What is "handmade soap"?

Winter tends to be harsh in Nebraska...very cold temperatures, biting winds with unbelievable wind chill. Then comes summer, hot and dry.....did you ever see photos of actual pioneers.....my ancestors were farmers and settled in Nebraska. They had a hard life. Their photos show weathered faces and rough, scaly hands. I image the rest of their bodies were the same.

Forget those beautiful dresses and creamy skins of the pioneers in movies....not true to life.

One of the things that my ancestors did was to make their own soap...but not the great natural soap that we get today. They didn't have the oils, etc. to make it smell good nor good for the skin. It mainly consisted of lye (from wood ashes) and fats from animals. It cleaned, but not too well. They may have added flower petals or herbs if they were available.

Of course, if you are on some medications, they can cause dry skin, hair, etc. but lets pretend that you are basically healthy and your medications are not too harsh for your body. Hand or body soap without sodium tallowate, acid, sodium chloride, triclocaban, tetrasodium edta, bht, titanium dioxide, D&C yellow #10, and D&C orange #4 just may be good for your skin too.

Look at the ingredients in your shampoo or even your hand soap, Dove, Ivory, Irish Spring, etc. And you wonder why your skin is flaky and itchy...

If you are really interested in how handmade soap is made....have a look at this site:

http://www.countryrosesoap.com/handmade.htm


But, even some handmade soaps contain harsh chemicals....look at the ingredients.