Soaps by Nature Blog

What’s in your handmade natural soap? Learn about color and nutrients.

Events, Handmade Natural Soap Basics, Ingredients, Uncategorized Comments Off

Jul 192011

The artisan soap maker has both natural and synthetic choices for adding color and nutrients to soap. As with all ingredient choices, there are considerations that affect the appearance, quality and skincare properties of the finished soap bar.

Colorants
Until the 1850′s, product coloring came primarily from vegetable, plant and animal dyes and mineral pigments. The first synthetic dye was produced in 1856, and since then, synthetics have become the norm rather than the exception. Ground spices and herbs are a natural color option that also add scent, texture and beneficial skincare properties.

Ground spices and herbs are a natural color option.

Examples include powdered cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Herbal infusions (powered or chopped leaves or flowers combined with mineral water) create a muted color and interesting effects. Inorganic minerals such as mica, ochres, titanium dioxide, iron oxides and ultramarine are used by many soap makers to add color. Plant oils, extracts and vegetable compounds can add beautiful and natural coloring to soap. Examples include annatto extract, grapeskin extract and beet root extract. Options for vegetable compounds include chlorophyll and hydrated tomato.

Nutrients
Nutrients are added to soap for their unique skincare properties. Some nutrients are emollient, such as sweet almond oil, jojoba oil and shea butter. Others provide skin-conditioning properties, such as aloe vera, carrot seed oil and calendula oil.

Honey is added to soap as a humectant, which is the ability to attract moisture to the skin.

Honey is added to soap as a humectant, which is the ability to attract moisture to the skin. Oatmeal benefits for skin have been known throughout history – especially to soothe dry, itchy and irritated skin conditions. The properties of the oat make it an excellent moisture-binding agent, helping skin to stay hydrated and offering a gentle exfoliating scrub.

What’s in your handmade natural soap? How do the ingredients help your skin?

SOURCE
Information for this post was summarized from:
Cavitch, Susan Miller (1995). The Natural Soap Book, Massachusettes: Storey Publishing

Artisan Interview: Introducing The Bubble Bakery

Soap Artisan Interviews, Uncategorized Comments Off

Jul 052011

The Bubble Bakery Handmade Natural Artisan Soaps

We’re delighted to welcome The Bubble Bakery to our website! Mary Tiez, The Bubble Bakery artisan soap maker, kindly agreed to answer a few questions for us.

What was your inspiration to start making handcrafted soap and skincare products?
The inspiration for making handcrafted soaps and skincare products, came from the exploration of ways to provide the positive health benefits of natural botanicals in a useful way. This is also the best way to insure good quality all natural soap and skin care products. Korean and Lithuanian heritage also inspired The Bubble Bakery handmade soap and skincare product line.

Mary Tiez, The Bubble Bakery

What is your company’s “signature,” or what sets your products apart?
I feel our “signature” is our application of natural botanicals, such as dill weed in our Peppermint Soap or apricot kernel powder in our Tea Tree Witch Hazel Lemon Verbena Soap. We have very unique combinations of essential oils and dried herbs, and I feel this sets our products apart.

Please tell us in general, about your decisions to include specific types of ingredients when formulating your products?
When making decisions to include specific types of ingredients in our product formulations, we initially check that it is natural. We also look at the ingredient’s healing and cleansing properties. We look for ingredients that will be most beneficial to the skin , taking into consideration which essential oils are complementary to which solid botanicals.

The Bubble Bakery Natural Goatmilk Honey Almond Soap

What advice do you give those considering a natural skincare product?
Natural is all ways the best way to go. Un-natural skincare products are full of synthetics and harsh additives; they are like junk food for your skin. However, just because a product is natural doesn’t mean it is the best for your skin. It is important to research which natural ingredients will work best with your skin type. For example, Goatmilk Honey Almond is a wonderful soap – I love the scrubbiness and smell however the properties of it cause it to be very moisturizing. However, since my skin type is oily, so this wouldn’t work well for me. Soaps by Nature is a great starting point for learning about natural skincare products and ingredients.

Where does your inspiration come from when creating new designs and recipes?
When creating new designs and recipes our inspiration comes from many places:
1. From nature and the ingredients: looking at what the plants of the botanicals actually look like – and a recipe’s ingredients might inspire us to use certain colors or add additional complementary botanicals.
2. From experimentation: I might be making a batch of two different recipes and think about combining them into one recipe. How will that turn out? Or I’ll look at all of the dry ingredients or essential oils and think of new designs and recipes that way. I can find inspiration in the most random places and things!

Which soap is most popular with your customers?
Oh gosh, another tough question to answer! It is very interesting to see some soaps more popular in one region vs. another, when doing craft shows and markets around the country. However it seems like no matter what market or show we might be in, the Goatmilk Honey Almond Soap is the most popular.

The Bubble Bakery Natural Grapefruit Soap

Which soap is your favorite and why?
That is hard question, but my favorite would have to be our Grapefruit Soap, for a couple of reasons. It is well suited for my skin type; Grapefruit essential oil is great for oily skin, due to its antiseptic properties. It’s also full of anti-oxidants,and I like our use of safflower threads. In large quantities, safflower threads have a really strong overpowering smell, but they are a nice addition to the notes of the grapefruit essential oil. I do use other soaps but always seem to make my way back to Grapefruit.

Thank you, Mary and a warm welcome to The Bubble Bakery!
Meet The Bubble Bakery at Soaps by Nature

Top 5 Tips for Using and Storing Handmade Natural Soap

Handmade Natural Soap Basics, Uncategorized 2 Responses »

Jun 282011

Cardboard Shoe Box

Congratulations on your purchase or gift of handmade natural soap!

If not properly used and stored, your wonderful new soap could quickly dissolve in the shower or slowly deteriorate on the shelf. Here are our Top 5 Tips to enjoy your soap to the very last bubble:

1. Store soaps not in use in a covered container that allows air circulation, and in a cool, dry location. Shoe boxes work great for this. If you prefer to store your soaps in plastic, be sure to add ventilation to the container to allow the soaps to breathe. Handmade natural soaps are high in natural glycerin and vegetable oils; non-ventilated storage may result in a “weepy” or rancid soap bar. Keep your stored soaps out of direct sunlight, as natural ingredient colors may fade. Storage life varies, depending upon the formulation of the soap. In general, assuming proper storage, your handcrafted soap should last from 6 to 12 months.

Suction Cup Soap Saver

2. If storing several soaps, it’s best to store similar scents together. Sample categories include: lavender, citrus, mint, spice, tea tree, rosemary, eucalyptus, fruit and floral. The essential oils in handcrafted soaps vary in dominance and mellow over time at different rates. Storing a peppermint (dominant) scent with a citrus (mild) scent may result in the citrus scent taking on a peppermint aroma. Even under the best conditions, citrus scents tend to mellow more quickly than other scents.

3. Cut the soap bar in half and use half at a time, storing the unused portion as noted above. Create a “buffet” of half-bar soaps and enjoy a variety of scents during the week!

Pine Slotted Soap Dish

4. Use a soap dish that offers drainage (e.g. slotted) so the soap can dry between uses. Slotted soap dishes come in many different sizes, shapes and materials. A Google search will offer options such as wooden, ceramic and plastic. Another option is a flexible plastic suction cup soap saver – they’re inexpensive and work well both in the shower and at the sink. Wooden soap dishes can be used in the shower, if there is a high shelf available out of direct contact with water – and if there is adequate ventilation to allow drying between uses. We do not recommend using a ceramic soap dish in the shower, as it may fall and break.

Hand Knit Cotton Soap Saver Pouch

5. Use a soap saver pouch. Place your bar of soap in the pouch and pull the drawstring closed. Wet the soap and pouch and lather up. When done hang up the pouch, soap and all, to allow it and your soap to dry between uses. Soap saver pouches come in several different materials, such as cotton yarn, ramie and plastic mesh. In addition to lengthening the life of your soap, a soap saver pouch will add a gentle exfoliating scrub. Soap savers are great for using up soap slivers – gather slivers together in the pouch and use until gone.

For those who wish to make their own Soap Saver, here’s a link to a great pattern for knitters:
Arly Design Spa Soap Saver Sack. This pattern costs $5.00 and we feel it’s well worth it!

With proper storage and in-use care, you’ll get the most of your handmade natural soap!

Are all handcrafted skincare products made from 100% natural ingredients?

Ingredients Comments Off

May 092011

After researching nearly 100 handcrafted soap companies and skincare product lines, our observation is that products generally group into two categories: “all natural” and “nearly natural.”

