About Our Soaps - www.zensoaps.com

Zen Soap's Philosophy
To offer our customers luxurious, silky, fragrant, natural, hand-made soaps of the highest possible quality, and provide complete customer satisfaction.

The little things in life are as interesting as the big ones.
-- Henry David Thoreau

"In this life, we cannot do great things, we can only do small things with great love."
-- Mother Teresa

What you should know about ZenSoaps
Zen Soaps are completely 100% handmade, handcut and hand packaged, with the purest, freshest ingredients using time-honored traditions of soap-making.

All our soaps are created in small custom batches in the USA, so we can control the quality of every single bar.

We use only the purest most natural oils, usually the most expensive and finest grade available.

The difference between our soaps and commercial soaps is very real, let your skin show you the difference.

Benefits of our soaps
We do not make medical claims for our soap, however, we do claim that we do not use irritants and preservatives which may cause or worsen some skin conditions to begin with. Often, people who have skin conditions and allergies find that using handmade soap can clear them up because their skin is no longer subject to the harsh chemicals often found in commercial soaps.

Unless you are allergic to a specific ingredient in a particular soap we make, such as peanuts, you should find that the pureness of our soap will improve whatever skin problems you may have developed from the chemicals in commercial soaps and shower gels.

All ingredients are listed for each type of soap we make. If you are allergic to one of the ingredients, please buy one of our soaps without that ingredient. We offer a true variety in ingredients. We can use different ingredients for each of our soaps, since every batch is handmade, hand cut and custom blended.

We cannot make cosmetic claims about our soaps either, because they are not cosmetics. You will have to decide for yourself whether our soaps leave your skin more silky, smooth, younger, moisturized, rejuvenated.

We can claim that because our soap is 100% natural, it will not dry out your skin, and cleans extremely gently. Your skin will not feel as tight and drawn as it does after using a commercial soap.

The richness of our ingredients will generally leave a bit of natural emollient behind after use. Emollients such as glycerin, Vitamin E, shea butter, cocoa butter, almond, avacado, jojoba, macadamia, coconut. Just look at the ingredient list of the soaps you are interested in, as they are each specially formulated to be the absolute nicest bathing and cleaning experience possible.

Although we do not make any claims about what these emollients do, most people know what the benefits of these oils on their skin are. If you have not tried one of our soaps, you owe it to yourself to test the difference.

The difference from commercial soaps
Most 'soaps' you buy commercially are not true soap at all, but detergent bars. There are a few exceptions, such as Ivory brand soaps, but Ivory does not use the expensive oils we do in our custom formulations.

Not all handmade soaps are the same either. If ingredients in your food matters, the ingredients for your soap matters too, as do the method of preparation. Filet Mignon is not the same as hamburger, it doesn't taste the same, and our soaps don't feel or look the same as other handmade soaps. Each soaper has their own proprietary formulas and recipes, all the results vary. Using one handmade soap will not tell you what all handmade soaps are like, just like eating food prepared by different cooks will taste different.

Real soaps are made from fats and oils. These fats and oil are turned into soap and glycerin by a chemical process called Saponification. This process, when completed properly, leaves you with pure soap, glycerin and some residue from the natural ingredients in the individual recipe.

Every batch we make is tested for perfection prior to shipping. We believe our soaps represent the best possible non skin drying, healthy, bathing experience you can have.

Our soaps are natural
There are no detergents or preservatives in our soaps at all. Only the best oils, light colors and custom luxurious fragrance. Up to 25% of the natural byproduct from the soapmaking process, glycerin, is intact in every single bar.

Commercial soap companies generally skim this off for separate sale, because it is expensive and used in more profitable cosmetic products. We do no skimming, the natural glycerin produced from our oils, olive, coconut, vitamin E, jojoba, avacado, almond, aloe, etc, stay right where they were produced.

