Does anyone here make their own soap?

[kenny]

I was at a party last night and one guy said he makes his own soap and the bar soap, even Dove, we buy is actually detergent and not good for you skin.

I just over heard part of the conversation but I think he said he uses olive oil, lye and water and something else.
He swears it is much much better than the bar soap you can buy.

 

[yssie]

No but I''d love to try one day!



I lied. They had this make-your-own soap stand at a fair once, when I was littler. My mum and I did it, and it was tons of fun, but the soap itself was atrocious. I''d love to try making the real thing, though! Something with oatmeal, the smell makes me drool

 

[Haven]

I''d like to start making my own soap. It''s actually on my to do list for this winter break. That, and laundry detergent.

 

[kenny]

He said the best stuff cannot be left in the shower stall.
It absorbs humidity and turns to mush.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Date: 12/14/2009 3:41:48 PM
Author:kenny
I was at a party last night and one guy said he makes his own soap and the bar soap, even Dove, we buy is actually detergent and not good for you skin.

I just over heard part of the conversation but I think he said he uses olive oil, lye and water and something else.
He swears it is much much better than the bar soap you can buy.

Of course all soap is detergent! Soap is supposed to cut grease on skin, in order to clean it. And, chemically speaking, guess what oil or fat mixed with lye makes? Right - detergent.

 

[kenny]

So it is just semantics?

He is misinformed?

Detergent = soap?

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 12/14/2009 4:24:43 PM
Author: Lady_Disdain

Of course all soap is detergent! Soap is supposed to cut grease on skin, in order to clean it. And, chemically speaking, guess what oil or fat mixed with lye makes? Right - detergent.

Totally agree, however, there are other ways to making cleaning products that are different from traditional soap, soap does not always = detergent. But, I find it hard to believe that you can't buy a commercial form of the basic lye + oil soap in a specialty store. There are just other detergents do a better job at cleaning your clothes, your contact lenses, your dishes, etc and those aren't necessarily bad. It's all just a surfactant that breaks through grease in order to clean, like Lady_Disdain said. Does it really matter if it's made of one thing or another as long as it gets things clean and doesn't irritate your skin?

ETA: And if the argument is that your friend's soap is made of very pure and safe ingredients, unlike commercial products, I think he should re-look at lye - an extremely dangerous and caustic chemical (Fight Club, anyone?). There really isn't a way to make soap or detergent that doesn't use some form of nasty chemical.

 

[JulieN]

He''s being ridiculous. The difference between "detergent" and "soap?"

Anyway, I hate the feeling of homemade soap on my skin.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

I just buy it off the soap block at Whole Foods..everything there is organic..right...??....guys...?

 

[kenny]

Here is a link explaining the difference between soap and detergent.
It's just the first link that came up when I Googled the difference between soap and detergent.

Click

Partial snip

5 Soaps and detergents are very similar in their chemical properties. However, there is a significant difference between them; soaps are produced from natural products, and detergents are synthetic, or man-made.

6 To make soap, the first step is to start with fats and oils (obtained from plants or animals) that are reduced to fatty acids and glycerine with a high pressure steam. The fatty acids then combine with either sodium or potasium salts (an alkali or base) to produce soap and water. This is exactly what happened when our early American settlers combined ashes, containing lye, a base, with animal fats.

7 After this process, the soap possesses a hydrophilic end that is attracted to water and a hydrophobic end that is repelled by water, allowing the soap to break down materials that dissolve in both oil and water. Sodium soaps are harder and appear as bar soaps, while the potassium soaps are softer and are used in liquid hand soaps and shaving creams.

8 Detergents are created through a similar process and produce an almost identical product, a sodium salt. The first ingredient used in creating detergents is the compound propylene, CH3-CH=CH2, which used to just be burnt off as waste by the petroleum industry. Propylene molecules are manipulated to form a compound that will react with sulfuric acid. Next, sodium hydroxide is added to neutralize the sulfuric acid resulting in a sodium salt similar to the one present in soap. In general, since soaps are a more natural product, they are used on the body, and detergents are used on clothes. But detergents are the more prevalent of the two and are often used in combination with natural soaps.

9 Both soaps and detergents share a critical chemical property - they are surface-active agents, or surfactants. In other words, they reduce the surface tension of water. Normally, water molecules have a strong attraction to each other, which causes water to bead on counters and on clothes. By reducing this effect, water soaks more easily in clothes and removes stains faster.

10 There are some differences between them, however. Soaps possess a number of qualities that make them preferable to detergents. First, as mentioned earlier, they are natural products and less harmful to the human skin and the environment. Soaps are biodegradable and do not create pollution in our rivers and streams. On the other hand, soap will combine with the magnesium and calcium ions in hard water to create an insoluble residue that can clog drains and stick to clothing. The hardness of a water sample can be gauged by the amount of calcium carbonate that is present. Soft water is relatively free of dissolved calcium carbonate.

 

[Callisto]

No but I''ve been wanting to try it.

Also note that a lot of people feel that most convenience store hygiene products are FAR more powerful than really needed. So he also might be using the term detergent to imply A really strong cleansing chemical. Most soaps and shampoos have the same chemicals as dish soap which is far stronger than needed for human skin and hair.

I, for example, don''t use any shampoo with sulfates (ammonium sulfate, ammonium laurel sulfate, etc - not including olein sulfate which is natural and from coconuts) because given time your hair will adjust to not be stripped of all its natural oils daily and actually become much healthier, its also better for the environment. So I use a shampoo without any of these harsh chemicals about 2 times a week.

Hygiene companies make consumers feel like they need to be squeaky clean by using strong soaps and shampoos daily, when in reality those natural oils are there for a reason.

 

[that_someone_special]

Date: 12/14/2009 4:25:33 PM
Author: kenny
So it is just semantics?


He is misinformed?


Detergent = soap?

Kenny have you heard of LUSH?? They are handmade "cosmetics".

They make shower gels, soaps, perfumes, bath thingys...

I switched to solid shampoos and they lather differently, same with the soaps. They don''t get sudsy really. THEY DO CLEAN YOU, but it does not leave that normal crap all over your skin. The shampoo is a bit hard to get used to, but it''s pretty sweet. Not only are you cutting down on plastic bottle waste, the shampoo pucks last longer (about 2-3 bottles of shampoo = 1 puck)

www.lushusa.com

It''s def more expensive soap wise, but I think it''s worth it. They recently switched to all palm-free soaps and it has a bit more of a waxy feel but it DOES get you clean.

What he said was true. The other soaps- including Dove leave a soap scummy residue on your skin. If you are looking to make a change, that''s great. If not, I mean, soap didn''t bother you before so why switch?


And I have a friend that washes her face with olive oil only. She hasn''t had a breakout since!! She swears by it.