We use the term “all natural” to refer to products to which no synthetic ingredients are added, such as synthetic color or fragrance. Those that are “nearly natural” typically begin with a base of natural oils, butters, etc. to which either synthetic fragrance and/or synthetic color are added.

Synthetic Scents
In our experience, the most common synthetic additive relates to scent. The majority of scented products offered at Soaps by Nature are formulated with natural plant-based essential oils. Those made with synthetic fragrance oils typically occur in cases where a popular scent cannot be extracted from actual plant material. Examples are (non-citrus) fruit and berry scents; “dessert” scents such as chocolate and caramel or popular perfume scents.

Other factors come into play as well: for example, sandalwood essential oil is a very popular scent and has historically been used in skin care as a natural plant-extracted ingredient. However, natural sandalwood essential oil is less available now and very expensive due to commercial over-harvesting of sandalwood trees. As a result, we’re seeing more natural products companies switch to sandalwood fragrance oil.

Good Information and Good Choices
We believe there is a place for synthetic additives for scent or color, when done to achieve an artisan’s particular goal for product design – providing the basic product formula consists primarily of natural ingredients. In fact, some of these exceptional and “nearly natural” products are among our customers’ favorites!

However, we recognize there are individuals with sensitive skin issues and/or allergies to synthetics and so need to avoid such products. For this reason, we will not add a product to Soaps by Nature that does not include full disclosure of the ingredients from the crafter. We encourage all to carefully read the product descriptions and ingredients offered at Soaps by Nature, to make the best possible choices.

Soapmaker Interview: Natural Dog Shampoo

Dog Dry Skin, Ingredients, Pets, Uncategorized 1 Response »

Apr 252011

Those of us who love, live with and care for dogs know that skincare is a top priority. Dry skin on dogs is a common issue, as is irritated and itchy dog skin. The natural dog shampoo and other grooming products offered at Soaps by Nature are formulated specifically for healthy dog skincare. Susan Svec, Owner of Susan’s Soaps and More, kindly agreed to an interview with us about their Canine Creations Natural Dog Shampoo Bar.

Susan's Soaps and More Canine Creations Natural Dog Shampoo Bar

What are primary trends that you’re seeing related to skincare for dogs?
Our customers are becoming more aware of the importance of natural skincare for their pets. Many customers have commented to me that their dogs suffer from some type of dermatitis and have issues with itching.

Please tell us in general, about your decisions to include specific types of ingredients when formulating Canine Creations.
I use the same shampoo base in our Canine bar as I do in our regular shampoo bars. A dog’s skin is sensitive too, and this is going over their entire body, not just on their head. I wanted to include ingredients that would help the dog’s skin feel better, smell nice and also offer some insect repelling qualities. I included the oatmeal, and the Shea and cocoa butters is to help with dry, itchy dog skin.

The Lavender essential oil is great for dry and itchy skin as well, and is also known to be a natural insect repellent. The Lemongrass essential oil smells fresh and clean, with insect repelling properties. I am not saying that you won’t ever have to treat for fleas or ticks again, however Canine Creations natural dog shampoo bar should help to some degree, to discourage insect pests from your dog.

What advice do you have for those looking for a natural canine shampoo?
You do want to remember basic skin care: don’t bathe too often and not with water too warm. Both can cause excessive drying of your dog’s skin. In general, I think the same rules apply to your pet’s skin as to your own – if you are willing to make a little bit of effort it’s really pretty easy these days to go natural!

Soaps by Nature Note
This shampoo bar was created by experienced dog bathers! The bar is pre-cut into approx. 8 pieces and bagged together. Use one slice per bath – no large, slippery soap bars to chase around the tub.

Thank you, Susan!

Lavender Essential Oil in Natural Skincare

Aromatherapy, Ingredients, Uncategorized 1 Response »

Apr 192011

Soap Scents: Let’s Talk Lavender
Aromatherapy is one of the primary benefits of using natural skincare products made with essential oils. In the time it takes for a routine bath or shower, you gain bonus benefits based on the properties of the essential oil(s) used in a soap, scrub or lotion. This edition of our Soap Scents Series explores lavender essential oil and introduces related handcrafted products.

