How to Choose a Handcrafted Soap

 

There are a lot of handcrafted soap makers selling their soaps lately, and there are just as many different types of handcrafted soap.  Each soap maker has her or his recipe, some have more than one they use. So the question is, how to choose a handcrafted soap? Maybe you are drawn to the color of the soap, it matches your bathroom decor, or maybe you fell in love with the soaps scent. It reminded you of a summer day at the ocean. These are perfectly good reasons to buy a handcrafted soap. But you may want to dig a little deeper if you’re buying a handcrafted soap for every day use.

 

Are you Vegan?

You won’t want a soap made with lard, goat milk or honey, and you probably won’t want a soap that contains palm oil. An olive oil soap might be what you’re looking for. I use palm oil in the rest of my soaps, but if you live on Long Island I can find you a soap maker locally who doesn’t use it.

 

Ingredients

Read the label. Is the soap made with moisturizing oils?  Is there a butter in the recipe? I use shea butter in my soaps, but I also love cocoa butter, mango butter and other butters in soap.  Wash with the soap. Are there too many or not enough bubbles to your liking? Does your skin feel comfortable after washing or are you reaching for hand cream?

 

Scent

Is the soap made with essential oils, fragrance oils or both? Is the bar lightly scented or strongly scented.  Do you prefer unscented? There are many choices when it comes to scents.

 

Color

Do you prefer a soap with color or a more natural soap? If you like colors, do you want bright ones, muted ones or a soap made from natural colorants?

 

There is no right answer to the question how to choose a handcrafted soap, it’s all your personal preference. I’m grateful there are so many soap makers. There is no way I could make enough soap to make every one happy. If I don’t make a soap you like I’ll send you to another soap maker who does. The Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild and Indie Business Network are 2 organizations I belong to where you can locate a soap maker in your area. I’ve also learned so much from other soap makers, how they work and how they run their businesses. They have helped me become a better soap maker, business owner and person.

What do you look for in a handcrafted soap?

Yours in Gratitude,

Angela