Special Circumstance Packaging: We want to make sure that all of our customers, retail and wholesale, are able to get the product they need. So, to make our stock of boxes go further we have stopped offering that option in our retail online store (where you are right now :-) ). You will still get the same terrific product and save at the same time!
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This is the foundation soap for all of our regular bars . . . a simple collection of six ingredients hand-stirred stirred with love results in this old-fashioned, basic bar. It's great for face to toe cleaning and even stain removal, too!
"Sample", "No Box" & "Best Value!!!" Packaging: Packed in a size-appropriate brown paper bag with ingredients and instructions (if applicable) on recyclable paper.
Features & uses: Unscented, gluten-free, vegan, for all skin types, for home & travel, unisex, for all ages
Ingredients (plain language): Water from our well, vegetable shortening (soybean oil, palm oil [sustainably harvested]), coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, sodium hydroxide (lye - see note below)
Ingredients (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients terminology): Aqua, olea europaea fruit oil, cocos nucifera oil, glycine soja oil, elaeis guineensis oil, sodium hydroxide
Hand-cut bar sizes: Full bar (approximately 110 grams). Sample bar (at least 20 grams, size and shape may vary). Please note, moisture evaporates from the bars as they cure, so weight varies depending on the age of the bar.
Best value hints:
- This bar is cured to last. That said, allow it to dry between uses and it will last the longest possible.
- Cut full-sized bars into smaller pieces to use at more than one sink or to keep for later.
- Store spare bars in a dry place away from direct sunlight and heaters (avoid airtight containers and plastic bags).
General notes:
- Please avoid eyes.
- Do not eat this product.
- When travelling wrap the bar in a facecloth, never in a plastic bag. The cloth will allow the bar to breathe and dry out while protecting your other items from the soap.
Our product-testing promise: We promise that all of our products are tested in-house on ourselves, and by family members and friends. We do not conduct tests on animals, even pet shampoo, which is tested on ourselves before using it on any pet.
Why lye?
Our promise to you is that, with one exception, we will only use 100% natural ingredients in our products. What's the exception? Lye, or sodium hydroxide. Bottom line, without lye there cannot be soap, it's really that simple. It is possible to make a natural lye (e.g., from wood ash), though it is really difficult to get consistent results, which is crucially important for safe end products. Please read on for a more fulsome explanation :-)
We make all of our bars using traditional methods of combining oils and water, which is a wonderful combination of science and art. Now, as you can imagine, oil and water will not combine, no matter how hard you shake them together. Instead, a chemical reaction is required to make oil and water become an entirely new substance, soap! That chemical reaction is caused by adding lye (sodium hydroxide) to the water, then adding that solution to the melted oils.
It is really important to make sure that for every lye solution molecule there is at least one oil molecule, which results in a very well balanced and soothing soap. Every single one of our bars meets or exceeds that criteria. That is our promise to you!
