Looking for the best cleansing product for you and your family but want to maintain your organic lifestyle? Even if you've made the decision to stick with natural soaps, there is still a lot of selection out there. You don't need to look any further than this list of the nine best natural soaps to make your decision a breeze!
Natural soaps come in a variety of scents, types, and uses. There are natural dishwashing liquids, hand soaps, bath bombs, bar soaps, face soaps, shampoos, and more. Scents are traditionally natural, but some unique combinations can be found throughout the natural soap world.
How Is Soap Made?
Soap makers combine an oil or a fat with lye (yes, lye is necessary to the chemical creation of soap, and yes, all of the lye is gone by the time you use the soap), causing a chemical reaction. This reaction results in the creation of soap molecules and glycerin, which helps moisturize skin.
It takes a while for the soap product to harden and form the bars we know and love today, so some soap producers remove the excess water and add preservatives and other additives to create an artificial hardening. Natural soaps, however, are left to dry out and harden naturally.
Why Is Natural Soap the Best Choice?
Many soaps, shampoos, and body cleansing products contain chemical ingredients that may actually be harmful to your skin and overall health. These include sodium lauryl sulfate, parabens, and artificial fragrances, to name a few.
While negative consequences to your health are still somewhat unfounded for some products, some products have been shown to cause skin irritation, and may be linked to cancer and other diseases.
Many non-natural soaps also do not contain glycerin, the natural moisturizer, because the glycerin is extracted during the soap-making process for use in other products.
Natural soap producers have committed to relying only on natural products to create their cleansers, releasing you from the hassle of reading through the ingredients list. Natural soaps and cleaners are an excellent and health-conscious alternative.
What Makes Natural Soap Different?
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Natural soap producers do not use artificial quickeners to speed up the production of soaps, so their products are free of these often harmful agents. Natural soaps also do not use artificial fragrances, unnecessary chemicals, or foaming agents.
Additionally, natural soaps are created from essential oils and other natural ingredients. Generally, natural soaps are vegan, made from cruelty-free products, and organic.
Why Essential Oils?
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Although essential oils are more often associated with diffusers and relaxation techniques than with soaps, most natural soaps include essential oils. Essential oils contain concentrated aroma compounds from plants, hence the prevalence of lavender and tea tree essential oils and the lack of chocolate and cucumber pure essential oils, although combinations of other essential oils can mimic those scents.
Essential oils are an easy and effective way to scent everything from homes to soaps, and they have been used in soaps for a long time because of their strong scents and the powerful and beneficial reactions many people have to the scents.
Natural Soaps We Analyzed
1. Dr. Bronner's
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Dr. Bronner's natural soaps come in a variety of scents, including peppermint, almond, lavender, tea tree, and unscented. They are produced in both liquid and bar form. The soaps are fair trade and organic, as well as completely biodegradable. They also come in 100% post-consumer recycled bottles.
Dr. Bronner's soaps contain extra-virgin coconut oil, hemp oil, and jojoba oil, as well as pure essential oils. This is the go-to natural soap if you're looking for a short list of ingredients and a strong scent selection, or if you want a product with a strong and long history of soap production. Dr. Bronner's started making soaps in 1948.
2. Tom's of Maine
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Not only does Tom's of Maine make excellent natural soaps, they are environmentally conscious as well. They return 100% of the energy expended through their factory in wind energy (through Green-e). Their soap also contains jojoba oil and coconut oil, and comes in a variety of scents.
Tom's of Maine also produces moisturizers, deodorant, and other skin exfoliating products.
3. Soapwalla
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Soapwalla's organic bar soap features charcoal and petitgrain organic ingredients. Its scent is light and will be enjoyed by men and women alike. Soapwalla's formula, including bamboo charcoal, rice bran, and tea tree oil, is specially formulated to treat acne-prone and sensitive skin. It is an excellent exfoliating natural soap bar.
Although jet black is an unusual color for a bar of soap, it is soft and smooth enough to give your skin the luxurious cleansing experience it deserves.
4. Osmia Organics
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The natural scents in Osmia Organics coffee and mint soap bar are not the only things to love about this product. It actually includes ground coffee as an exfoliant, as well as mint, olive oil, shea butter, and rosemary extract.
This natural soap is also gentle enough to be used on sensitive skins of all types, although it should not be used on the face. It is an excellent kitchen sink or hand washing soap.
5. Hugo Naturals
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Looking for a burst of original scents in your natural soaps? Look no further than Hugo Naturals. Offering scents such as Mexican Lime and Bergamot, Geranium and Indonesian Patchouli, Sea Fennel and Passionflower, Eucalyptus Rosemary and Mint, and Lavender and Chamomile; Hugo Naturals soaps are sure to spice up your shower without irritating your skin.
Hugo Naturals soaps are cruelty-free, vegan, and made with a base of vegetable glycerine and added coconut, safflower, and castor oils. Hugo Naturals also produces bath bombs, which are fun additions to your own relaxing night but also make great gifts.
6. Plantlife
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These aromatherapy soaps feature essential oils to provide relaxing and/or invigorating scents for your soap needs. Plantlife's natural soaps come in a variety of scents and are vegan and gluten-free. They are also heralded for their aromatherapy benefits and are uplifting to the spirit just as they are cleansing to the skin.
7. Herbivore
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Herbivore All Natural Pink Clay bar soap contains only natural ingredients, including pink and gray clay to exfoliate without causing dryness. Its scent is created by geranium and blood orange essential oils, and the final product is an excellent addition to the skin regimen of someone with sensitive skin.
It is strong enough for use as an overall body wash, but gentle enough to use as a facial cleanser. This cleanser is the perfect soap for hydration and deep cleaning.
8. 100% Pure
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These Butter Soap bars are scented with food flavors: coconut butter, peach butter, apple butter, Meyer lemon butter, lavender butter, mango butter, and mandarin butter. Each natural soap bar features coconut oil, olive oil, rosehip seed oil, grapeseed oil, shea butter, avocado butter, and your choice of butter scent.
100% Pure also offers a variety of makeup, hair, body, and skin care products, all made with natural ingredients.
9. Christina Moss Naturals
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The Lemon Verbena Organic Body Wash by Christina Moss features the strong, cleansing scent of lemon verbena, but also incorporates orange peel, coconut oil, sunflower oil, aloe, and ginger root. It is handmade and includes no artificial ingredients.
It is gentle enough for all skin types and lathers just as well (if not better) than soaps with artificial foaming agents. This natural soap will not leave oily, soapy, or crusty residue on your skin, and includes a 100% money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied with the product within six months of purchase.
Conclusion
Natural soaps are a fantastic choice for your skin, your family, and our world. By using organic and natural ingredients, they will not irritate your skin with artificial fragrances or harmful additives, and they may even add an element of moisture you didn't know was possible from a bar of soap.
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