All About Me

I am a mother of four and a grandmother of eight, and never really had the time to take care of my skin until later in life.  By then, I thought it was too late. "Not true."  I have very sensitive skin and had suffered for years with rashes, dry itchy skin, and finally developed psoriasis. Some laundry detergents would even make my skin blister.

One day, five years ago, I bought a bar of handmade soap, just because it was so pretty and it smelled wonderful. I got a wonderful surprise. My skin didn't itch any more, and day by day the psoriasis got better and better. It isn't completely gone, but it isn't bothersome anymore. I also found that my skin became softer and smoother.  I don't look like I'm 20, but my skin looks better than it did 20 years ago.

I'm also a very creative person, and I absolutely love creating different soaps! When I saw everything that I threw in the trash, milk cartons, juice cans, tuna cans, as potential soap molds, I knew I was hooked, and Ye Old Soap Mill was born!

P.S. In case you can't tell, I love butterflies!!!!!

All About Soap

Soap is made by combining sodium hydroxide (lye), oils and water in a process known as Saponification.  LYE?  YES!  You can't make soap without lye. What needs to be made clear is that once the process of saponification is complete, the lye and oil molecules have combined and chemically changed into soap and glycerin.  There is no lye present in the finished bars of soap.

Glycerin is a skin moisturizing emollient that adds to the goodness of handmade soap.  In commercial soaps the glycerin is removed for sale to the cosmetic industry to sell separately, sometimes at a higher price than the soap itself.  Glycerin is important to skin care because is is a humectant.  Humectants draw moisture from the air, which in turn moisturize your skin.  A whole 20% of a bar of soap is glycerin.

Natural handmade soap is good for your skin.

Evidence abounds of the healing powers of handmade soap, particularly when essential oils are included.  Eczema and psoriasis sufferers, as well as people who have sensitive skin or are hypoallergenic often find immediate relief by switching to natural soap.  Handmade soap is very mild due to the way it is made, and also because of what is (not)  in it.  With few exceptions, there are no artificial colors, fragrances, or preservatives used in handmade natural soap.

Butters and oils used in my soaps

Coconut

Cocoa Butter

Soybean

Olive

Shea Butter

Botanicals Used

Lavender Flowers

Calendula Petals

Rose Petals

Peppermint

Paprica

Turmeric

Other Benificial Ingredients

Oatmeal

White Cornmeal

White Kaolin Clay

Fullers Earth Clay

Oatmeal

Coffee

Citrus Peel

Pure Essential Oils