on the skin ... well, that's another story! I've found this type of soap to be fairly drying too.


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## Nevada (Dec 20, 2013)

Made my own version of Aleppo, albeit without Laurel oil,
Warmed 32 oz Olive oil in crockpot, cut 3.2 oz bay leaf into thumb sized pieces (what a chore). Added to pot, kept at 200F for 2 hours. let cool overnight and returned to 200f for 2 hours, strained.

net Olive oil 18.6 oz (70%)
added 8 oz coconut (30%)
SF 5%
soaped at 80-90F
Nice pea green color and 1 hour to trace
Soap had a nice bay leaf note. Nice looking bar
9 months later maybe a little herbal note. 
Quite un-remarkable soap considering the labour involved. 
FWIW
Roy


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## AtraGarden (Dec 21, 2013)

What makes aleppo soap special is the way it is made and being used for centuries. Special ingredient is the Laurel Berry Oil which only produced in Mediterranean costs. The soap is aged for at least 3-4 months before use.


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## Lin (Dec 21, 2013)

ah, there are a bunch of youtube videos where people are just rebatching and calling it hand milled soap.


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## eucalypta (Aug 10, 2014)

AtraGarden said:


> WE NOW HAVE A SUPPLIER IN THE USA...
> 
> PLEASE VISIT ....IF YOU LIKE TO PURCHASE ....
> ......



Wrong place - NO capitals!

I don't want to be rude, but:

I'm not a moderator, but IMHO, as a vendor you should comply to the forum rules and advertise only in the "Sponsor Display" sub-forum.


> *Sponsor Display*
> This forum is for SoapMakingForum approved sponsors _to post their deals and specials_.


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## navigator9 (Aug 10, 2014)

JMO, but I think much of it is about the perception of luxury, or "specialness". If it's French, it must be ooh la la, right? And Aleppo and Savon de Marseille have been around so long, they're legendary. I'm sure there are wonderful French milled soaps, and I've never tried Aleppo or Savon de Marseille, but I'm sure they have their own great qualities, but I think something else may play a part in their popularity. 

Early on in my soapmaking days, I read soap blogs and looked at soapmaker's websites and was dazzled by the "superstars" of handmade soapmaking......the ones whose name every soapmaker knew, the ones who sold lots and lots of soap. How amazing must their soaps be, I wondered, for them to actually be able to make a living out of making soap? I imagined soap bars that produced mountains of big, frothy bubbles, and would make my skin feel like a baby, whose fragrance was like something that had fallen from heaven. So I decided to order some, so that I could have this experience. And you know what? It was nice soap....but it wasn't nicer than my own.  I was really quite surprised. How was this possible? Shouldn't I be hearing the angels sing when I used their soaps?

I gave it a lot of thought, and realized that these superstars were superstars at marketing, too. They had beautifully designed websites, gorgeous photographs of their products, beautiful packaging, well-written descriptions,  strong branding, and they knew how to use social media to their advantage.  Yes, their soap was nice, but I wasn't hearing any angels singing.  That's when I fully realized just how important marketing is. If someone sells a lot of soap, it must be really good stuff, right? Well, maybe yes, and maybe no. Look at Dove. They're marketing is great at convincing people that their "soap" is special. 

So once the perception is out there, that a certain product is special or luxurious, it  gets rolling, and is kind of hard to stop. Not saying that either French milled, or Aleppo soaps aren't good, just that they have a certain "aura" about them that may or may not have anything to do with their actual qualities...... they've been around for so long, that they must be special, extraordinary even, right?  It has a lot to do with perception.


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## Dorymae (Aug 10, 2014)

Stinkydancer said:


> Ok, what is the deal with Aleppo Soap? Apparently there is a huge draw for this but what makes it so special? Castile with Bay Laurel made in Syria- got it- but has anyone ever used it and is it nice? I'm just trying to figure out what the draw is.
> 
> French soap as well- every French soap I have used has dried me out- why people think this is a luxury is beyond me. Is my skin just bad or is French soap overrated?
> Oh and everyone thinks it's cute to get a soap maker soap or even worse- Bath and Body Works stuff.




It is called Label Appeal.  That is it.  Whenever you can add a word or an ingredient to your soaps and/or labels that creates the idea that your soap is somehow different, better, or more desirable.  

It is the reason we add exotic oils to soap - trust me it may make a nice bar of soap but the reality is that the exotic oil does very little to make a difference unless you are using a great deal of it.  It is also the reason for adding exotic salts.  Honestly I don't think it makes one hoot of a difference if I use regular table sea salt or pink himalayan sea salt but I will tell you that the label with pink himalayan on it will sell almost twice as well.

It's all about perception and marketing.  Whatever the news is tooting as then newest thing, that is the buzz word that will sell.


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