Here is some information on the ingredients used in my products as well as a word about preservatives and safety.

Soap:

My soaps contain these standard oils:

Coconut Oil: Coconut oil is resistant to rancidity and contributes to a good, hard soap with a wonderful fluffy lather. According to some sources, Virgin Coconut Oil is especially useful in fighting free-radicals, as it is unrefined and hasn't been stripped of any of its natural components through the refining process.

Olive Oil: Olive Oil prevents the loss of your skin's natural moisture, softens skin and attracts external moisture to your skin. It helps keeps your skin soft, supple and younger looking. Most mild soaps are Castile, made from 10% olive oil.

Palm Oil: Palm oil makes a hard bar that cleans well and is also mild. Palm oil is used in many expensive luxury soaps.

Shea Butter: Shea butter is a wonderful superfatting agent and contains a large percentage of ingredients that do not react with the lye thus remaining in the soap to nourish your skin. The protective and emollient properties of shea butter are most valued for skin care. According to sources on shea butter, it has natural sunscreen properties and anti-inflammatory agents. It has also been shown to help with skin conditions and ailments such as extreme dryness, psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, skin allergies, fungal infections, blemishes, wrinkles, stretch marks, scars, scrapes and more. I make no claims for soap containing shea butter, but it certainly makes a wonderfully moisturizing addition to any soap.

Some recipes may also include at least one of the following emollient oils: Almond Oil, Jojoba, Wheat germ Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil, Castor Oil, or Avocado Oil.

Fragrances: Essential oils and Fragrance oils are cosmetic grade. Lip balms may contain food grade flavorings. Essential oils used are reputed to have healing or therapeutic properties.

Colorants: Many of the colors used in my soaps come directly from the oils, herbs, or botanicals used. Some colors are obtained by using pigments, minerals, or FD&C colorants. All colorants used are cosmetic grade.

"Saponified" means changing the physical property of the oils when mixing with the appropriate amount of sodium hydroxide or lye. The resulting physical change is soap. Any soap (not detergent) is a result of saponification. A natural by-product of the saponification of oils is glycerin. Commercial manufacturers of soap remove the glycerin from their soap and sell it separately due to its value in other industries. The glycerin is not removed from handcrafted soap resulting in a more naturally moisturizing product as compared to commercial products.

Butters: Butters are made by whipping the main butter with emollient oil such as Almond Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil, or Wheat germ Oil.

Preservatives:  Lotions and creams must be preserved against microbial and fungal growth as well as rancidity. This protects you, the customer from potential injury. Any product containing or coming into direct contact with water is required to contain a preservative. Unfortunately, there are no known natural preservatives. Any product that contains a preservative is clearly labeled. I strive to keep my products as natural as possible. Storing the products away from direct sunlight and in a cool, dry area or by refrigerating will prolong the shelf life.

Safety: