Savory Soaps Summer Collection

Summer is almost here and we are rolling out our 2012 Summer Soap Collection. Each one of our luxurious summer soaps provides relaxation, comfort, and beauty from all natural, organic ingredients.
Pamper yourself this summer with a soap that will let you slip away into a state of complete relaxation. This collection will nourish your skin and leave you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. Below are the soaps we have made for our new collection:

Starry 4th of July

True American Massage

Juicy Watermelon

Summer Flip Flops

Summer Lollies

Early Mother's Day Reminders

Mother's Day (Sunday, May 13) is in 26 days and counting!!!! Don't worry, Savory Soaps is here to remind you about it.  This is the one and only day where Mothers around the world can be fully appreciated and pampered for all their loving, hard-work throughout the year.  Let's cook them their favorite breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Let's clean the entire house. Among other nice things, let's also give her the right tools for her to relax and soak in that steamy, bubbly spa she has been eyeing the whole year. 

Savory Soaps has the perfect gift in mind: The Savory Soaps Mother's Day Gift Basket

This large Mother's Day gift basket comes with everything your Mother needs to leave everything behind and relax for once.  Everything in this gift basket is meant to soothe her mind, body, and soul while nourishing her skin and leaving her feeling refreshed and at peace. Packaged in beautiful, hand woven 15x15x5 lidded gift box, the set includes:

1 - Savory Soaps "Mother" Set that includes decorative soap flowers, hearts, bouquets, butterflies, and

      a large 6 lettered "Mother"set (pictured above)

1 - 4 oz Savory Soaps' "Relaxation" Bath/Shower Gel

1 - 14 oz Savory Soaps' "Woman's Bliss" Massage/Body Oil
1 - 8 oz Savory Soaps' "Soft Breeze" Bath Sea Salts
1 - 6 oz Savory Soaps' "Aloe Vera" Aromatherapy Soap
1 - 6 oz Savory Soaps' Exfoliating Sea Salt Body Scrub
1 - Savory Soaps' Herbal Bath Teas (set of 3)
1 - 4 oz Savory Soaps' French Clay Mask
1 - 4 oz Savory Soaps' Foot Lotion with Lavender/Tea Tree Oil
1 - 4 oz Savory Soaps' Whipped Shea Butter
1 - Savory Soaps' Soothing Eye Gel Mask
1 - 6 oz Savory Soaps' Nourishing Hand/Body Lotion
1 - Savory Soaps'Tension Relieving Wood Massager

This gift is sure to bring your mother a day of enjoyment and relaxation. Mark your calendars and don't forget about Sunday, May 13th!! Go to our website and order before it's too late!!

Chemical Free Soap!

There are many products in the skin care market today that claim to be "natural."  But what is it exactly that makes a product natural?  While the definition of natural may be difficult to exactly define, we think that people have a common sense understanding of what it should be.  Many companies hide under the tag of "natural" while using synthetically created ingredients that can be toxic.  A company may choose to go this route because it is a cheaper way to produce their products; but we won't.

At Savory Soaps, we understand that common sense meaning of natural.  Our products are safe and nontoxic, readily biodegradable, and made as close to their original, organic form as possible.  Skin care products from us are free of artificial colors, fragrances, preservatives, or anything else created in a lab.

We choose to use essential oils, liquid aloe, rosemary extract or alkali... how about you?

Avena Sativa L.

Avena sativa L., or better known as colloidal oatmeal, has many great benefits that help the skin when put into soaps.Oatmeal soaps are beneficial for all different types of skin and can be used as often as needed. The natural oils that are found in the colloidal oatmeal moisturize, protect, cleanses, and also helps correct the pH of itchy or inflamed skin back to normal levels.

Natural Exfoliant
Finely ground oatmeal is a natural exfoliant that is gentle enough to use every day. By exfoliating dead skin cells, the soap will unclog your pores and improve the texture and appearance of your skin. Removing accumulated dead skin also enables moisturizers to penetrate to deeper layers of the skin, where they are more effective at combating dry skin and preventing premature aging. Reduce the frequency of exfoliation if you experience redness or irritation after using oatmeal soap.

