What kind of ingredients can you find in an all natural soap bar?
First of all, these ingredients should be something you can pronounce. Cocoa butter, olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, sweet almond oil, tallow, lard. We know these ingredients, right? Most of us cook with olive oil or coconut oil, and my mom made a wonderful pie crust with lard. An all natural soap bar uses these same oils, olive oil, coconut oil and lard, as well as other commonly-known oils.
Most conscientious soapmakers use oils like these that are naturally derived. They use coconut oil that is cold-pressed, meaning that the coconut fruit (the “meat” inside that hard round brown ball) is “pressed” or smashed, to get the oil out. Extra virgin olive oil is made the same way, pressed, without chemical additives of any kind. These kind of oils are used in soapmaking because they are unrefined, preserving the natural benefits of the oils. Oils like these make a wonderful all-natural soap bar.
And wait until you try one!