Why handmade soap is kinder to your skin
Cold-process soap keeps the glycerin that factory bars remove. Here is what that means for your skin, and how to make a bar last.
Most supermarket soap is technically detergent. Handmade soap is made the old way, by mixing oils with lye and letting the bars cure for weeks, and the difference shows on your skin.
The glycerin difference
Glycerin forms naturally when soap is made. Large factories often remove it to sell separately. Handmade, cold-process soap keeps it, and glycerin draws moisture to the skin instead of stripping it away.
Make every bar last
- Keep it on a soap dish that drains, never in a puddle.
- Cut a large bar in half and use one piece at a time.
- Let new bars rest in a dry cupboard: the longer they cure, the harder they get.
Good soap should leave your skin feeling like skin, not squeaky.
Reading the label
- Olive oil and Dead Sea salt are local favourites, gentle and rich in minerals
- Essential oils give scent; the word "fragrance" alone can mean anything
- Fewer ingredients is usually better
