What is soap??
Soap is basically a salt that is formed when lye is mixed with a fat such as olive oil. In addition to soap salt molecules, moisturizing glycerin is a product of this reaction. Our soaps are superfatted so you can rest assured that all of the lye is used up in making the soap molecules while some fat is left to help moisturize your skin.

How does it clean?
Soap molecules have two ends; a water-loving end and a water-hating end. The water-hating ends of several soap molecules attach to oil & dirt in a cluster. The water-loving ends stick out, attach to water and allow the trapped soils to be washed away.

What are some differences between "store bought" & "home-made" soap?
Store-bought soap has often had the moisturizing glycerin removed, may contain synthetic preservatives or other chemicals and is often made with animal fat. Home-made soap retains the moisturizing glycerin, is often "superfatted" for extra mild cleansing and conditioning, and is often made with all vegetable oils. We also enjoy the experience of using a handmade product versus something mass produced. It adds a little something special to each shower!

How should I store my soap?
Kettlepot homemade soaps do not contain synthetic chemical preservatives or stabilizers. As such they need to be stored in a cool, dry place and allowed to breathe; avoid heat and humidity. You can even wrap them well and freeze; keep wrapped until thawed to room temperature. Homemade soaps are generally best if used within 6 months of purchase. For longest bar life, use with a soap dish that drains well and allows the soap to dry between uses.

Why are fragrances so different from scent to scent?
Soaps are generally scented with essential oils and/or fragrance oils. Essential oils (EOs) are extracted from a wide variety of plants and plant parts. Fragrance oils (FOs) are often blends of EOs and synthetic scents. Of these, EOs are generally the more expensive and the more "fragile" in terms of standing up to the lye and the long cure process. Some EOs, such as lemongrass or lavender, fare quite well in the soap process; many others do not. Some EOs, such as rose, are so expensive they are practically sold by the drop!

Fragrance oils are available in an incredible number of scents, from simple scents such as Vanilla to duplications of expensive and trendy perfumes such as Chanel or Happy. As with EOs, some FOs perform better in lye-processed soaps than others. Some FOs, especially the perfume duplications, are simply too fragile and it is not possible to make cold process soap with many of these types of scents. In addition, FOs will vary in terms of strength, with some such as Almond being quite intense while others, such as Sultry Citrus and Sage, are much lighter in scent. FOs also have other unique qualities, for example, vanilla turns soap a deep, dark brown while many berry scents turn soap yellow. Some scents linger on the skin quite nicely while others do not. So, each different scent offers something different to each bar in terms of strength, shelf life, staying power, color, etc.

A word about "natural"
Our Kettlepot Soap products are prepared from high quality vegetable oils & butters, and other plant-based ingredients. Our soap and lotion base recipes are all natural. To these natural bases we add essential oils, fragrance oils, flavor oils and little to nothing else. All flavors, scents, colorings and other additives are, according to our suppliers, cosmetic grade and skin safe. Because we are aware that many folks are allergic to fragrances in general, we offer fragrance-free and flavor-free items as well.

The Environmental Watch Group (www.ewg.com) recently published a report discussing various ingredients and additives found in hundreds of over-the-counter cosmetics and bath and body products. The number and kind of harmful ingredients was amazing and they were found in all kinds of products ranging from mascara to dandruff shampoos to baby care products. Here at Kettlepot Soap we believe our product line is great because we do not employ such chemicals, with the very few exceptions noted below.

It seems that "preservative-free" is all the rage now. You may be interested to know that according to FDA guidelines, lotion and other water containing products must be prepared so as to be as close to sterile as possible; to help with this, we add a preservative complex. We have chosen the most skin-safe preservative we can find. We constantly monitor our suppliers for safer alternatives and will phase them into our products as available. Also, in accordance with FDA guidelines, because we cannot have every batch of lotion tested in commercial laboratory (this can be quite costly and we make ours in very small batches) we must add the comment that the safety of our lotion has not been tested. Please know that we do test our lotions with a home-use testing kit. Beware of products which do not contain some kind of preservative; they are likely in violation of FDA guidelines and may contain harmful microorganisms. As we like to say, microbes are natural but I wouldn't want any in my lotion! We strongly believe that it is not safe for you to purchase, nor for us to prepare and sell, a lotion product that may harbor microorganisms and is not properly preserved.

We have recently added a natural pigment called zinc oxide to our lip lotion. This pigment acts as a sun-screen by reflecting the UV-A and B rays. Based upon what we know about this product, we estimate, but have not proven, that our lip lotion offers an SPF of about 3. As with the preservative complex, we constantly monitor our suppliers for an improved sunscreen and will phase such an ingredient into our products as available.

Kettlepot bath and body products are as natural as they can be and still be safe for you to use and for us to sell. Our products are a terrific, hand-crafted alternative to pricey products found in expensive bath and body stores and are far superior to cheap soap from discount chain stores. As with ANY bath and body product, test on a small area first, discontinue if allergic, keep out of eyes, use only externally, and follow all label directions and warnings. If you have any questions, please contact us at kpsoap *at* earthlink.net

Some common soap ingredients:

• base oils: olive, soy, canola oils for conditioning; coconut oil for lather
• moisturizers: glycerin, honey, special oils such as avocado, jojoba, or sweet almond; shea or cocoa butter
• fragrances: soap can be scented with essential oils (EOs) made from plants or fragrance oils (FOs) which usually are combinations of EOs and manufactured fragrances
• colorants: natural mineral pigments, cosmetic dyes, wax-based dyes, some plant extracts and even spices can be used for coloring
• exfoliants: cornmeal, oatmeal, clay, loofah, pumice, ground seeds are common; these tend to be a bit drying to the skin

Some books:

The Soap Makers Companion by Susan Miller Cavitch
The Handmade Soap Book by Melinda Coss

As pretty as these bars are, homemade Kettlepot Soap will not last forever . . .
so enjoy some home-made soap in your next shower :-)

NOTE:
As with any new skin care product, test on a small area first.
User assumes all responsibility.
Discontinue if allergic.
For external use only.
Keep out of eyes.