The other night I was watching TV and saw an advertisment for soap that I have seen a few times. I have tried to supress my rage at it and refrained from throwing something at the TV. The ad talked all about soap scum (as this bird-brand has for many years) and then proceeds to wash a set of mirrors with soaps and their product. The upshot of the ad is that the bird-brand doesn't leave soap scum on the mirror, but the others do. Can one really compare the surface of a mirror to human skin??
If you read this blog you should know that we have been in business selling soap and bath stuff for 15 years and that we recently started making our own handmade soap. I am not a chemist, but I understand soap and how it works on the skin. Soap is basically 3 things. One of them only exists in the process of making the soap and then disappears, and the other two work together with the disappearing stuff to make the bubbling bars of stuff we use. Soap bars are essentially just made of fat that has been chemically changed to bubble and wash our skin. WAIT, don't freak out. Fat is good. FAT is really good! I'll explain why.
You've probably heard me talk about the relationship between good food and good bath products. Well, it's the same here. Some soap is made from Animal fat, this is how we believe soap was made originally(soap history is crazy old, no-one knows for sure) Some soap in the supermarket is still made from Animal Fat. Much of the larger chain companies still use Animal Fat (aka Tallow, or sometimes called Sodium Tallowate) in their soap.
Soap can be made from almost any type of Fat or Oil. Why? Cause some of them are great for your skin! Animal Fat, Petroleum based oils.. well those are not so good for your skin but vegetable ant plant oils? Veggie oils are amazing for your skin!
Are you keeping up? ... if soaps are fat/oil... then what do you think "soap scum" is? Soap Scum is a little bit of fat/oil, left behind on your skin and shower and tub and stuff after you use it. It's just some of the fatty ingredients that got left behind in the chemical reaction with those 3 original ingredients. So when the "soap scum" is left on your skin made with vegetable oils it is a good thing! Fat can moisturize your skin. Your lotion is made from fat, your bath oil is fat. Fat on a mirror? meh.. WHO CARES!?
Olive oil, Coconut oil, Grapeseed oil, Shea Butter, etc etc... all good for your body, inside and out!
So Noёlle, what are you saying?
I'm saying, the company with the mirror ad is playing a trick on you. Skin is not like glass because it's porous and needs moisture to function. I teach people everyday about how important the essential skin care trio is... clean gently, exfoliate often and moisturize ALL THE TIME! In the store we use plant and vegetable based ingredients for everything we make(remember! Animal Fat and Petroleum based oils are not very helpful for your skin). We suggest you avoid detergents on hair and skin as they can dehydrate by overstripping and we suggest you use a vegetable based fatty soap at least once a day( especially in winter).
The soap bar brand in the ad had (on their label and online) quite a number of detergents, animal fat and a pile of other unpronoucable ingredients(see above, "I am not a chemist")buuuuut. It washes off glass cleanly! Perhaps that's what we should use it for.
I wonder what Noah would have thought of all this....
Hey! What does that bird have in it's mouth??? Hmmmm!
