Soap Talk

I have recently started purchasing handmade soap from a couple of sellers on Etsy. I have extremely sensitive, dry, easily irritated skin and I have tried literally every supposedly "mild" and "hypoallergenic" soap and body wash available in stores, including Ivory, Jergens, Aveeno and baby wash and have not been able to find anything that isn't irritating. This is because, even the mildest soap, even baby wash, still has irritating chemicals and added, unnatural fragrances. "Clean baby scent" isn't something found in nature! So finally I decided to try some handmade soap.

So far my favorite bar soap is made by this Etsy seller:

http://AuntNancysSoap.etsy.com

Aunt Nancy makes a WONDERFUL vegan, all natural, unscented bath bar:



After using this soap for a few days, my skin irritation went away. I love this soap, I can't say enough good things about it!

Now let me tell you a couple of things about handmade soap. One, it dissolves a lot faster than store-bought soap, because it isn't full of chemical preservatives. This means you can't leave it sitting in a soap dish full of water on the side of your tub, because it will be gone in a few days. You need to remove it from the tub or shower after you bathe and put it on a dry washcloth on the counter, so the soap can totally dry out. This will greatly extend its lifespan.

Two, unscented soap actually does have a scent, because the oils used to make it naturally have scents. Unscented in the handmade soap world means no scent has been added to it. The natural smell of "unscented" soap is very pleasant and non-irritating. So don't freak when your handmade soap arrives smelling like...well...soap!