Handmade soap is a natural, enjoyable alternative to mass produced cleansers.

Next time you're thinking that soaps handmade from all-natural ingredients in the old-fashioned way are too expensive, think a moment about the hidden costs in those cheaper, mass-produced products.

You'll likely come to the conclusion that a little extra for handmade natural soap is well worth it.

What Goes Into Commercial Soap

The ingredients in mass-produced soaps from those huge, transnational corporations are things you probably don't even want to think about. Most mass-produced soap contains animal products that were extracted by methods that more than likely weren't exactly humane. In addition, these products are usually tested on animals who are trapped in laboratory cages and subjected to horrors that we couldn't imagine.

You can vote with your dollar when purchasing personal health products like soap, so consider what you're buying next time you're at the store.

Now let's talk about some of the unsavory ingredients that go into these commercial, corporate-produced soaps. Laureth sulphate (SLES), sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and methyl-parabens (a suspected carcinogen that gets stored in human tissues), for starters. Synthetic fragrances and petroleum for another.

Then there are the synthetic dyes to give their product eye appeal and useless and even harmful "fillers" that do no more than plump up the bar and make it look bigger.

When you break it down and realize what goes into the pretty packaging, it makes natural alternatives even more appealing.

natural handmade soaps

Handmade, natural soap is made from plant oils and extract - ideally from plants that have been organically grown, or gathered from wild sources. Glycerin is taken from wholesome vegetable fats; this kind of soap is clear and has an amber color, and is an excellent moisturizer (unlike SLS, which creates an artificial lather and can actually cause your skin to dry out).

Vegetable oils are generally high in skin-healthy vitamin E and other anti-oxidants, just as nature made them. Scented soaps handmade from all-natural ingredients get their scent from floral sources and herbs that give off natural scents. In nature, these scents either attract beneficial insect pollinators or repel harmful ones - but they have absolutely no unhealthy effect on humans.

Yes, you do pay out a bit more for handmade natural soap - but all things considered, it is an excellent investment in your own health and well-being.