It's not just soaps..It's art.

I love handcrafting soaps mainly because of its science and art.  

Come to think of it, there is nothing so special in handcrafting soaps, right?  Its chemistry is so basic that even kid's can do it (with adult supervision due to safety concerns in handling chemicals).

Traditionally, soaps are produced by combining fats/oils and alkali.  The fats and oils from vegetable, mineral sources or animal origin are degraded into fatty acids using lye and the saponication process would produce crude soap (alkali salt of fatty acid).

Did you know that today, most soaps available commercially are not true soaps but synthetic detergents?  Read your soap labels and if you see chemical names like Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS) and/or Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate ( SLES) it simply means that the manufacturer had added an anionic detergent and surfactant for its additional benefits on foaming, cleansing and emulsifying properties. 

Enough, with all this technical terms.  Now the fun part - the art behind soap making.  What makes soap making so interesting is that you can add a wide range of additives:  natural colorants or synthetic pigments, mica for sparkle, fragrances and essential oils, fruit and vegetable extracts, and so on and so forth.  Providing you with that wonderful experience obtained from vibrant colors and aromatic goodness while nourishing your skin for that healthy and radiant glow.

With all this additional ingredients in soaps, the bar that you are currently holding could either be classified as a cosmetic or drug depending on the manufacturer's claim and also depending on the regulatory standpoint.  If that soap had moisturizing effects, or that soap will help you to smell nice or would deodorize your body, then that is classified as cosmetics.  If that soap is antibacterial or claims to help to clear acne, claims to make you slimmer or would help to whiten your skin, then it is categorized as a drug.  Bottomline is that, whether it is a real soap, a cosmetic or a drug, manufacturer's are still allowed to name their products as soaps because its main objective is still to cleanse your skin.

Now going back "It's not just soaps. It's art."  I came up with this tagline to always remind myself that when I make soap I am embracing the simplicity soap crafting and its underlying complexities.