Below are answers to many of the frequently asked questions that people have regarding our handmade soap:

Q: What do you mean by “Natural and Organic”?
Q: Do you have Glycerin Soap?
Q: Will your soap melt like other handmade soaps I’ve had?
Q: Is there a difference between fragrance oils and essential oils?
Q: I have dry, oily or combination skin. Which soaps should I use?
Q: Do you have soap for sensitive skin?
Q: Will your soap help with skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis?
Q: Does your handmade soap contain lye?
Q: Do you offer samples?
Q: How do I pay for my order?
Q: How do you ship and how long does it take?

Q: What do you mean by “Natural and Organic”?

At YouSoapia, “natural” means it does not contain any added chemicals or synthetics. Of course soap, by its very nature is a chemical compound made from oils, alkali and water. Technically, water is a chemical compound of hydrogen and oxygen, but the compound is not a chemical and is natural. Our soap is not a chemical and it is natural. There are no artificial substances like dyes (FD&C colors), fragrance oils (see below) or preservatives (EDTA, parabens, triclosan, etc.). There are no detergents, surfactants like SLS (sodium laurel sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate), alcohols or triclosan. Our definition means are soaps are nontoxic and biodegradable because they are made with plant based oils, no animal products (tallow), herbs and flowers, many of which are organic or sustainably harvested. Take our ingredient list and compare it to other “natural” soaps. You’ll see the difference. Most importantly, you’ll feel the difference.

Q: Do you have Glycerin Soap?

If you mean the clear stuff, no: because to make it transparent, it needs an alcohol compound chemical (sometimes antifreeze which is listed as propylene glycol). Also, the clear soap is usually made with animal based oil and many times has artificial coloring or fragrance (see essential oils below). To make it lather, it has detergents added to it. This is the” melt and pour soap” base which is sometimes referred to as vegetable glycerin in handmade soaps. Although no handmade soap should sit in water, this kind of bar dissolves or “melts” much quicker than our handmade soaps. Our soaps contain all the glycerin from the natural vegetable oils retained during the saponification process.

Q: Will your soap melt like other handmade soaps I’ve had?

We don’t think they will! Our handmade soap uses a saponification process that retains all the natural glycerin. We do not use “melt and pour” soap which has a tendency to melt quicker; our soap is a cold process cured soap which helps the soap to last longer. All soaps containing glycerin will melt quicker than commercial soap which has all the glycerin removed, but because our soap has organic palm oil, we feel that also helps it to stay harder longer. All handmade soap should not be left to sit in water and needs a soap dish that will allow it to drain and dry after use.

Q: Is there a difference between fragrance oils and essential oils?

Fragrance oils are synthetic, man-made oils that are not available from plant-derived sources and can be a source of drying and irritating your skin. Many people choose “unscented” because they are allergic to the synthetic oils. Even though products are labeled “natural” they may contain fragrance oils. Not ours! We only use essential oils which occur naturally in flowers, leaves, seeds, bark, fruit, herbs, and various other plants. Often they are produced by steam distillation which requires about one once of the plant to produce one drop of essential oil. They smell great and most herbs are antibacterial in nature, so there’s no need to add antibacterial chemicals (like triclosan). If a ‘trendy’ scent is not an essential oil, then we don’t carry that fragrance.

Q: I have dry, oily or combination skin. Which soaps should I use?

Any of our soaps would be a good choice! If you’ve been using a commercial soap with its chemical additives and all or most of the glycerin removed, it’s no wonder you have skin problems. If your skin is dry, choose one of our recipes with Shea butter. All our soaps are super fatted (Coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil, castor oil and/or Shea butter) so any of the soap recipes will help moisturize your skin. If your skin is oily your thinking, “Well, I can’t use all that oil on my oily skin.” Quite the contrary. Soaps that dry out your skin trigger your skin to produce more oil. Try soap with tea tree which is a natural antiseptic with healing properties or a mild exfoliate soap combined with citrus, like Limone. The natural plant oils will help maintain the natural moisture in your skin without giving you that “oil topcoat”. Without all the chemicals and additives, you skin will stop trying to over compensate its oil production. If you feel you need a toner to “dry” your skin after washing, try a natural toner of a tablespoon of lemon juice mixed with 2 tablespoons of water to give your face a final rinse. For combination skin, our soap will be the best for the oily areas and the dry areas for the same reasons as mentioned above.

Q: Do you have soap for sensitive skin?

In a word, yes! There could be many reasons why your skin is sensitive. Since we are not dermatologists, it would be presumptuous of us to diagnose the reason; however, many skin irritations are caused by fragrance (which is synthetic) or the harsh detergents (chemicals) in commercial and some handmade soap. Just because it’s handmade, doesn’t mean it’s natural since “natural” is not precisely defined in the soap business. Our soap will eliminate any reaction sensitive skin has to chemicals or synthetic fragrances. Natural to us means no chemicals and only essential oils are used; however, your skin may be sensitive to one of nature’s products, i.e.: aloe, coconut, olives, tea tree or any of the flowers or herbs in our soaps. Sometimes sensitivity is actually an allergic reaction to a natural element. We recommend using our Milk & Honey bar which has no added essential oils and has oatmeal which soothes irritated skin. As always, should irritation occur with any of our products discontinue use and seek professional care.

Q: Will your soap help with skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis?

Yes, our soap will “help”, but we can not claim to cure these kinds of skin irritations. By eliminating the synthetic and chemical ingredients found in commercial soap, you will remove many of the irritants that aggravate these skin conditions. Many of our soaps contain the healing and antibacterial properties found in herbs, tea tree, yucca, aloe and prickly pear cactus; plants found in nature which have been used over the centuries to heal; however, this is not a guarantee to cure the problem. Again, should irritation occur with any of our products discontinue use and seek professional care.

Q: Does your handmade soap contain lye?

This question is asked many times. An alkali is needed for soap production whether it is cold process cured soap or melt and pour “glycerin” soap. Lye is sodium hydroxide (NaOH), which is the alkaline base necessary to mix with acidic oils. (Modern alkali base is made by running electricity through salt water). When added in the proper amounts, the base and acid neutralize each other and form a crystalline salt which foams. This is the saponification and soap in its earliest form. From that beginning, water is added which causes a chemical reaction and turns it into soap and glycerin. In our handmade soaps, the glycerin is stirred back into the product for its beneficial moisturizing affect.

Q: Do you offer samples?

In order to maintain low minimums and reduced prices for all our customers, we do not honor free sample requests; we do offer an 8pc soap sampler of guest sized soaps 1 oz. soaps.

Q: How do I pay for my order?

Please click on our Policies page.

Q: How do you ship and how long does it take?