Why Natural Soap is a Waste of Money

by Emily Colon September 23, 2016 3 Comments

"I bought a bar of organic natural soap and it didn’t last nearly as long as the name brand soap I usually buy. It had a wonderful smell, but I'm not sure I'll buy it again."

This is a common complaint natural soap creators hear.

Natural soap bars, like Tierra Mia Organics raw goat milk soaps, are made using natural saponified oils. This is the way soap has been made since about 2200 B.C. and this is why we refer to ours as a natural soap because they are handcrafted in this ancient and masterful way.

Natural soaps are normally softer than commercial big brand soap bars because natural soaps retain their naturally occurring glycerin. Commercial soaps are chemically-derived, and are more or less detergents rather than soap. The glycerin is removed from commercial soaps and artificial hardening chemicals or synthetic waxes are added to make the bar last longer.

Scrubbing bubbles. The more it suds the better is cleans, or so marketing has lead us to believe, but the notion of scrubbing bubbles is not exactly where the cleaning action happens.

Natural soap relies on the oils it is made of to clean and wash away dirt. Soap allows insoluble particles to become soluble in water, so they can then be rinsed away. The triglyceride, also known as fats, of a soap molecule is hydrophobic, which means that it is attracted to dirt and grime. These oils are insoluble in water, but this is just one end of the soap molecule. On the other end, is the alkali head, which is hydrophilic, which means that it attracts water. The hydrophobic tail attaches itself to the dirt and the hydrophilic end suspends the dirt in water. Then it can be washed away during a rinse.

You can read more about how soap works in this blog post HERE.

Commercial soaps utilize sodium to create lots of soap suds. These suds are created by the inclusion of harsh chemicals, which strip the skin of healthy moisture. If you have ever felt itchy after a bath or had to slather on lotion after a shower, just to feel relief, you’ve probably experience what commercial soap bars have to offer.

oils

We make our soaps with food grade organic oils, such as olive, rice bran, cocoa butter, jojoba and castor, that are super beneficial for the health of your skin. These oils are more emollient, leaving skin smooth and moisturized, never dry, like their commercial counterparts and these oils make a softer type of soap bar.

Commercial big brand soaps are generally cheaper. They are cheaper because chemical ingredients are used to make these soaps less expensive than good organic oils like the ones found in our 100% fresh goat milk soaps. But the real cost could very well be your health.

Investing in a bar of natural soap means you save your skin this irritation. You will likely use less moisturizing lotion because your skin will naturally retain more moisture. The health benefits are immeasurable when you think of the porous nature of your skin and how everything you put on it is absorbed into the body.

Many of the chemicals found in personal care products are known carcinogens and some of these chemicals are linked to birth defects, infertility and skin irritation.

Because of the added moisturizing oils, natural soap will dissolve more rapidly in water. It is the very nature of the soap. It doesn’t mean the bar is bad or defective, but it will seem as though your bar is wasting away before your eyes which may leave some consumers feeling that a natural soap bar may is a waste of money.

Waste not want not is what we say!

Do not leave your natural soap sitting in a pool of water in the shower, bath or sink. The simplest way to make your natural soap last is to purchase a slatted soap dish, one that lets the soap dry. You can also remove the soap from the shower and keep it in a dry place so that it will thoroughly dry before using it again.

The real waste is in having to buy added skincare products, simply to help skin conditions caused by commercial soaps and body wash. Don't waste money in this way, when using real natural soap correctly has so much to offer to your health and well being. Natural soap melts in water. Use it properly and you'll save in immeasurable ways!

soap dishes = soap savers - and you can find them HERE

Emily Colon

Author

3 Responses

Mr Fred Pilkington

June 09, 2018

I want to link this article on my soap business website but the title is so misleading! It frames the opposite argument to what you say in the article! :S

Pamela

October 08, 2016

I have no more rough bumps (ketosis pilaris) on back of arms or legs, or dry skin without harsh scrubbing or acids! And the bars do last quite awhile.