Is your soap really soap or is it detergent? Look at the label on your bar of commercial soap. Is it called "soap" on the label, or is it a “beauty bar,” “cleansing bar,” or “deodorizing bar?”
If it does not say "soap" then it is not really soap. Many commercial brands are not called soap because by law they cannot be - they are DETERGENTS.
Most products you think of as soap are actually detergents. Detergent is good for one thing--removing oils. Detergent is great when you are cleaning laundry or dishes, but NOT when you are cleaning your skin!
Detergent bars strip the natural moisturizing oils from your skin. So after you take a bath or shower with commercial soap you reach for that bottle of expensive lotion, to put back the moisture that was taken away by the commercial soap.
Detergent is great when you are cleaning laundry or dishes, but NOT when you are cleaning your skin!
The label of ingredients on a bar of commercial soap has a long list of unpronounceable chemicals. Whether or not these synthetic chemical additives are bad for you may be up for debate for some people, but chances are you are better off with none at all. The chart below compares Chagrin Valley Handcrafted Soap with a popular moisturizing brand.
COMPARE FOR YOURSELF