SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

Original post made by Val and transferred here for easy reference

I'm not selling yet but if you want to see my handmade soaps...I have a Facebook page, sorry it's all in French for now.
[ https://www.facebook.com/lalavette ]

Lol,
It all started in 2014 when there was talk about all the Triclosan scare that got me thinking. It's one ingredients that makes soap antibacterial, you can look it up for yourself. Basically what it amounts to is that it not only kills bacteria but also promote the rise of antibiotic resistant strains. It might not alarm you or the fact that it can be found in breast milk. There is a debate still on the potential risk to the human health. You can even find it in toothpaste for crying out loud! You can find regular soap bars and liquid ones....just make sure they are not antibacterial.

I started educating myself on what all those mainstream soap were made of (actually you should call them detergent because that`s what they are). There are a lot of stuff you don`t really need and do bio accumulate over time.

I went back to basics: beef tallow (mind you it`s wagyu beef tallow so those animal are well treated and their fat goes to waste because the butcher I get it from does not know what to do with it), coconut oil (for cleaning power), olive oil (gentle on skin) and shea butter. The rest of the oils ingredients depends on what I wish to achieve for a particular soap.

For color, I use oil infusion of spices and roots or clay. It`s natural colorant so it tend to fade over time but like everything in nature. I`m not very fond of iron oxydes even you could argue that it`s natural. It`s more challenging and fun that way.

Scent, not much survive the saponification process. I do not use man made fragrances out of stubbornness. I use essential oils but it tends to fade over time because those are volatile oils too but they double as aromatherapy if you believe in that stuff.

I`m not trying to turn you away from what you are using right now. It`s convenient and works for you that`s fine. However I suggest you educate yourself on what you use daily...that goes for cosmetics but I know next to nothing on that end.

Thanks.

Wow Val, your soaps are beautiful! They look luxurious and well made. Best of luck on this new endeavor :)

Nice Val. They are beautiful.

Very Nice Val!

Very artistic! Some of them look like cheese or fudge.

Thanks!

Great stuff Val. I didn't have any trouble with the French. LOL