1. Does soap contain lye?

I hear this question so often that I want to get it out of the way first. The short answer is: No. Properly made soap does not contain lye. The long answer is that lye is used in the soap making process. Years ago soapmakers had to guess how much lye to use for the oils they had and often the soap would come out lye heavy which was harsh on the skin and rapidly gained a bad reputation. Today's soapmakers have a wealth of information at their fingertips and have wonderful calculators to judge exactly how much lye to use so that the soap chemical process uses all the free lye leaving no harsh lye in the finished product.

2. How should I store the soaps?

Unused bars should keep quite well in their own wrappers or unwrapped, in any environment that is out of direct sunlight and not warmer than 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat and UV light will, over time, leach out the fragrance and fade any natural colors, although the soap itself will still be very good to your skin. Once you unwrap a bar of soap and begin using it, you will prolong the life of your bar by storing it in a place where there is excellent drainage (a good, slotted soap dish, for example) and in a place where the humidity is low enough to allow the soap to completely re-dry between uses.  This is not a glycerin soap, although it contains a lot of natural glycerin, so it will not "melt" or "weep" if left unwrapped in the open air.

3. What makes shampoo different from soap?

Hair reacts to certain oils quite differently than does the skin. Therefore, the fats used to create a gentle-but-cleansing shampoo are very different from what is needed to create a gentle-but-cleansing skin formula. Castor oil is not often used in significant quantity in a skin formula, because it creates a soft bar of soap that can leave a sticky after-feel on the skin. In a hair formula, it cleanses, moisturizes, provides shine and gives a "bouncy" quality to the hair. In general, soap formulas can be used on the hair and shampoo formulas will work for the body. However, there will be differences in your results. A soap formula used on the hair may leave a bit of a waxy film, and a shampoo formula used on the body may be drying.

4. What options for placing an order and making payment do I have if the Paypal-provided cart and checkout don't work for me?

Please use the order form on the 'Order' page and mail the order to me with a check or money order. Check orders will be sent out as soon as the check clears. Orders accompanied with a money order will ship immediately.

5. Are these soaps safe?

They are at least as safe as, and almost certainly safer than, whatever body cleanser you are currently using. Our soaps are mild, super-moisturizing, and of an amazingly skin-gentle Ph level of 7. Our products do often contain natural herbs and essential oils, and there is always a risk than certain individuals may be sensitive to these. There is an ingredients list available for every product so that you can protect yourself against known sensitivities.

6. Which ones irritate least or would you recommend for infants?

For now, I'm only listing the 'leftovers' from special orders. If there is one that is especially gentle and unscented it will be noted in the text. Because small children have such tender skin and often their allergies are not yet known, an unscented formula is the safest bet.  In the future, I will be creating a Baby Bar which will not only be unscented; it will also be free of all herbal ingredients to further reduce the risk of sensitivity.

7. Why are Artisan soaps so much more expensive than the soap I can buy at the supermarket (or the soap I grew up using)?

Botanical Springs Soaps are handmade, one bar at a time, by human hands. No factories. Botanical Springs soaps are created from the best, purest and most natural ingredients, organic whenever possible. You pay for what you get. Manufactured soaps are no longer really 'soap'. They are detergents. They are made of chemicals which produce the 'best' bar for the lowest price. They often have the glycerin removed because manufacturers can sell it apart from the soap and make more profit. Try some 'real' soap and you will feel the difference.

8. What is the Ph of your soaps?

Our soaps test consistently with a Ph level of 7. Nice and mild.

9. How long should it take to receive my order?

Orders are typically going out within 3 business days, via US Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation in the US. Overseas orders may take a bit longer, but all packages now have tracking information which helps move the process along a bit.

10. Do you have any soap or other products with Shea Butter?

Yes, we have both soap and body butters which contain Shea Butter. I have read however, that Shea Butter contains natural traces of latex. Anyone with a latex allergy should be careful with Shea Butter for this reason. If you notice that your skin is not responding to a moisture treatment, or that your dryness seems to be increasing between uses, check the ingredients. One of the first signs of mild irritation is often dryness.

Understanding how your soap is made well help you make a better soap choice.

Cold Kettle Soap
Cold kettle refers to a popular method of soap making, and is also known as cold processed soap making. The cold kettle or cold processed method means that no external heat is applied during the soap making process.

Cold Processed Soap
Cold processed soap is also known as cold kettle soap. See cold kettle soap above.

Commercial Soap
Commercial soap is one term used to describe the soap that is produced by the large corporations. This so called soap is available in most every supermarket, discount and drug store. No longer a true soap, but rather a detergent, it is produced using what is called continuous process soap manufacturing. This method allows ingredients to be added throughout the soap making process.

Glycerin Soap
Glycerin soap is created from a cold processed or similar hand made soap base. The glycerin soap is made translucent through a process using alcohol and sugar. Available in craft stores and from soap makers that offer soap making supplies. Also referred to as melt and pour soap.

Hand Milled Soap
Hand milled soap is also known as rebatched soap. Hand made or cold processed soap base is grated and mixed with water usually over heat to liquefy the mixture. You can then add emoluments, herbs, spices, essential oils, fragrance oils and coloring before pouring this soap into molds. The soap is then removed from the molds and placed on a rack or shelf to let the excess moisture evaporate and allow the bar of soap to harden.

Handcrafted Soap
Handcrafted soap is used to refer to melt and pour soap making where the soap base is already made and it is handcrafted into individual bars or loaves of soap. The melt and pour soap base is also known as glycerin soap and is available in a clear base. This method also allows the hobbyist to create their own handcrafted soap by adding their favorite essential or fragrance oil as well as any herbs or spices. You can also use various methods to color the soap. The melt and pour soap base can be used to create layered soap, and embedded soap where a shape or design of a different color is embedded within the glycerin soap.

Handmade Soap
Handmade soap usually refers to soap that is made by combining a base (oils) with an alkali (sodium or potassium hydroxide) through a process known as saponification to create a salt (soap). This is usually done by hand, and not by an automated mechanical process. Handmade soap does not always mean that it's a natural soap.

Lye Soap
Lye (sodium hydroxide) soap is just another term for handmade soap or natural soap. This is a term that has survived from the early days of soap making when commercial lye was first available and you no longer had to create your own solution using wood ashes. You cannot make bar soap without using lye as it is necessary to convert the base oils or fats into soap. When made correctly, there is no lye remaining in the finished soap.

Melt and Pour Soap
Melt and pour soap making is a popular craft today as it allows the hobbyist create their own handcrafted soap without having to use any caustic chemicals or waiting for the finished soap to cure. See handcrafted soap above.

Natural Soap
Natural soap generally refers to the fact that only natural ingredients are being used to create the soap. Some natural ingredients used are vegetable base oils, pure essential oils and herbs and spices. This usually means that only natural source ingredients are being used in the soap making process. Natural soap can be hand made, and has been referred to as such.

Superfatted Soap
Superfatted soap is a handmade soap that has an extra amount of oils added as an emollient that are not saponified during the soap making process. These extra oils can be included in the formula or added after the base oils and sodium hydroxide solution have been thoroughly mixed.