FAQs
Welcome to FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions page
Knowledge is the key to choose right soap for yourself. I would love you to enjoy your soap and be back for more...
(if you have any other questions not covered in this section please contact me via Contac Us page and I will be more than happy to answer and publish it)
What is soap and how it is made?
Soaps are salts of fatty acids created during saponification process that involves conversion of fat/oil/butter into soap and alcohol by the action of heat in the presence of alkali (lye, NaOH, caustic soda). Word sapo is Latin for soap.
Soap making history goes back many thousand years. The most basic supplies for soap making were those taken from animals and nature, by mixing animal fats with lye.
Babylonians were the first one to master the art of soap making around 2800BC. They made soap from fats boiled with ashes. Soap was used in cleaning wool and cotton, used in textile manufacture and was used medicinally for at least 5000 years. The ancient Egyptians mixed animal and vegetable oils with alkaline salts to produce a soap-like substance. The Phoenicians used goat's tallow and wood ashes to create soap in 600BC. Early Romans made soaps in the first century AD from urine and soap was widely known in the Roman Empire. The Celts made their soap from animal fat and plant ashes and they named the product SAIPO, from which the word soap is derived.
Today, soap is produced mostly from plant oils and a lye (caustic soda) using the cold process method, while some soap makers still use the historical hot process. The cold process method takes approximately six weeks to fully complete saponification reaction. The hot process soap making is a variation which produce soap ready to use after cooking.
(Ref: http://www.soaphistory.net/).
How long the soap will last?
My soaps are made with no hardeners what so ever, they cure and dry in open air for min 4 to 6 weeks. The longer the better. In general term a bar of soap will last good month if looked after well, which means it needs to be kept on loofah slice or any other well-draining dish to be able to dry between uses. From our family experience, my soaps last good 4 weeks (used every day by 2 people for hair, face and body) if they do not sit on wet, flat surface or directly on shower shelf. Good idea is also to cut big soap bar half or into quarters and use smaller piece and keep rest of the soap in a dry place.
Is your soap a shampoo bar?
My soap bars are hair soaps rather than a shampoo bars. Most shampoo bars on the market are waterless versions of bottled shampoos. The same apply to conditioner bars. All these products are soap free. They are made of powdered surfactants, emulsifiers, stabilizers, pH adjusters, etc compacted into small shapes, they last very long.
Do I need to use conditioner after washing hair with your soap?
Most my soaps are "shampoo and conditioner in one" as they contain enough not saponified oils to nourish and condition the hair so you don't need extra conditioner after washing your hair. If you never used soap on your hair the transition time can take up to a few weeks, some people never like their hair after using soap, it is very individual. If you have natural hair, transition is quicker. I started using my soaps having my hair highlighted, it took me 4 weeks to wash off build-up of different polymers, silicones, etc from hair shafts. Never looked back. Never went back to bottled shampoo and conditioner. Patience is the key. Occasional apple cider vinegar water rinse can help at the beginning of using soap on your hair to remove any excess of soap from scalp and detangle hair if necessary. Again it is very individual, apple cider vinegar rinse never worked for me. But worth trying.
Are your soaps safe for sensitive skin?
Yes, they are. We have serious eczema cases in my family. My skin is prone to atopic dermatitis as my skin is extra sensitive and very dry. I formulate my soaps for my skin conditions so they are safe for sensitive skin. Please make sure you read ingredients list to find out if there are any know irritants to you in any products. Also, good practice is to choose unscented soap at the beginning if you not sure about sensitivities.