Our Healing Suds FAQs
Below are the most frequently asked questions; we are happy to answer any concerns you may have about Our Healing Suds!
Why do you use so many ingredients? Isn't less better?
Less is not necessarily always best. We love the properties each of the ingredients used in our soaps. Think about making an omelet with only three ingredients verses an omelet with 6 ingredients, which is better? Especially, when those extra ingredients are organic vegetables.
How does your soap compare to the Dove bars with 1/4 cup of moisturizer in each bar?
Glad you asked. Dove bars, like all commercially produced soaps, are detergents.
When you read the ingredients, you will find that they are all chemicals. There are no natural oils or butters in Dove bars or any other commercially produced soaps.
Natural handmade soaps are naturally moisturizing when formulated with
moisture in mind!
If you don't use sulfates and other chemicals, how do you get your soaps to lather?
Great question: Soap making is a science and an art! Different oils, butters, milks, etc. add particular properties to the soaps. I formulate each bar of soap to produce smooth, rich and luxurious lather.
Why do you use fragrance oils when you can just use essential oils in your soaps?
The scent of essential oils generally do not last in natural soaps. Though I may use high quality oils for their properties in some recipes, I enjoy lasting scents in my soaps and therefore use fragrance oils to obtain that objective. 2) The average cost of .5 oz of high quality essential oil is $35. Average batch of soap uses about 2+ oz of fragrance... I'm pretty sure you don't want to spend $20 on a bar of soap.
Last remark: I think it's pointless to use cheap essential oils in soaps.
What is mica and titanium dioxide and why do you use them in your natural soaps?
Mica and titanium dioxide are both naturally occurring, they are used to add color/art to our soaps. I also use organic food powders for their healing properties and their colors.
Do you take special orders?
Absolutely! We not only offer special orders, but we also make soaps for special occasions--in bulk!
Note however, these special orders must be placed a minimum of 7 weeks prior to the occasion.
Why do you use lye (sodium hydroxide) in your soaps? Isn't that a chemical/ an acid/
dangerous?
It's simple, you can not make all natural soaps without lye. If someone tells you otherwise they are either lying or misrepresenting the truth. There are 3 necessary ingredients when making natural soaps: You need fat(s) (oil, butter, tallow etc.), an acid (lye) and a liquid (water, milk, etc.) to dissolve the acid. Natural soap makers use sodium hydroxide for bar soaps and potassium hydroxide for liquid soaps. It's basic chemistry, if you omit acid (lye), you will end up with a lotion, body butter, or lip gloss, but you will not have soap.
