What Is The Difference Between Homemade Soap and Commercial Soap?

How is homemade soap different than commercial soap? Well, to start with, the ingredients are quite different. Commercial soap is not soap at all, in fact it is really detergent! The way they design it to look like soap in a bar is with oils and additives. There is no "lye" or chemical reaction, it is just put into a mold and churned out every day. Millions of bars a day, all over the world.

Using detergent and not lye with oils, means that the bars are ready to ship quickly when they dry. The machines do not get sticky and are easy to clean, which cuts down on labor in processing. The shelf life is almost forever, unless it gets wet. This means that the soap can be stored in any temperature and not sweat. This is great news for the bottom line of an industry!

On the other hand, homemade soap is different the lye and oils combine in a chemical reaction, and they need to "cure" or "dry" for up to 4 weeks.

If you use it before that they fall apart and are soft to the touch. The "curing" continues until you use the bar. The bars store well in a constant temperature of 65 - 68 degrees.

Storage for homemade soap is important because the bars "melt" and get "gooey" inside the wrapper and all over each other on the shelf. If they are kept in the bathroom where the temperature goes up and down drastically, they will "sweat". Another bad spot for storage is in the garage, attic or basement unless it is temperature controlled. Personally, I keep our soaps in the dresser in our bedroom and another good spot is in the hallway closet.

When you buy soap keep in mind what your needs are. Do you have small children, or dry skin? So called beauty bars just add oils to the detergent and then your skin feels tacky. Homemade soap is mild, and keeps skin smooth and silky.

If stored until use in plastic it will keep the scent much longer. I also recommend a "Soap Sleeve" that is similar to a hanging wash cloth. Just put your soap inside and hang it up. Whenever you want to you can take soap out and wash it with your regular laundry. I also carry soap "drainers" for on top of soap dishes to keep soap from sitting in water and "melting". This helps tremendously with buying soap so often, even if they are the commercial soap.

Article by L. A. DeGeorge

Hopefully, this information helps you enjoy your new love for Homemade Soap! To see what I have available and learn more please visit my website under http://www.lscloset.weebly.com This is where I sell homemade soap and other items like "Soap Sleeves" to help keep your soap dry and you happy!

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