My soaps are formulated to have a happy balance of lather and conditioning.
The ultimate goal is to cleanse the skin, but we also want to avoid over stripping the skin of the natural oils. You'll find our soaps to lather nicely but not explode in huge bubbles. But why is that? The same oils that create those explosive bubbles can have negative effects to the skin and/or the soap bar over time.
Our soaps will lather with initial larger bubbles and then stabilize to a foamy and creamy texture. If washing for long periods of time, our soaps are known to have stable lather that will reactivate as more water is introduced.
Soap bars made with different ingredients will lather differently. Those ingredients are milks/cream, vegetable purees, honey/sugar, colorants, etc.. Some additives will subdue the lather some and others will boost the lather.
One of the most significant factors into how the same soap can lather differently is the water used during washing. Well water that is heavy with minerals may cause a decrease in lather but create a more moisturizing effect. City water that is high in chlorine and chemicals can often boost lather but cause a more drying effect.
Personal factors include skin type (dry or oily), activities (cooking with fats and oils), cleaning (may dry your skin out or leave a film), gardening, the number of times hands have been washed recently, how wet the soap has gotten, etc.. That's right...YOU affect how our soaps lather for YOU.
The size and age of the soap bars will cause a difference in lather. When you first start using a new soap bar, you may find that the soap doesn't lather super well. That is because that outside is very dry. Just work with it a bit more to break through that layer. Using a smaller piece of soap can mean that you aren't getting as much soap transferred to your hands and lather may be lessened. A super wet soap bar that hasn't dried much between uses may transfer more soap to your hands causing a much better lather. However, not allowing the soap bar to dry between uses will degrade the soap bar over time. Handcrafted soaps get better with age. The older it gets, the more lather and conditioning you'll get from it. We recommend that you use our soap bars within a year for the best results from the fragrances and additives.)
Note: Our Sea Salt Soaps are made with high coconut oil but are countered with a higher super fat to offset the high cleansing. It is a different breed of soap and doesn't follow the same rules as a standard bar of handcrafted soap.
Phthalates and Why I Only Use Phthalate Free Fragrance
I am often asked “Your soap smells so good, but the smell doesn’t stick to my skin. Why is that?” That is because (A) Soap is a wash off product meant to clean the skin and not strip natural moisture; (B) Commercial soap companies use Phthalates to help the scent to stick to the skin, but phthalates have been shown to cause health concerns.
Phthalates are typically found in personal care and household items as one of the fragrance ingredients used as carriers to help make the scent linger, and can be found in nail polish, hairsprays, aftershave lotions, soaps, shampoos, perfumes, and other fragrance preparations. Phthalates, a family of industrial chemicals used to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic and as solvents in cosmetics and other consumer products, can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive system.
This is why commercial soaps and mass-produced soaps will often have lingering scent – the plastic from the phthalates sticks to your skin.
But, as Sassy Goat Soaps, all my soaps are handcrafted with either essential oils or paraben free and phthalate free fragrances. This will allow you to enjoy the scent before and during the shower without the risk of industrial chemicals sticking to your skin.
My soaps are made with fresh goat's milk, shea butter, olive oils, cocoa butter and more - all designed to gently cleanse and nourish the skin - not dry out or introduce harmful chemicals.