Here's where we try to answer the questions you may have. If you have a question that we haven't addressed here, feel free to ask! We'll be more than happy to answer!




A. There are several reasons why we use animal oils in our products:

1- They are ‘hard’ oils, where most vegetable oils are ‘soft’. ‘Hard’ oils naturally make a harder bar of soap whereas soaps which contain a high percentage of ‘soft’ oils will turn squishy and slimy in the shower, bath and soap dish. Some of the most commonly used ‘hard’ vegetable oils are palm, palm kernel and coconut oils. We do not use palm oil or palm kernel oil (both are obtained from the oil palm) because oil palm plantation growth is a major cause of deforestation and infringes on the habitat of endangered species such as the orangutan, elephant and tiger. Coconut oil is a good alternative and one of my favorite oils, but too much can be drying to the skin.

2- These oils most certainly do not clog pores or cause skin problems of any kind. I have struggled with acne and ‘problem’ skin since adolescence and have found that my items with animal oils do not cause any problems at all. This myth has been perpetrated by the vegetable oil industry to boost sales and recent reputable studies have shown that these statements are just that - myth. As with any popular myth, it takes a long time for the truth to be accepted. Unfortunately, most handcrafted soap sellers continue to spread this myth, usually out of ignorance. Animal oils have a long history of being used topically. Some of the oldest recipes use lard as a base for ointments because it acts as a carrier for healing herbal compounds to be absorbed deep into the skin.

3- The quality of soap made with animal oils is superior to those made exclusively with vegetable oils. There are many luxurious vegetable oils that are high-quality and contain many good properties for our skin but these oils are best used for superfatting and in ‘stay-on’ products instead of being used as base oils in soap. Not only are many of the good properties of these oils destroyed by the natural chemical changes during the soap making process, but they just do not have 'what it takes' to make an outstanding bar ofsoap. The rich, creamy lather that animal oil soaps create simply cannot be duplicated by pure vegetable oil soap.


A. All real soap begins as two separate things: oil and ‘lye’ (properly known as sodium or potassium hydroxide). When the oil and ‘lye’ are mixed together in the proper, exact proportions and under the correct conditions, a natural process called saponification occurs. When the process is complete, there is no remaining oil or ‘lye’ - just a new mixture of soap and glycerine. The proportions of oil to ‘lye’ must be very precise - if there is too little oil for the ‘lye’, the soap will by ‘lye heavy’ and can cause minor to severe skin reactions. This is what happened many times when our ancestors made soap. Not only did they use whatever various oils that they had on hand, but the strength of their ‘lye’ varied also, ensuring that no two batches of soap were ever quite the same. Unlike our soapmaking ancestors, all good soapmakers today will know the exact proportions of oil to ‘lye’ that are needed, and then use a bit more oil to ensure there is never, ever any ‘lye’ remaining in the soap.
For an easy-to-understand explanation, complete with cute illustrations, click here.


A. The vast majority of what is known as ‘glycerine soap’ is not real soap. 'Glycerine soap' starts out as a pre-made base that is melted so colorants and additives can be mixed in and then the mixture is placed into molds. This type of 'soap' is also known as ‘melt and pour soap’ and although they are often translucent and beautiful to behold, they are, unfortunately, not real soaps. Not only are the bases made primarily with detergents and synthetics, which makes them harsh and drying to the skin, but they also contain little to no glycerine!

Although the real soap we make is not known as ‘glycerine soap’, it could be! Because glycerine is one of the natural results of the soapmaking process, our soaps do contain a substantial amount of natural glycerine. In fact, our real soap contains more glycerine than ‘glycerine soap’! In contrast, the few real soaps that are still commercially available no longer contain glycerine because soap manufacturers see it as a profitable ‘by-product’, so remove it and sell it at premium prices to many different industries that require it. Hmmm. I wonder if that’s why they can afford to sell their soaps so cheap?