Does clothes make the man, or woman? Of course, we all know it doesn't hurt to look good, to make a solid first impression, but what really counts is what's inside. And what's inside our colorful, logo-laden bottles is soap.
Yes, that's right we make a true soap. That's it. Basic soap. Plain, ole soap. Just Soap. That's it, ya'll. Dang good soap with natural glycerin and natural oils. Funny how we're finding that simple is better, that our great grandmother's soap might have been as good as it gets (visit our website to learn about HOW we make it, sort of a cross between a chef and a malt brewer).
Here's how the FDA defines and regulates soap (it's pretty clear that soap doesn't get that much attention because it's so simple).
Soap
February 1979; Updated February 3, 1995Ordinary soap is solely made up of fats and an alkali. In the past, people made their own soap from animal fats and wood ashes.
Today there are very few true soaps in the traditional sense on the market. You might recognize these soaps as products marketed with characteristics such as "pure." "True" soaps are regulated by the Consumer Protection Agency, not FDA, and do not require ingredient labeling.
Most body cleansers on the market today are actually synthetic detergent products and come under the jurisdiction of FDA.
If a cosmetic claim is made on the label of a "true" soap or cleanser, such as moisturizing or deodorizing, the product must meet all FDA requirements for a cosmetic, and the label must list all ingredients. If a drug claim is made on a cleanser or soap, such as antibacterial, antiperspirant, or anti acne, the product is a drug, and the label must list all active ingredients, as is required for all drug products.
Like many true soaps, our be kind cleansers and WARHORSE cleaners are natural SOAP. We might call it "cleanser" or "body wash," but it's just beautiful, simple soap with no dyes, no synthetic suds, no "fillers." Just like our favorite dish--simple, natural ingredients make the best dishes (unless it's the prefabricated box of mac and cheese with the powder and bad after taste that I do eat every once in a while).
But, with increasing cultural need to over complicate, over sell, over hype, over compensate, over kill most everything, SOAP has been seen as boring...
Here's our soaps undressed, out of the bottle, up close and being "experienced."
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| This batch's main ingredients: soybean and canola, and our sustainable process makes a kick-butt degreaser. |
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| Hand "goop" with pumice and Lemon oil for some customers with dirty jobs. |
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| Hickory, NC provided the main ingredient for this batch. |
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| A happy customer this Friday, with her just delivered mint cleanser. |
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| Glycerin-rich hand scrub in a jelly jar. |
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| Lemon Pudding? Nope, canola, sunflower, sweet amond, and Dead Sea minerals soap--creamy and soft. |
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| Variation in color and texture is normal, just like nature. |
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| WARHORSE All Purpose--leaves skin soft and silky. No fumes or itchy skin. |
Sorry, sorry to bore you, but that's what we do at Be Kind Solutions Inc. --make soaps using natural oils, ingredients that you might find in your food pantry--soybean, canola, sunflower, olive, oils, sweet almond and castor oils, sea salts, maybe some apple cider vinegar. We may add some essential oils like lavender, mint, lemon, citronella, eucalyptus to enhance the benefits of our soaps... yep, that's pretty much it.
Here's a question I get asked about our soaps:
Is your soap antibacterial?
No, not if you mean do we add alcohol or triclosan to make it antibacterial. In fact,
FDA Panel: No Advantage to Antibacterial Soap Advisory Panel Says Regular Soap and Water Just as Effective in Preventing Illness.
That's all folks, just soap, but an experience you may never have tried if you've only had the fake stuff with sulfates, artificial colors, fillers, and synthetics.
P.S. Be Kind and WARHORSE soaps are sort of like the difference between a box of Hamburger Helper with that powdered packet and a pot of homemade chicken and dumplings.
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| A young man (who recently moved out of his parents' house) trying out his grandmother's chicken and dumpling recipe. |
