Soaps without fragrance but with looks to kill

[earthsessencellc]

Okay, i've been watching the 'green' channel a little too much lately. I am a HUGE environmentalist, and I really like the idea of creating something that is not going to harm Earth, so I can feel good about leaving this planet one day and knowing I really 'didn't' leave that big of a marker here for my kids.

What I mean and am talking about is:

I want to leave this place knowing that the things I made didn't hurt or harm the future of this planet in any way. The fact that I can teach my children to make soap, and do it without environmental impact. Saving the Forests one tree at a time, helping to reduce toxins and helping to create a safe environement for me, my family and all living things on this planet.

Well, I have just been watching a show about how, palm plants, now I am talking plantations, nt the plant itself. Palm plantations are driving the orangatangs out of the forests, and they are starting to become an endangers species, why? Because of the 'supply and demand of Palm oil, PKO, and SLS' all derivitives of Palm oil.

Okay that is an easy fix, stop using so much palm, right, but what else can you use? I don't have an issue with making soaps from Lard, actually I have been REALLY contemplating it, and honestly I think it's a good idea. (yeah fight club is coming to mind, NOT)
using ALL of an animal to me is smart, not gross, it's a good idea. okay that problem solved, onto another one and the main topic of this post.....

What if someone made bars of soap without any fragrance in them at all, but 'dressed' them up with colors and swirls, made using clays and certain 'natural' ingredients for colors..... Would you as a consumer be interested? I am saying for the soaps you choose to make 'cheaper' for the general public to purchase, and as an alternative to essential oils, which is how one would fragrance the rest of thier 'scented soaps'

Sorry this has ended up being such a long post, I hope i haven't bored you.... But I have been interested in some input on this subject, because the thought of making a lot of scent/fragrance free soaps and still making them 'LOOK' attractive, is intruging to me, just plain bars of soap, that look appealing and each are conditioning to the skin.... Would you buy it/them?

 

[soapaddict]

You don't have to stop using palm though there are a lot of suppliers out there like columbus that get it from renewable sources where they are not hurting the environment and the animals I'm not into animal oils at all to me that does gross me out, but I tried using lard once and I won't do it again. To me the soap stinks. Now as for unscented soap I know a lot of people like my hubby included love unscented soap, but me I love scent I'm more for eo's though.

 

[Black soap n candle lady]

I don't mind a pretty non fragranced soap. I love all kinds of handcrafted soaps. I also see where you are coming from. I think alot of us like to handcraft for ourselves without all of the excessive chemicals alot of commercial soap companies add.

 

[MikeInPdx]

I like unscented soaps as well, and I haven't had problems with lard stinking....I think it honestly depends on the lard....some have a bit of a piggy smell.

One thing you can do to scent soaps lightly is to pick fragrant flowers and herbs and dry them. Make your unscented soap....let it cure for a good 4 to six weeks, and then wrap the soap in cheesecloth with the herbs/flowers. Then seal the bars in aluminum foil and let them sit for another six weeks or so.

Very subtle, but nice.

 

[topcat]

Hi there! I understand where you are coming from on the palm oil issue - I am a friend of the orangutans myself and sponsor ("adopt") a baby orangutan each year to help out. I have found that a few soap ingredient suppliers source their palm oil products from sustainable plantations, NOT from habitat-destroying ones. Just research before you buy.

On the fragrance topic my personal preference as a consumer is if the soap is visually pretty then I am attracted to it. A soap's natural clean smell is nice enough anyway. I do love fragrance, but it is not the first thing I notice.

I also make melt & pour soap for fun and friends and have been making half a batch unscented and half scented. My feedback has been that both ways are equally nice

 

[lolaroxyb]

That is why we are making soap from the glycerin from the biodiesel process. We are taking a waste stream (used cooking oil) and making two usable products. The first is biodiesel for fuel or heat. the second is soap. We have eliminated a waste stream. We also use the glycerine to heat the shop and the water an the oil to make the bio. We use electric as a back up. Now if we could just find a natural way of changing the color! It is no where near the beautiful soaps I have seen you all make.
It is the thought of leaving a better world for our kids that has moved us to do this. We have found a lot of support on this board. But we have met a lot a resistance and the fear monger attitude. People talk about "going green" but many don't do anything past putting stuff into the bin at the end of the drive. Biodiesel is 52% better for my engine and 90% better for the environment. We say "it is soap with a purpose!"

 

[Tam]

Regarding the fragrance question....the first thing my customers do is pick up the soap and smell it. I try to educate them that it's the ingredients that make the difference not the fragrance which can be anything (talking about FO's here). I'm usually met with blinking eyes and a blank stare. I do have a couple that request extra scrubby-ness! Oh well...

 

[MikeInPdx]

I agree. I don't sell, but I have bars with good ingredients and some pretty crappy crisco bars with nice smelling FO. Guess which ones the friends, families and co-workers pick every time? :cry: