Handmade Soap Facts

How many people know what soap really is? Several of cleansing bars that you buy at store, for example, are detergents-and not soaps at all. They are called syndet bars, or synthetic detergent bars. They are made from synthesized chemicals and are usually much harsher than soap. Detergents contain petroleum distillates rather than oil. On other hand, true soap is made from natural oils (such as olive, coconut and palm) and is a gentle cleansing product more appropriate for use on skin than is detergent. Soaps, unlike detergents, are made by combining sodium hydroxide or lye, oils and water in a process known as "Saponification". Some people may question use of lye in handcrafted soap. The fact is that all soap is made with lye. What needs to be made clear is that once process of saponification is complete, lye and oil molecules have combined and chemically changed into soap and glycerin. There is no lye present in finished bars of soap. The oils in our soaps are put there for a specific purpose. The coconut oil creates a wonderful lather. The olive oil is used for a high quality, long lasting bar. Canola and Palm oil carry nutrients to skin, and safflower oil make a creamy bar. Glycerin is a skin soothing emollient that adds to goodness of handmade soap. In commercial soaps glycerin is removed for sale to cosmetic industry to sell separately, sometimes at a higher price than soap itself! Glycerin is important to skin care because it is a humectant. Humectants draw moisture from air, which in turn moisturize your skin. A whole 1/5 of a bar of our soap is glycerin.

Poor Dental Hygiene May Account for Poor Health

Bright white teeth and fresh breath does not necessarily mean you have a healthy mouth! General health is directly related to gum health. Gum disease has been linked to several medical conditions such as stroke, diabetes, heart attack and worsening lung disease. Healthy gums can reduce a person's biological age by up to 6.4 years. Why? Because studies show that presence of periodontal diseases, most common in people with tooth loss, actually affects longevity. The best of these studies, done at Emory University in conjunction with Centers for Disease Control, indicates that people with gingivitis and periodontal disease have a mortality rate that is 23% to 46% higher than those who don't. Keeping your gums clean and healthy may help reduce risk of many illnesses, including heart disease.

Gum Disease

Gum disease or periodontal disease, a chronic inflammation and infection of gums and surrounding tissue, is major cause of about 70 percent of adult tooth loss, affecting three out of four persons at some point in their life. Red swollen and bleeding gums characterize gum disease in initial stages and progresses to infections, chronic inflammation and bone loss in later stages. Eventually bacteria are allowed to flow freely through your gums and into your blood stream that activates and stresses immune system.