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Frequently Asked Questions Why handcrafted soap? What's up with all those weird oils? Is it true that these soaps are made with lye? What are those specks and flecks? What if I want a special soap? Have you seen Fight Club??????? Check out the label on your average mass-produced bar of soap. More often than not, you'll see a long list of stabilizers, brighteners, preservatives, and other additives, along with the ingredients that make it soap. Whether or not these chemical additives are bad for you is up to debate, but chances are you'd be better off without them. Handcrafted soaps, on the other hand, are made in small batches with natural ingredients including a variety of vegetable oils and herbs. Our soaps are made in much the same down-to-earth way they have been for centuries. No artifical colorings, no glitter, no scary preservatives.
Many of the bars you see in the drugstore soap aisle are "bath bars" or "beauty bars" filled with synthetic and petroleum products. These cannot, by law, be labeled as soap, as they are synthetic detergent (or syndet) bars.
Also, many commercial soap manufacturers remove the naturally-occuring glycerin from their soaps, because it is more lucrative to sell it for use in other industries. We would never dream of removing the glycerin from our soaps -- it's one of the things that makes them so wonderful!
An essential oil is not your average oil -- it is the concentrate of aromatic compounds found within a plant, pure and undiluted. Essential oils are often prohibitively expensive to produce (one ounce of rose essential oil requires literally tons of rose petals to produce). They have reputed medicinal properties, and are also widely used in aromatherapy.
Different oils lend different qualities to a finished soap. There is no one wonder oil -- each has its own benefits and quirks in soapmaking -- which is why we strive for a balanced combination of oils to make the best soap possible.
Guess what? All soap is. Soap is, by definition, the result of mixing a strong alkali (lye) with various fatty acids (natural oils/fats). Lye is required for the chemical reaction of saponification to occur in the first place. Absolutely no lye is present in the final bars, just glorious soap.
Interestingly, lye has many uses in the food industry. Lye is used in the preparation of pretzels, olives, and pickles, to name a few.
Ground herbs and spices (we grow many of our own) are often added to the soaps for coloring, texture, and to gently scrub your skin.
You've come to the right place. Tell us what you want, and we'll create a custom soap for you! We've made them for baby showers, wedding showers, wedding favors, and birthdays.
Yes, we have seen it. And we have never, ever, in the entire history of 8th Street Soap Kitchen, raided liposuction clinics for fats, and we have no plans to do so in the future. Just so you know. (good movie, though)
Sorry, no.
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