When it comes to cleansing it's important to choose a soap that nourishes the skin, is free from harsh chemicals, and makes your skin feel clean & moisturized. When my baby son developed eczema at the age of three months, I decided to research every ingredient I was buying in his soaps and bath products and was shocked to see so many toxic ingredients.

Aphora was borne from the sole purpose to provide nourishing, safe and handcrafted wellness rituals the way nature and tradition intended. We produced this guide to emphasize some of the more harmful ingredients to look out for when trying to decide what soap bars to buy and highlight the benefits of organic soap.

What is Soap?

The most important ingredient in soap are the oils and butters. Traditionally bar soaps are made of the most economical oils, animal fats like lard and tallow, but nowadays several vegetable oils and plant butters are used for
soap making. The chemical makeup of soap depends on the type of oil from which it is made. Lye is the second important ingredient in soap, the reaction between lye and oil produces soap and the process is known as  “Saponification”.

Water is used according to the specific soap recipe. It creates a solution between lye and oil molecules and helps them bond together. Once they bond through saponification, there is no more lye left in the soap, just goodness.

Other ingredients found in soap can include colors, preservatives (typically only  in liquid soaps), essential oils, scents, and fragrances oils.

Are There Toxic Ingredients in Bar Soap?

While most soaps are considered non-toxic, there are some ingredients you want to be aware of. Soaps made from synthetic chemicals are not good for our skin, aquatic life and a lot of soaps feature plastic waste packaging which ends up in landfills.

Fragrances and coloring made from harmful chemicals in regular soaps can disrupt the ecosystem because of eutrophication (the process by which an entire body of water, or parts of it, becomes enriched with nutrients, increasing the amount of plant and algae growth)

Along with these ingredients commercial soap can also contain parabens, sodium Laureth Sulfate, triclosan, and other contentious ingredients. These are known as carcinogens and endocrine disrupters (man-made chemicals that may mimic or interfere with the body's hormones, known as the endocrine system), these are not the ideal ingredients to be cleansing your skin with.

Sometimes synthetic ingredients can dry out our skin more instead of cleansing and moisturizing. Since organic soaps are made with natural ingredients that follow organic farming practices, these soaps are more nourishing to our skin and better for the environment.

Benefits of Natural Bar Soap Made with Organic Ingredients

There are several benefits when choosing organic bar soaps for both the environment and for our skin.

• Easier to Find Cruelty-Free Options: Organic soaps are animal friendly because they don’t require animal testing during production, have no chemicals and are derived from plant-based oils and butters. There can be a few organic soaps that contain lard, so check the label before purchase.
• Essential Oil Fragrance: Organic soaps typically contain essential oil fragrance like peppermint, lavender, and lemongrass which gives them antibacterial properties. In contrast, regular soaps containing artificial fragrances can have ingredients that are associated with causing cancer, hormonal damage, and problems in reproductive systems. Scents made with pure essential oils can also be better for sensitive skin types and usually feature relaxing ‘spa’ scents.
• Better Healing of the Skin: Organic soaps are made from essential oils, herbs, and spices, they are all-natural high-quality ingredients and aid in the healing process of the skin. They can help in some other skin conditions like acne, eczema, and sunburn.
• Biodegradable: Organic soaps are eco-friendly as they don’t use chemicals and pesticides during their production, making them safe and biodegradable.
• Sustainable Packaging: In case you are thinking about the packaging of soaps.

Then you need to know that it is good to prefer soap bars to plastic bottle soaps, as paper can be easily recycled. Liquid soaps in a plastic bottle require five times more energy during production and 20 times more energy is required for the packaging in plastic bottles.

Shopping Tips for Organic Soap

If you're ready to give organic soap a try it's a good idea to ask yourself these questions as you begin to shop for soap.

• What is your skin type?
• Will I you be using as hand soap or using on your whole body?
• Am I sensitive to skin irritations? If so, be sure to look at the ingredients list and consider choosing a neutral scent with soothing ingredients such as oatmeal.
• Look for plant oils such as coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil as these are moisturizing and eco-friendly ingredients.
• Does the soap have plastic packaging? If so, consider another brand that has recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable packaging.

Skincare is as important as your health. Your skin is your body’s largest organ, and that’s why you need to take care of it. My son is a grown teenager now and he continues to manage his eczema by using non-toxic, natural, and organic products that nourish, and feed his skin all the good stuff.

I hope this guide has helped you learn the importance of choosing non-toxic bar soap, distinguish key ingredients to look for, and offered you eco-friendly soap options.