All The Benefits Of Using Natural & Organic Hand Soap
When shopping for hand soaps, it’s tempting to opt for the most colourful and strongly scented product on the shelves in an effort to have skin that smells fantastic. After all, who wouldn’t want hands that smell like grapefruit, roses or pomegranates? However, at a time when hand hygiene has never been more important, it’s crucial to consider the chemicals, properties and sources of our hand soap to make sure we are prioritising soothing and natural hygiene products over the luxurious-looking and gorgeous-smelling hand soaps that take centre stage in most shops.
Organic hand soap is produced using solely natural ingredients and, while it may not always look the most appealing or smell like vibrant tropical fruits, organic soap is rich in vitamins, antioxidants and naturally-occurring nutrients that work wonders for the skin. If you have irritable or sensitive skin that flares up or becomes sore when using regular hand soap, natural hand soap products could be the product you have been looking for.
Natural vs. organic hand soap
When you decide to make the move to using organic or natural hand soaps, it’s important to understand that there is little difference between the two. Both organic and natural hand soaps are made using naturally derived ingredients such as plant-based oils, essential oils and glycerin. This differs from the mass-produced soaps you can find in supermarkets and pharmacies, which use artificial chemicals to enhance the lather, add artificial colours and scents and preserve the products. Organic soap goes perhaps one step further than natural hand soaps in general, as these are produced by certified organic farmers using organic farming practices — no pesticides or fertilisers are used in the process.
How is organic hand soap made?
All-natural soap is produced using the process of saponification, the technical name for ‘soap making’. Saponification is the process of fats or oils reacting with an alkaline base to create the soap. The chemical reaction is completely natural, with natural hand soaps commonly being produced using plant-based oils blended with butter. Varying soap formulas and properties are created with the addition of essential oils, botanical extracts and salts or clays. Essentially, any ingredient that occurs naturally and can be taken from the earth can be used to add specific properties, scents or formulas to natural hand soaps, making them ideal for people with sensitive skin or specific conditions. If you find your skin becoming tight or existing skin conditions worsening after washing your hands more frequently, eliminating the use of artificial chemicals and opting for natural hand soap is a simple solution to reduce flare-ups and keep your skin calm.
Benefits of natural hand soap…
It goes without saying that there are a ton of reasons why it’s beneficial to adopt natural and organic hand soap into your daily hygiene routine. Here are just a few of the main benefits that organic hand soaps can have for both your skin and the environment.
Glycerin
When hand soap is produced using the process of saponification, glycerin is produced as a natural byproduct of the chemical reaction. Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture from the air to your skin to deeply and continually hydrate your hands after washing. As glycerin is such a beneficial and favoured ingredient in hand soap, most commercially produced soaps will extract this ingredient to sell on or use in the production of more expensive products. Natural and organic hand soap, however, contains all the naturally produced glycerin from the soap-making process, meaning natural soaps are far more moisturising and nourishing for your skin. It’s important to remember that you get what you pay for with hand soaps - mass-produced off-the-shelf soaps will be cheaper, but they will be far harsher on the skin. Organic hand soap may be on the slightly more expensive side, but it will leave your hands feeling comfortable and moisturised after every use.
Unique
As natural hand soap is not mass-produced, each soap bar or liquid hand soap will be slightly different in texture and appearance. Because of this, natural hand soap may not always look as pretty or vibrant, but the natural oils and botanical oils used make natural soaps unique in the way they lather up and affect the skin, without using nasty or artificial chemicals to do so. What’s more, organic soaps can still have natural and beautiful scents with the addition of certain essential oils, without the need for artificial ingredients, which can create potentially appealing but unnatural smells.
Environmentally friendly
In addition to the incredible benefits that natural hand soaps have for our skin, they are also far better for the environment for several reasons. Firstly, the natural ingredients used to create these soaps make them far easier to dispose of, with the natural oils and fats being quick to break down as they go down the sink, preventing pollution of the water. On top of this, no pesticides or insecticides are used in the process of producing the ingredients that go into organic hand soap, reducing soil contamination which could put future crops or animals at risk.
Start using organic hand soap today!
At The English Shaving Company, we pride ourselves on only stocking products that we believe in. Our range of hand soaps from respected brands is derived from natural ingredients and use traditional methods for production, eliminating the use of parabens or artificial chemicals in the process. Browse our range of natural hand soaps today, including both soap bars and liquid soaps so you can choose the right formula and properties for your unique skin type.