Lavender and Lemon Natural Body Lotion

The name “lavender” originates from the Old French “lavandre.” Lavandula angustifolia (true lavender) is a member of the Lamiaceae or Mint family. Common names include English Lavender and Garden Lavender. The herb’s name comes from the Latin lavare, which means “to wash.” It is native to the Mediterranean region.

Use of lavender spread from the Mediterranean region to India and then to Tibet. In both regions, lavender gained a reputation for helping to quell anxiety and clear the mind. By the late Middle Ages, lavender was commonly grown in Monastery gardens and used as a soothing tonic. Lavender water or lavender tea was prescribed to relieve insomnia, tension and depression.

Naiad Soap Arts
French Lavender Vegan Soap

Lavender Oil Benefits
Lavender oil benefits skincare through its antiseptic and antibacterial properties. The high percentage of linalool that it contains is beneficial for healing. Lavender oil is known to balance the skin, making it ideal for any skin type. Lavender oil has properties known to encourage the growth of new skin cells, beneficial for certain skin conditions related to acne and aging.

A number of studies have reported that lavender essential oil may be beneficial in a variety of conditions, including insomnia, alopecia (hair loss), anxiety, stress, and postoperative pain. However, most of these studies have been small. Lavender is also being studied for antibacterial and antiviral properties. Lavender oil is often used in other forms of integrative medicine, such as massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic manipulation.

Scientific evidence suggests that aromatherapy with lavender may slow the activity of the nervous system, improve sleep quality, promote relaxation, and lift mood in people suffering from sleep disorders. Studies also suggest that massage with essential oils, particularly lavender, may result in improved sleep quality, more stable mood, better concentration, and reduced anxiety. In one recent study, people who received massage with lavender felt less anxious and more positive than those who received massage alone.

Several small studies suggest that lavender aromatherapy may help reduce agitation in patients with dementia. Lavender flowers have also been approved in Germany as a tea for insomnia, restlessness, and nervous stomach irritations.

Thornapple Ridge Soaps
Peppermint Lavender

In modern herbal medicine, lavender is most commonly prescribed as a mild, calming sedative for insomnia and sleep disorders, to settle indigestion and nervous intestinal complaints and to treat minor nervous ailments. Lavender oil uses in aromatherapy headache and migraine relief, and relief of emotional upsets. The mind and the body can be relaxed and soothed down by the inhalation of a lavender tincture (made from the essential oil of the lavender); smelling the lavender flowers also induces this effect in the body. Topical use of diluted lavender oil or use of lavender as aromatherapy is generally considered safe for most adults. However, applying lavender oil directly to the skin can cause irritation.

More Information About Lavender

Sources
University of Maryland Medical Center accessed at http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/lavender-000260.htm on April 17, 2011
Herbs 2000 accessed at http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_lavender.htm on April 17, 2011.
Foster, Steven and Johnson, Rebecca L. (2008). National Geographic Desk Reference to Nature’s Medicine. National Geographic

Patchouli Essential Oil in Natural Skincare

Aromatherapy, Ingredients 3 Responses »

Mar 282011

Soap Scents: Peace, Love and Patchouli
Aromatherapy is one of the primary benefits of using natural skincare products made with essential oils. In the time it takes for a routine bath or shower, you gain bonus benefits based on the properties of the essential oil(s) used in a soap, scrub or lotion. Our Soap Scents Series explores specific essential oils used in skincare and introduces related handcrafted products.

Many know patchouli as the popular incense scent from the Sixties, when it seemed to be every flower child’s favorite perfume. The scent is slightly musty, earthy and pungent, and is used as a fixative for other scents or to mask more objectionable scents. In natural soap and other skin care products, Patchouli is traditionally known for properties beneficial for healing inflammation and dermatitis. The name “patchouli” comes from the Hindustan words for “leaf” and “green.”

Peterman Brook Herb Farm Scrubby Patchouli Soap

Like a fine wine, patchouli improves with age, mellowing and becoming sweeter. Its smooth scent is used for aromatherapy, massage and romance.

LuSa Organics Sandalwood Patchouli Organic Soap

The furry-leafed patchouli shrub grows to about four feet in its native Malaysia, but can be grown as a houseplant throughout the world if you avoid the cold. Over the centuries, patchouli has had numerous medicinal uses.

