wow! great idea. Nothing pressing. Just an idea that I had always planned but figured I would get around to. Until someone considering selling in their store asked me if I had one. Then I panicked and figured I should get to work on it now. I am going for a 3 point presentation right now.
1. Why are homemade soaps better?
2. What is in/not in our soaps?
3. Why are they more expensive?
I don't have a problem sharing what I come up with (barring the professional courtesy of not specifically marketing in central Alabama using my ideas) This is what I have worked out so far. Please correct me if you think I am off-base or incorrect and feel free to expound.
Why are homemade soaps better?
Commercially made soaps are actually DETERGENTS, and not soaps. When detergents are used, dirt and oils are removed from our skin. This leaves our skin feeling dry and itchy, because our natural moisture has been removed.
Our soaps are a combination of soap and glycerin in the finished product. Glycerin is naturally found in homemade soaps because it is a byproduct of the soaping process. Glycerin attracts moisture and traps it, keeping skin moisturized and soft. Homemade soap is better because it is gentler to your skin!
What is in our soap?
We create our soap using the cold process method. We use natural food grade oils such as soy, coconut, olive and palm. We then add an alkali solution. The solution is required for the oils to saponify (which is where the word soap comes from). Thanks to careful calculations and measuring we are able to ensure that all of these alkalis are consumed in the soap making process. What you are left with, then, is neither alkali, nor oil, but saponified oils (soap). We even add a certain amount of unsaponified oils to ensure that not only is all the alkali used, but also that you are left with some natural conditioning and moisturizing oils.
What is not in our soap? (These ingredients are found in most, if not all of commercially available brands)
Pentasodium pentetate - An inorganic salt used as a water softener, emulsifier and dispersing ingredient in cosmetic cleansing creams, lotions and soaps. Can be an eye irritant.
Tetrasodium EDTA - Synthetic preservative - can be irritating to the eyes/mucous membranes.
Sodium cocoyl isethionate - synthetic detergent. Technically, an anionic surfactant, meaning it reduces surface tension, making water 'wetter'.
Sodium isethionate - synthetic detergent. Technically, a moisture absorber, surfactant and anti-static agent.
Trisodium etidronate - A preservative. Possible irritant.
BHT - (butylhydroxytoluene) Synthetic antioxidant to keep oils in formula from going rancid. When ingested, implicated in tumor formation and liver enlargement in rodent tests. Sometimes used as a food preservative.
Disodium phosphate - Buffering agent, used to adjust pH.
I am still working on it.
