Handmade Natural Soap, everything you need to know

Surgical, industrial, artisanal, organic, and natural soap come in a variety of shapes and sizes, as well as different types. Soap in liquid form generates waste due to plastic containers. It also contains ingredients that are toxic at best and do not cleanse the skin at all. From palm oil soaps to those containing petroleum-based ingredients, we explain everything about this cosmetic that isn’t always clean.

Handmade soaps

Aleppo

Aleppo soap comes from Syria, it is made with olive oil and laurel berries. It traditionally comes in the form of a cubic bar of soap that is brown on the outside and green on the inside.
A real Aleppo soap must not contain any additives, dyes, synthetic products or animal fats.
This product has the advantage of being 100% biodegradable. Its very pure composition makes it a healthy product that adapts to all skin types and all populations. Aleppo soap helps fight against itching and skin problems (psoriasis, acne, eczema, etc.).
There are several levels of quality depending on the content of laurel berries.
Laurel’s 5% soap is the cheapest but can still be used by the whole family. The highest quality is the 80% laurel bar soap, it is very concentrated and is generally used in case of acute episodes of skin problems.

Marseilles

Marseille soap is a product based on oil and soda. It is produced using a hot saponification method.
The manufacturing process for this product makes it possible to reuse “pomace”, ie the residue from the first cold pressing of oil for food use.
Soda is the result of the electrolysis of salt water (brine), this process is energy efficient. This is not the case for the entire process of making Marseille soap since the vats keep the paste boiling for several days.
For several years, recipes have been likely to contain palm oil in their compositions. This oil often comes from plantations known to participate in massive deforestation. It is therefore important to avoid soaps containing these two oils.
On the practical side, Marseille soap can be kept for a very long time without the use of preservatives or antioxidants.
Finally, Marseille soap is biodegradable and non-polluting.

Organic and natural soaps

The term “natural” is a generic term designating products as opposed to those of the industry. By this term, we mean to designate the healthier and ecological alternatives to industrial cosmetics.
On the packaging, it is not because it is written “natural” that the cosmetic is systematically exempt from the products to avoid listed above, nor that it does not contain any synthetic substance.
There is no official regulation concerning the term “natural”. At best, this term benefits from a private label with its specifications guaranteeing the natural origin of the products used.
When an ingredient in a product is indicated as “originating from organic farming”, it means that it meets the official regulations of organic farming.
This, therefore, ensures that the ingredients mentioned as such come from an organic farming method (without spreading synthetic chemicals, without GMOs, etc.).
Natural and organic cosmetics nevertheless have the merit of respecting manufacturing processes and production methods that are more respectful of the environment by prohibiting certain synthetic substances.
You still need to know the specifications of the different labels to make your choice.
There are many private charters concerning organic and natural handmade soap. Among them:
Ecocert,
Cosmebio,
Cosmos Organic,
Nature,
Demeter…
Certain constants are observed among organic labels:
GMOs are prohibited
A majority of the ingredients must come from organic farming.

The “Homemade”

The “homemade” alternative is interesting because you are then completely in control of the composition of the product produced. Nevertheless, soap making is known to be a relatively complex process.
To develop a homemade soap, cold saponification is the simplest. It will nevertheless require a precise calculation of the quantities of ingredients to be used in the formulation.
It is also possible to make a homemade soap using a melt and pour base. This extremely simple method makes it possible to add only active ingredients to said soap base.
The use of this soap base avoids the delicate handling of soda which is a toxic substance. It is advisable to take an organic base or without Lauryl Sodium Sulfate.
How do you make a solid homemade soap?

As mentioned above, the correct method for making homemade soap is cold saponification. Despite the less complex manipulations of this method, it is nevertheless necessary to observe the rules of hygiene and safety.

Precautions

Soda is a chemical substance that can be toxic. If it disappears during the saponification reaction, certain strict rules must still be observed during the development of the och vegan soap.
You must bring at least a lab coat, gloves, a mask, boots and protective glasses.
Soap making is an art exercised by “Master soap makers”. As with any cosmetic, the development of products by craftsmen or industrialists takes several years.
The marketing of cosmetic products is subject to European regulations in this area. Each product placed on the market must be certified to guarantee the health and safety of consumers.
The certification is expensive and includes a toxicological analysis in the laboratory. The list of allergens present in the cosmetic must be known and must be indicated.

Material

Once adorned with the paraphernalia of the soap maker, it is necessary to gather the appropriate equipment:
A stainless steel tank,
A stainless steel whisk,
An electric beater,
A precision scale,
soap moulds,
A knife (for a cleaner cut, it is possible to opt for a very sharp cutting wire).
The material coming into contact with the preparation must not be the same material as that used in the kitchen.
The basic ingredients

A fat body

To each fat, its virtue. Depending on the fatty substance chosen, the properties of the soap will not be the same. Also, refer to the table in the section on skin types to find out about the different benefits. It is advisable to mix several fats. At best, use two or three vegetable oils and butter (also vegetable).
The choice of fats will condition the applications of the soap, its benefits, its smell but also its texture during use (foam, creaminess, etc.).

The soda solution

This mixture is obtained by mixing caustic soda with water.
The precision balance is then very useful because soda is a delicate substance to handle. The temperature of the mixture will then rise to 100°C, it is imperative to wait until it has come down to room temperature before using it.

To guarantee an adequate texture and the salubrity of the soap, the calculation of the soda solution content and its water/soda ratio is a crucial step. It is detailed below in step 2 of homemade soap making.
It is also possible to find ready-to-use solutions. This is probably the most suitable if you are new to making homemade soap given the toxicity of the substance.