What are the benefits of handmade soaps?

Natural Ingredients

Some of the famous name brand soaps today are actually not soap at all, but detergents made with synthetic fragrances and other chemicals. If you read the ingredients closely, you may find: Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate, Stearic Acid, Sodium Tallowate or Sodium Palmitate, Lauric Acid, Sodium Isethionate, Sodium Stearate, Cacamidipropyl Betaine, Sodium Cocoate or Sodium Palm Kernelate…These petroleum-based ingredients can strip your skin of essential moisture and leave it dry and coarse. What’s worse is that they may even cause skin conditions such as eczema. They do clean your skin, but they can’t provide the moisture and nutrition that you will find in handmade soap.
Handmade soap, on the other hand, is made with a variety of natural ingredients obtained from plants, trees, herbs and flowers.  Their essential oils contain healing and curative properties in addition to natural aromatic fragrances.

Glycerin

Glycerin is a natural by-product of the soap making process that is often removed by the commercial soap industry in order to make more profitable lotion and skin care products. Glycerin is a natural emollient that dramatically boosts lather and maintains hydration by attracting moisture to your skin. Handmade soap retains all of its natural glycerin glory which commercial soaps lack.

Environmentally friendly

Do you know the phosphates in commercial soaps can be very harmful to the environment? Once phosphates are discharged into the environment, they promote algae growth in local waters. These sudden blooms of algae trigger a process called eutrophication in which local waters become starved of oxygen and devoid of life – killing fish, dolphins and plants. Handmade soap, on the other hand,  does not contain detergents and phosphates. The natural ingredients in handmade soaps are biodegradable and environmentally friendly.

What’s in your handmade soap?

We use 10 kinds of organic/natural oils for our ingredients such as organic refined coconut oil, organic extra virgin olive oil, organic palm oil, sweet almond oil, avocado oil, organic refined Shea butter, canola oil, rice bran oil, safflower oil, and castor oil. We design our recipes based on different properties of each oil and we share our ingredient list with you on each bar of soap. We add soy bean milk so as to increase the moisturizing properties of our soap. The colorants we use include botanical and mica colors. We may add loofah, oatmeal or even flower petals to provide exfoliation. We use both essential oils and fragrance oils. Studies show that scents can enhance relaxation and mood. If you want only essential oil soaps, please check out our specialty soap section

What are the different ways to make soap?

Handmade soap can be created using one of three processes – melt and pour, cold process, and hot process

Melt and Pour

The melt and pour process utilizes a pre-made soap base that is ready to use as is. You can purchase a soap base from craft stores. All you need to do is melt it in a microwave oven or stove, pour it into the molds, and then let it set. However, this is not real soap either. The ingredients are very similar to commercial soap. Any clear soap you see in stores are most likely to be melt and pour soaps.

Hot Process

The hot process is also called handmill, and is done by grating cold process soap into small pieces and melting them in a crock-pot or double boiler. After the grated soap is completely melted, it is either poured into a mold or hand shaped into balls. Hot process soap does not require curing and can be used immediately. While hot process soap, like cold process soap retains all the moisturizers, its surface may not be as smooth as cold process soap. But the biggest disadvantage of this method is that in the process of cooking the soap, you lose most of the nutrition of the oil to the heat.

Cold Process

The cold process method is the act of mixing oils with lye water. The result is a process called saponification, where the composition of the oils change with the help of the lye to create a bar of soap. The whole process occurs at room temperature. Cold process soap requires 4-6 weeks to cure on racks. The main benefit of this process is having complete control over the ingredients and preserving the naturally nutritious and moisturizing properties of the oils.

One Leaf Soap uses the cold process method. This ensures that glycerin, which is a valuable by-product of the saponification process, remains in the finished soap. Our secret recipe produces a variety of soaps that fit any need.

Are One Leaf Soaps “cruelty free”?

Yes, all our soap is “vegan”. We do not use animal products of any kind. All our soaps are vegetable oil based and free of milk.

What’s the size of your soap?

Our regular soap bars are approximately 3 inches long, 2.12 inches high, and 1.12 inch wide. The weight is about 4.5 oz.

Does handmade soap expire?

If you store our soaps properly, they can last for centuries. But keep in mind, time does affect the intensity of soap fragrance. Tips on how to store handmade soaps:
1. Store unused soap in a covered container that is not airtight. Keep in a cool and dry location, such as linen closets.
2. Keep stored soap out of direct sunlight, as natural ingredient colors may fade and result in rancid soap bars.
3. For soap that is in use, use a soap dish that provides drainage so as to enable it to dry before the next use.

Some soap has a layer of white powder on it. Is that mold? Will that hurt my skins?

Occasionally, you may see some white powder on top of our soap. This is called ‘soda ash’ and is a harmless substance. It is most common on the surface of cold process soap. It will rinse off the first time you use the soap.

How much is shipping & handling?

Please check out our newest shipping & handling policy: http://oneleafsoap.com/shipping-handling/

When will my order shipped?

We generally ship within 2 business days. If you don’t receive the shipping confirmation email within 2 days, contact us by madeline@oneleafsoap.com

What is your refund policy?

Due to the nature of our products, we don’t accept any returns. We want you to be happy with your purchase. Please, contact us with any questions before making a purchase. Contact us madeline@oneleafsoap.com

Can Vegetarians Use One Leaf Soap?

Oil is the main ingredient in soap. All kinds of oils have health benefits and nutrition. Oil options include shortening, animal fat (lard), or vegetables to make soap. Some soap makers use lard to make a hard bar of soap that will last for a longer time. One Leaf Soap uses coconut oil, which also provides a hardness to the soap, but replaces the lard. One Leaf Soap only uses vegetable oils. So yes, vegetarians can use our products without any concerns.