We have a new line, ZenSoap Fresh, as listed in our online shop. These are also natural ingredient soaps, heavy on luxury oils and great for your skin. To appeal to those who like colors and more 'fun' scents, we add edible, non-toxic dyes in bright colors, unique fragrance oils, and sodium lactate (your own skin produces up to 4 oz of this substance every single day) to assist in making the soap harder and smoother.

Despite that they look colorful and smell delightful, they are as good for your skin as our original zen line. This is the balance between good for you, lovely and fun. Kids love them too!

Hand-made soap characteristics
Our blend of oils has been specially chosen for their special skin conditioning properties. Most of our soaps are also Hot Processed (cooked). Thus, our soap is softer than most commercially bought soap. However, the lard based ones will generally last much longer in use than commercial soaps.

You may want to store it in a well drained soap dish between showers, and keep it out of the stream of water during showers to make them last even longer.

Also, because we add herbs and real spices to our soap later in the making process to color the soap and condition your skin naturally, your soap may have some flakes of real oatmeal, tea, seeds, and powdered or dried herbs. These act as natural 'exfoiliators' for your skin, aiding in the removal of dead skin cells, as well as imparting their own special essence. Part of the special and desireable characteristics of hand made soaps.

Cost
We use some of the most expensive natural oils in our soap making, thus the difference in price. You get what you pay for. Commercial soaps do not, and the few that make real soap and not detergent bars generally use a few additives such as Vitamin E and aloe, and label them specifically. Our soap already contain those additives... from their natural luxurious oils. Those oils are pricey, they are used in some of the most expensive face creams in the world.

Get the best use out of your ZenSoaps
Our soaps are formulated for either face or body. Some are more suited for a body soap because they contain exfoliants, organic matter which help to gently remove dead skin cells and dirt. My personal favorite face soaps are the Zen Wood soap and the Metal soaps. You will definitely see a difference in your skin from what you have been cleansing with because of the naturalness of our ingredients.

It's not only what you are putting on your skin that matters, it's also about what you are not putting on your skin. Even heavily acne skin or severely damaged skin will benefit from a true cleaning handmade soap containing the finest oils. You will see this difference very quickly, because the soap oils work with your skin's natural oils not against them. There is less damage to your skin to repair later by using yet more chemical creams and lotions.

The best way to wash your face is to run your water until it is very warm, just barely hot to your touch. Wet a washcloth, and wet your face with it first so that the steam can help open your pores. I let the washcloth sit on my face for a few seconds. Then rub your soap in your hands until you build up lather, and then gently rub your hands over your face in slow circular motions, avoiding your eyes and the skin immediately around them. Wet the washcloth again, and gently rinse off the soap with your wash cloth by wiping, not scrubbing. Finish by turning the water cold, wetting the washcloth again, wring it well, and let the cloth sit on your face for a few seconds. This will close your pores again and help protect your skin from the elements and dirt.

In the shower, our soaps can be used by directly scrubbing on your skin for exfoliance. If you do not wish to exfoliate, the best way to wash is to use a natural sponge. Rub the soap on the sponge until lathered and then apply to your skin. Many people think of bathing as simply dirt removal. If you think of your skin as one of the most precious things you own, the growing expression of yourself, you will treat it the way you would treat a treasured handbag or saddle. It will outlast both. Take care of it and you will be more proud of it than either.

Storage
Most soaps can be stored in a dry, cool place for many years, depending on ingredients, but natural scents and colors will begin to fade with long storage. If you keep them out, like anything else with scent, the scent will fade more quickly. Over time, the soap will shrink more and lose some luster. This is normal. However, with soaps, we feel that a very long cure time leads to a milder and more bubbly soap. When it doesn't look good, it tends to feel good anyway.

We believe that you will find each bar of our soap beautiful; to touch, smell or use. Beautiful in itself, beautiful in spirit, and beautiful in function.
Thus it is Zen.

Soap Chemistry

Click here to see the exact chemical processes of soapmaking.