Guest guest Posted August 2, 2003 Report Share Posted August 2, 2003 Hello! Glad you came out of lurkdom!! I make my own soap for the same reasons you mention below and we just love it and I doubt I'll ever buy storebought again. All soap will leave your skin alkaline. That's what makes it clean so well. Handmade soap is unlike soap in the store which is actually a detergent and alot harder on your skin. So, while handmade soap can be more gentle, yet cleansing, it will still leave an alkaline ph, which is not what your skin normally is. To solve this problem, I use a diluted apple cider vinegar rinse whenever I use soap. This keeps the ph of your skin acid and your hands won't feel so dry or itchy. I make a shampoo bar that my family and friends just love that is conditioning and totally natural and I use the vinegar rinse after I shampoo with it. And for what it's worth, I do not use any soap whatsoever on my face. I just splash with very cold water and use a rough towel to dry. That way, I have never needed to use any type of lotion on my face or anything else for that matter. Sometimes, when I feel like it, I'll use a mask of raw yogurt and raw ground up almonds, which is great for cleansing and nourishing the skin. We've made skincare so complex and it's really so simple! Hope this helps your soap quandry, Becky > Hey gang, > > I couldn't find an answer to my question in the archives, so I thought I'd > post it. Hope you all can help. Should I be using soap? I've been told > several times that people don't need soap, but I just don't get that > squeaky-clean feeling with plain water. I was reading the back of my > shampoo bottle in the shower and began wondering if I really should be > slathering this concoction all over my scalp. Also, I noticed shampoo was > on the GMO list sent out by the WPF a week or two ago. Last week I switched > to a lye/lard homemade soap without fragrance oils. My only concern was the > pH being higher than normal skin pH. The maker of the soap told me that it > was better than using soap that has chemicals added to the soap to bring the > pH down. I can't find any information on the internet that discusses soap > from a WPF-type perspective. I hope someone out there has some insight. > > Betsy > > P.S. I forgot to introduce myself. This is my first post, though I really > enjoy reading the emails. I'm currently living in central Arkansas. Any > other Arkansans out there?? I've been cooking NT-style for about two years. > It's been a slow transition. My husband and I had a microwave burial > ceremony last night. It sat on our counter untouched for over a year so we > decided it was time to part with our old friend. > > _________________________________________________________________ > STOP MORE SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* > http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 3, 2003 Report Share Posted August 3, 2003 Would love to hear how you make your soap. Jill Nienhiser -- > Hello! > > Glad you came out of lurkdom!! I make my own soap for the same > reasons you mention below and we just love it and I doubt I'll ever > buy storebought again. All soap will leave your skin alkaline. > That's what makes it clean so well. Handmade soap is unlike soap in > the store which is actually a detergent and alot harder on your > skin. So, while handmade soap can be more gentle, yet cleansing, it > will still leave an alkaline ph, which is not what your skin normally > is. To solve this problem, I use a diluted apple cider vinegar rinse > whenever I use soap. This keeps the ph of your skin acid and your > hands won't feel so dry or itchy. I make a shampoo bar that my > family and friends just love that is conditioning and totally natural > and I use the vinegar rinse after I shampoo with it. > > And for what it's worth, I do not use any soap whatsoever on my > face. I just splash with very cold water and use a rough towel to > dry. That way, I have never needed to use any type of lotion on my > face or anything else for that matter. Sometimes, when I feel like > it, I'll use a mask of raw yogurt and raw ground up almonds, which is > great for cleansing and nourishing the skin. > > We've made skincare so complex and it's really so simple! > > Hope this helps your soap quandry, > Becky > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 4, 2003 Report Share Posted August 4, 2003 Becky, Thanks so much for the info. I have decided to start making soap, but I think I may only use soap every other day and see if I still feel clean. After all, I doubt Mr. Price ever saw natives taking daily sudsy baths! I like what you said about skin care seeming complex, but being simple. My elbows used to be so dry that I would slather lotion on them twice a day. That never helped. I quit using lotion a couple of months ago, and now I have smooth elbows for the first time in my life. No doubt the cod liver oil and primrose oil I've been taking for a year helped, too. But the dryness didn't go away until I stopped " moisturizing " with lotion. My buddy showed my how to make soap and I've got 15 lbs of lye on the way to my house. My friend had tried to make shampoo bars in the past, but they always dried her hair out. Could we trouble you for your shampoo bar recipe? One more silly question – when you use your rinse, do you wash off the rinse with water, or just use it after the shower? I've also read in several places the benefits of using a shower filter to remove chlorine. Has anyone found this to be beneficial in making skin and hair softer and less dry? Thanks, Betsy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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