Anti-aging and skincare products aren’t the only items that contain hard to pronounce ingredients on the label. Even our innocent bar of soap can contain ingredients we have never heard of before. Many are now turning towards natural and homemade soaps to ensure that they know exactly what they are putting on their skin. If you want to know what a good soap should contain, read on and take notes.

While we won’t name names, there are plenty of bar soaps on the market today that actually aren’t “soap” but cleansing bars. These types of bars are, in fact, detergents. The proper label for these detergent bars is syndet or synthetic detergent bars. Unlike soap, these syndet bars contain synthesized chemicals that can be too harsh for the skin. Synthetic detergent bars are made with petroleum distillates instead of oil. What does this mean? It means that if you don’t read the labels carefully, you could be exposing your skin to ingredients and chemicals that aren’t good.

When looking for true bar soap for your cleansing needs, turn to products that contain natural cleansing properties such as coconut, plan, and olive oil. Real soaps are made up of a combination of lye (also called sodium hydroxide), essential oils and water. This process is known as Saponification. While many people are wary of using products that contain lye, just about all soap is made with this ingredient. To ease your fears, at the end of the Saponification process the lye disappears into the combination of oil molecules, turning it into your finished product of soap and glycerin. The finished bars of soap do not contain any lye.

Glycerin is an important part of true soap due to its emollient properties, which sooth the skin. As a humectant, glycerin is able to draw moisture from the air, which in turn properly hydrates the skin. About 1/5 of a bar of soap is made of glycerin. The essential oils work to create the rich lather we all enjoy, provide nutrients to the skin and maintain the bar’s high quality to ensure that it lasts over time. Common essential oils include olive oil, canola oil, palm oil and safflower oil.

If you are looking for more naturally made bar soaps, opt for those that are naturally scented and colored. Many handmade soaps use petals from flowers and plants such as lavender and rose, as well as finely ground rocks called Earth Pigments to get the desired texture and scent. Soaps that use artificial ingredients for color and scent may contain properties of synthetic chemicals that can cause skin reactions in those with sensitive skin types.

Those with sensitive skin or other conditions can find safe bar soaps to use at any health or natural good store and even online. There are many websites dedicated to the manufacture and sale of all natural products, including true bar soap.

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