Philosophy
I have always had a dry skin, and started off by making moisturising soaps which I could also use on my face without that horrible taut feeling that I get with commercial soaps. When my kind friends tested these for me, the feedback was so overwhelmingly positive, that I have continued to make my soaps as moisturising as possible.
I firmly believe that it is important to use as many natural products on your skin as possible, and the fewest possible artificial chemicals. Therefore, unless specifically mentioned, all of my soaps are 100% natural.
My customers have given me so much positive feedback, many telling me how the soaps are so gentle on even the most sensitive of skins and so moisturising that they no longer need to use moisturiser. This is what one satisfied customer wrote to me:
“These are the most luxurious soaps in the world. Their texture is amazing, the colours beautiful, and the scents exquisite”. Phillippa, Hertfordshire.
Contact me
joanna.white@whitewashsoaps.co.uk
Ingredients
- Handmade and 100% Natural
- Made with high quality natural ingredients to moisturise and care for your skin
- NO artificial colours, preservatives or foaming agents
- NO Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (a detergent used in most high street soaps and a known irritant)
- NO animal fats
- Tested on friends, not animals.
All soap is made from a chemical reaction between lye (or NaOH) which is an alkali, and oil, which is acid. When these two are mixed together in the correct proportions, it makes soap and glycerine.
By choosing different oils, you change the character of the soap. My soaps are a mix of olive oil and sunflower oil, which are both very gentle and moisturising for the skin. They also contain coconut oil, which is great for making a luxurious lather, and palm oil, which is sustainably produced and gentle on the skin. Both the coconut oil and palm oil are hard, and help ensure that the soap doesn’t go too slimy in the soap dish.
The soap also contains glycerine. During the manufacture of commercial soaps, glycerine is removed and sold on to cosmetics or food manufacturers to make more profit. In my bars, the glycerine stays in, increasing the moisturising property of this gentle soap.
Depending on the type of soap I want to make, I also add a mix of either evening primrose oil, castor oil, rosehip oil or avocado oil to the bars of soap. These contain wonderful vitamins and skin care properties. I then add essential oils for their glorious scents, and natural colours, for example pink clay, and exfoliants such as oatmeal or lavender petals.
All of my soap is made in my kitchen from scratch in small batches. It is poured into handmade wooden moulds and left to set. After 24 hours, it is hand cut into luxurious bars of soap and left to cure for 3-4 weeks to make it as gentle as possible.