Can Soap Be “Natural?”
Since soap does not grow on trees, or out of the ground, how can it be “natural” and what is the difference between “natural” soap and other kinds of soap? Why should we care?
The process of making soap involves mixing acidic fats – traditionally olive oil or lard – with caustic soda. The soda, or “lye”, and the fats react with each other, and soap is produced. All of the fats are transformed into other chemicals, and no trace of the lye remains. So how can that be natural? For me, it depends on whether the ingredients are natural or not. Are the fats a blend of plant oils? Are there any synthetic chemicals or “fragrances” involved. But no matter how “natural” or organic the other ingredients, there is no soap without lye, otherwise known as caustic soda or sodium hydroxide. We are often advised to avoid chemicals in our personal care products. Frankly, that is not well thought-out advice.
Chemicals are the building blocks of nature. All substances, natural or otherwise, are made of chemicals. So what we are really talking about, is avoiding some kinds of chemicals.
Cleansers can be made with petrochemicals and other synthetic ingredients. Synthetic ingredients are common in our shampoos and detergents. They can be very good at cutting grease. Unfortunately, they also tend to be harsher than soap and do not have the same fat content that our skin needs to flourish. One common ingredient, sodium lauryl sulphate, is known to be harmful to dry skin, yet it is contained in the most-prescribed remedy for eczema.
Soap can be a gentle cleanser. The harsh soaps of old have been supplanted with soaps that blend coconut, olive, palm, and other oils to give just the lather and feel we want. There is an endless range of possibilities.
So to answer the question about what is a natural soap – if the soap is made only with natural ingredients, it qualifies as natural soap. If the fragrance or other ingredients include synthetic chemicals, then it does not qualify as natural soap. There may be better definitions than this, but I have not seen one.
My main interest is in what the soap is going to do for my skin. I favor soaps rich in organic oils that will mix with the natural oils of my skin to moisturize and cleanse it.
That’s why I use a moisturizing cleanse, ideal for my dry skin. I love its smell and how it feels. Plus it works perfectly with the other dry skin products that I use to keep my skin lustrous and alive.
