Island Dreams Soap
Member
I make an all vegan bar with essential oil’s . If you like I can send you a sample size to you to try at no cost to you. I will send all ingredients as well. Cheers!
Help Support Soapmaking Forum:
Yes and no. As an example Rustic Ecentuals is in Ohio, Ohio has sales tax. I live in Oregon, Oregon does not have sales tax. When I order from RE I am not charged sales tax because Oregon is the location of the 'end user'. Now if I went to Ohio and purchased or picked up my order, I would have to pay sales tax because that is where I am at time.
Not strictly true. Even though I don't have a store in the UK and/or only sell a few bars a year in the UK...I'm still "doing business" in the UK and thus would be subject to all the rules and regulations for selling soap in the UK.
I got into soap making because of Goat Milk Soap. I suffered from dry skin for years and then I was given some GMS and it was like a miracle and all I bought was GMS for years. Then the old lady that made the soap retired and I didn't like any of the options the new gal made so I went back to commercial soap and big bottles of moisturizer. Then I started making soap 2 1/2 years ago...just Regular Soap since I didn't yet know how to make GMS and...my dry skin problem went away. So it begs the question...does goat milk REALLY make a difference? What is goat milk but fat, sugar and water? And Coconut Milk...it's just shredded coconut pureed in water and then strained.
Is it what is IN our soap that makes it better for our skin or what ISN'T our soap?
Ugeauxgirl
Well-Known Member
I agree with @TheGecko about what's not in the soap. I gave out some ugly bars at a physical therapy facility where I volunteer. One of the moms came back and asked me for more soap because it helped her child's eczema so much. It was not a particularly gentle bar. I think some people's skin objects to the detergents found in most commercially sold soap. It was a mostly lard soap, cause I love lard...
For me, it is definitely what's NOT in the soap. Other than needing to stay away from high amounts of CO, I have made almost every kind of soap there is with good results. I have blind tested all of the major kinds of soaps on my willing family (who also have eczema) and every one agreed that we all like high lard better than anything else. As it was cheaper than anything else, I happily agreed. We're even all able to use FOs and colorants in the soap and still no eczema. I don't use neem oil, I don't use anything else deemed "miracle oils". Just soap from lard, CO, OO, and castor oil seems to do the trick.
sophiayun
Member
Wow that is great recipe! I honestly never tried lard before, I'm afraid of the smell of animal fats, but I should definitely try it before the year ends. Thank you so much for your recipe, I will try it for my two little babies
Where can I get good quality, deordorized, refined lard in CA, hahaha
Oh wow. I want to try them of course! I only used Lavender essential oils to my soaps but I don't really see a big difference yet hmm. Oh but it might be too expensive to ship though! Thank you for your kindness haha.
@sophiayun If you want to start by trying a small quantity of lard, Walmart carries several sizes, usually anywhere from an 8oz "brick" to a 4lb pail. Small jars of organic lard are also sold at some Trader Joe's, and most Whole Foods and Natural Grocers. For soap, I'd stick with the less expensive stuff from Walmart. Let us know how it turns out!
sophiayun
Member
Ugeauxgirl
Well-Known Member
I soap with lard frequently and even my 100% lard unscented soaps are odor free. I use the Armour brand lard I buy at Walmart.
May I ask if your skin is also a lover of the lard? Does your skin seem to “like” one oil more than others?
Our neighboring Walmart’s have drastically reduced the size of the lard section the past month or so but as @AliOop mentioned they always always have Armor lard in various sizes.
Hey there, @LynetteO . I have not used homemade soap made with animal fats. Not a judgment or anything, I just started with non-animal products and am always perfecting that recipe. Using my soap, I have not pinpointed a particular oil. I'll experiment from time to time -- but by the time I actually use the soap, I can't remember which factor I tweaked! I did notice a big difference since I started adding sugar -- lovin' the lather action. Not bragging but I really love washing with my soap, it's a simple pleasure in my day.
Un-saponified soap is another matter. Love love love meadowfoam seed oil -- I could fill a bathtub with that stuff. Also like jojoba when I have the $ to buy it.
Zany_in_CO
Saponifier
So true! Me too! Makes me feel decadent!!!
SoapMaking
Member
I know this thread is about 2 years old but I have a question along the same lines. I’m noticing a lot of Companies advertising soaps that are for eczema, like Bend Soap. Ive always thought ans read that this now makes it a drug therefore needing FDA approval. Am I missing something?
Looking through their [soap] description, they are stepping on the line, but I'm not seeing where they have crossed over since they aren't advertising that the soap will cure or prevent eczema: "Hydrate, nourish, and moisturize your eczema-prone skin the natural way with chemical-free and cruelty-free skincare products that work."
Now their salves go over the line, but I don't know if they have their butt hanging in the wind hoping it won't get noticed or if they have applied for, and received FDA approval.
Honestly, I worry less about how other people advertise and more about making sure all MY ducks are in a row.
I was doing the same thing while doing my research looking for truly "natural" bars of soap for my skin, that is to say no fragrance, no colorants added, just the oils & butters needed to make a bar of soap. When I decided to make my own because it's next to impossible to find soap without the extras, I thought I might try to fill that void and sell soap that would be honestly good for skin issues because of what's not in the soap, but it all became overwhelming.
Like Gecko said, don't worry about what everyone else is or isn't doing or saying, just make sure you're doing it right.
Don't make healing, treatment or curing claims. Soothing the "symptoms" is ok, I believe, like soothing the itch caused by dry skin or eczema. I think you can use "if/then" statements also, for example: if you have eczema, then you might want to try this soap because . . ."
I believe there are more threads in this forum discussing this topic also ~ good luck with your research!
I knew this guy that always had a lot of money. I asked him what he did to get it so I could follow his lead. Apparently I misunderstood what he said because now I am a soap dealer. Not the same money.
That’s still too close to making medical claim.
Michelle0803
Well-Known Member
I have used a "has been known to" statement. For example "jewelweed has been known to help calm the itch from poison ivy". I am not making a medical claim regarding my soap. I am mentioning the possible benefit of an ingredient.
Known by whom? Can you cite your medical source? Have you had your soap tested to confirm that the amount of jewelweed is not only sufficient to back up your claims, but that the amount of soap that would be used AND the time frame that it would be used, would be sufficient to do as you claim?
ETA: I make Goat Milk Soap and a lot of folks swear by it when it comes to helping with eczema and I've had people ask me about its use for said. My response: "I make absolutely no claims about my soap other than that it will get you clean if used properly."
LOL, I am one that says GM does no more than label appeal so there you go... My tallow/lard soaps do the same for my extremely sensitive skin as do my gm soaps. I always say it is the Power of Suggestion, but I did sell a lot of Goat Milk Soaps...
