Benefits of Handmade Soap Made With Natural Ingredients

How much do you know about what’s in the soaps you use day to day?

Skin is the body’s largest organ and is often the first to touch and absorb toxins, chemicals, and other substances in commercial products. Often the ingredients in those products have long and unfamiliar names and are hidden in unreadable fine print on a small label.

Handwashing and cleansing should be soothing. Unfortunately, many commercial soaps have ingredients that can be harsh or have negative impacts on you or the environment.

How is handmade natural soap better for you and the Earth?

1. It made without chemicals and synthetics

Most commercial soaps aren’t true soaps at all. Often manufactured with synthetic ingredients, they’re similar to detergents. These may include parabens, petrochemicals, phthalates, triclosan, and phosphorus, which irritate and dry the skin. Scientists even link some of these ingredients to hormone disruption and cancer.

Botanical PaperWorks soap has natural shea butter, clays, mineral colorants, and oils.

sources: fda.gov, bcpp.org, ewg.org

2. It’s not harmful to waterways

The natural ingredients in most handmade soaps are biodegradable. Meanwhile, the synthetic ingredients in commercial soaps, such as phosphorus, drain into rivers and lakes and harm fish and other living things.

source: epa.sa.gov.au

4. It’s palm oil-free or only contains sustainably-harvested palm oil

Many commercial soap companies use palm oil harvested from deforested areas.

5. It’s often vegan and not tested on animals

Many handmade soaps contain no animal fats, milk, or honey products, so they are vegan-friendly. The small businesses that make them usually don’t test on animals, so they are most likely cruelty-free.

6. It comes from small businesses

Purchasing handmade soap from local businesses means supporting community members. Commercial soap companies often make their products in factories with machines, not people.

7. Its packaging is often sustainable

You’ll usually see handmade soap packaged without plastics, whereas many commercial soaps are in single-use plastic bottles or heavily printed, glossy boxes.