Among the conditions Patchouli has been used for are dysentery, diarrhea, colds without fevers, vomiting, and nausea. The essential oil is used to treat acne, dry skin, fungal infections, dermatitis, dandruff and eczema.

More Information About Patchouli

Sources
Botanical.com accessed at http://botanical.com/products/learn/p/patchouli_leaf-p.html on February 1, 2011.
Foster, Steven and Johnson, Rebecca L. (2008). National Geographic Desk Reference to Nature’s Medicine. National Geographic

Handmade Soap Basics

Events, Handmade Natural Soap Basics, Ingredients, Uncategorized Comments Off

Mar 012011

What is Cold Process Handmade Soap?
Handmade natural soap in its simplest form, is made with fats and oils, lye (sodium hydroxide) and water. Fats and oils can be animal-based or vegetable-based. The “cold process” method of soap making is so named, as it relies on the heat generated by saponification (the chemical reaction of fatty acids and alkali to produce soap). No external heat is applied, Sounds simple? Yes, in terms of the accessibility of these simple, natural ingredients – and not so simple – in terms of understanding the ways in which these ingredients and other components interact, to create a successful bar of soap.

Types and Characteristics of Soap
Soap comes in many forms: liquid, bars, foam and soap-scrub combinations, to name a few. Soaps made with animal fat contain tallow or lard; vegetable-based soaps are made with vegetable oils. A successful bar of soap requires a careful combination of fats and oils. For example, a soap made with a saturated fat will have a weaker, longer-lasting lather. Vegetable oils such as olive and soybean lather a bit on their own, and produce a superior lather when combined with coconut oil. Additives for scent, color and texture depend on the soap’s purpose and the soap maker’s goal for the end product. Artisan soap makers bring exceptional creativity to this process. In fact, many soap makers develop their own signature recipes and techniques.

Handmade Soap vs. Commercial Soap and Detergents
Industrially-made soap often rely on synthetics to achieve properties desired by the consumer, such as texture, lather and fragrance – and to preserve products made in huge batches and stored for an extended period of time. Most cold-process handmade natural soaps rely exclusively on the natural ingredients and their interaction to produce desired results. Detergents were invented during World War I, due to shortages of fats and oils available for natural soap. They’re designed to work in a wide range of conditions, from light to extremely heavy cleaning tasks. They accomplish this mission through the use of harsh, synthetic chemicals; though this makes for a versatile, inexpensive cleaning product, there is a price in terms of impact on skin health.

SOURCE
Information for this post was summarized from:
Cavitch, Susan Miller (1995). The Natural Soap Book, Massachusettes: Storey Publishing

Eucalyptus Essential Oil in Natural Skincare Products

Ingredients, Uncategorized 2 Responses »

Feb 042011

Aaaaachooo!!!l
When I was a kid with a “code in my node,” mom slathered on the vapo rub and safety-pinned a towel around my chest. If you have a cold, try bathing with soap made with Eucalyptus essential oil. The oil of Eucalyptus globulus is used worldwide for its decongestant, expectorant and fever-reducing properties. In addition, Eucalyptus has antibacterial properties that are helpful for the dry, chapped lips that often accompany a winter cold.

Local Order Pickup Program

Shopping and Service Comments Off

Feb 022011

Free Shipping – Local Order Pickup Program Starts Today!
We’ve teamed up with Sweet Willow Naturals to offer Northeast Wisconsin customers a local source for product selection and order pickup. Program Details Here

We have a wide range of products on display at Sweet Willow Naturals, including soaps, lip balms, lotions gift sets and more. Stop in to take a look! Purchase while there or through our website for local pickup.

Sweet Willow Naturals offers bulk organic herbs, essential oils, flower essences, and other holistic products and services to help you enjoy “Health and Happiness …by Nature.”

Older Entries Newer Entries

What’s in your handmade natural soap? Learn about color and nutrients.

Artisan Interview: Introducing The Bubble Bakery

Top 5 Tips for Using and Storing Handmade Natural Soap

Are all handcrafted skincare products made from 100% natural ingredients?

Soapmaker Interview: Natural Dog Shampoo

Lavender Essential Oil in Natural Skincare

Patchouli Essential Oil in Natural Skincare

Handmade Soap Basics

Eucalyptus Essential Oil in Natural Skincare Products

Local Order Pickup Program

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