Before I began creating "Soap" I used "Beauty Bars". Huh? Yes! Actually, I really didn't know the difference. I imagined a beauty bar to make you feel beautiful, and clean. After all, it smelled great, and when I ran it under the water it was slippery and bubbly and slid across my body nicely. I had no idea my chosen "beauty bar" was actually causing my dry, itchy skin. I mean after all, once I determined I had dry, itchy skin, I promptly went on the hunt for some "body cream" or "moisturizer" to apply after I bathed or showered to get rid of the flaky, dry skin I encountered a few minutes after towel drying.
Disgruntled at the price of these necessities, I seldom bought them, or I bought the bargain items which were not that great. I actually made it my mission to find the best product for me at the least cost. I paid no heed to the ingredients. Day after day I applied my beauty bar, and my chosen moisturizer.
One day, my husband had loudly voiced "he had enough" of his "itchy skin" and could I suggest anything? He had been using a moisturizer and it just wasn't working anymore. The first thing I did was change our laundry "detergent" to a more expensive "sensitive" laundry "detergent". It seemed to help, but my husband still had the problem.
I had taken a soap making class a couple years ago and had always meant to make some more soap for us, so I offered to make him a really good, moisturizing soap. I set my mission and on to the internet I went. Digging, searching, watching Youtube videos for days on end scribbling notes, and learning about making good soap. Big learning.... "detergent = harsh and itchy".
Did you know that soap is only "soap" because it is made with Lye and more natural ingredients? Oil, Lye and water create a scientific process called "Saponification". When saponification happens, the lye and other ingredients are changed into soap. Soap made through this process is natural and moisturizing because the glycerin is left in the soap. Those same soaps do not need any preservatives. They are considered Natural. Beauty Bars have no soap whatsoever. They are made with non natural products such as detergents, wetting agents and other such products. That is probably why they are so drying! I was definately going to make "real" soap.
Finally, after a couple weeks, I had my recipe in my hand, and I headed off to the store to buy my ingredients. Upon arriving home, I donned my safety gear and went to work creating a soap for my dear husband right in my own kitchen. It actually turned out pretty great! I was quite pleased with myself. I used the cold-processed method and made a soap with a strong Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Almond Oil, Shea Butter, Rosemary Essential Oil recipe. I cut the soap the next day and set it on a shelf to cure for 4 - 6 weeks. Each day checking it. Both my husband and I could not wait to try it. (I didn't stop there, I had been bitten by the bug, and I started making all kinds of soap for friends and family and filling up my cure rack.)
Finally the time had come to test the new soap. I handed it to my husband and off he went. Day after day he used the soap. After four days he claimed he was "cured" by my soap! And that was how this whole soap business started. :-)
