What is bad soap?
Solid/hard bad soap can be composed in different ways. Either by saponifying a basically good oil according to the rules of art, but removing the naturally created glycerine. The soap then becomes dehydrating and not pleasant. Or, the more common and worse option, synthetic fat solvents are put together into a solid lump. Often a range of synthetic chemicals are added to give the 'soap' the right lather, stabilize scent and preserve. These are things that are not needed when making natural soap, as it is self-lathering and stable by itself.
Liquid bad soap consists of synthetic fat-dissolving chemicals, often several in mixture. Those used in liquid soap are proven to be surface-aggressive on the skin and allergenic. These substances are probably the reason why modern humans suffer so much from contact dermatitis and damaged sensitive skin. Many "soaps" are marketed as moisturizing and certainly contain some moisturizing but when the base is a really strong synthetic surfactant, it doesn't really work. It's a fact that what we call bad soap dries out and disrupts the skin's natural biome, and unfortunately in some respects the bad one has dragged the good one down with it. Often you hear claims like,
- I need moisturizer because soap dries out.
- I can't shower with soap, it dries out like that.
- Soap on your face? You can't do that!
All claims are linked to the bad soap.
In genuine natural soaps, a superfat, fragrance created by essential oils or high-quality perfume is added, perhaps clays for color or some dye. In the inferior soaps, a range of synthetic chemical clays are often added to fill in what the
Synthetic surfactant to avoid:
SLS Sodium laureth sulfate (
Real soap, let's call it nice surfactant, made from saponified oils can never dry out or damage the skin in the same way as a synthetic surfactant. The choice is simple, isn't it?