You have probably seen many stands with homemade soaps at your local markets. Have you ever wondered "What is the difference?" Why should I choose homemade soap over the one from the store?
The day I started making soap is the day I started seeing true benefits of homemade products. Here are few things that make your local soap better than the one from the supermarket:
Handmade Soap contains Glycerin. Glycerin is a natural skin emollient (skin softener) that attracts water from the surrounding air. Because of this, glycerin is highly prized in soaps, lotions and creams for maintaining moisture in the skin throughout the day.
Handmade soaps are not mass produced, therefore do not contain chemicals like special hardeners or preservatives. They are not designed to withstand years of shelf life that a big corporation need to maintain high level of inventory and high margins. In addition, big companies keep their trademark ingredients a secret. By doing so they can "hide" any chemicals or cheaper ingredients under the "FRAGRANCE" label. You never know what it is exactly that you are putting on your skin.
Handmade soap preserves the integrity of the oils/fats/butters. Coconut oil goes in, saponified (made into soap) coconut oil comes out. Shea butter goes in, shea butter comes out. Because of this, the oils/fats/butters maintain their vitamins, minerals and skin-loving qualities in the final soap product.
There are many more benefits of using homemade soap. My advice is - find a good local soap maker, learn about their ingredients and their origins. Ask for samples. Find a soap that works for you. You might be surprised how well your skin reacts to an all-natural product!