Soothes Itching and Irritation
Oatmeal soothes skin irritation and itchy rashes, such as those that occur with contact dermatitis, eczema and poison ivy. It also helps relieve sunburn pain when used in the bath or applied directly to burned skin. Colloidal oatmeal controls itching by restoring moisture to the stratum corneum layer of the skin, and recommends using oatmeal soap instead of traditional bar soap for eczema.

Absorbs Oil
Oatmeal soap is beneficial for anyone with oily or acne-prone skin, as the oatmeal absorbs oil without over-drying. Health911.com explains that oatmeal has astringent properties and helps draw oil out of the skin. Using oatmeal soap can restore the skin's natural pH and will not interfere with the effectiveness of other skin care products or acne treatments.

New Advances in Soap

After the oil spill tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico caused by BP, many scientists and nature activists, and wildlife activists have been searching for ways help clean up crises like these in the fastest, most efficient way. From posting videos on Youtube to conducting science lab experiments, everybody is getting involved in the cleanup process. If you haven't already heard, scientists from Bristol University in United Kingdom have invented a new type of magnetic soap that may revolutionize the way we cleanup aquatic oil spills.

The new soap works much like a regular soap bar by separating oil spills into clumps. As you can see from the photo above, by hovering a magnet over the deposit, the oil attaches itself to the magnet and allows for the removal of these oil deposits from water. The magnetic soap's new properties are due to molecular changes in its active ingredient composition.

Although this new breakthrough has the potential to be used on larger scale environments (i.e. The Gulf Of Mexico), the invention is still a few years away from a practical use on delicate ecosystems. Scientists want to make just a few more adjustments before this new soap is placed in stores or used on aquatic environments affected by disastrous oil spills. Scientists and activists, alike, are still looking for even more practical solutions for cleanups that provide the fastest, most cost effective, eco-friendliest way to help Mother Nature. For more information on this new invention click on the following links and articles:

Magnetic Soap Made for Oil Spills
Magnetic Soap Could Lift Oil Spill Woes
New Magnetic Soap Could Clean Oil Spills With No Suds Left Behind
Scientists Produce World's First Magnetic Soap
Magnetic Soap Could Help In Oil Spill Clean-Ups
Magnetic Soap Could Suck Up Oil Spills (Video)

For more information on the current clean-up events taking place in The Gulf of Mexico or to make donations towards clean-up efforts visit: Restore The Gulf

Happy Easter everyone,

Like most of you, we started the day hunting the colorful Easter eggs around the neighborhood with the kids and I could not resist the urge to munch on some of the sweet treats. The day went on with more tasty sweets, and finally the traditional Easter dinner. I could not help it and gobbled up some cute delicious colorful cupcakes that our guests had brought us as gifts. I figured that was just way too much sugar, only the day after.
So, that's why we at SavorySoaps came up with newer, cuter and healthier way to celebrate Easter and any other day.

So, next time a celebration comes around I will think of soaps and how a gift basket filled with our scented, colorful, and natural soap could deliver health, beauty, and love all that the same time. let's not forget the fact that a soap does all that and it is totally guilt free.
But until next Easter, how about a bunny soap bar to make your kids bath time more fun?!

What is Glycerin? What is Glycerin Soap?

Glycerin soaps are usually in the form of translucent bars. Because of its softening effect on the skin, glycerin has become one of the most important ingredients of the beauty products. Glycerin soaps are considered to be effective for all kinds of skin. Glycerin acts as humectants, drawing moisture to your skin keeping it hydrated all the time. Now you must be wondering what the benefits of glycerin soap are. Have a look at them.
Soaps with synthetic chemicals can harm your skin in many ways. They can be responsible for irritation, redness, swelling and itching of the skin. Glycerin soap is free of synthetic chemicals and is all natural. People who are allergic to chemicals or synthetic soaps can use natural glycerin soap without thinking twice. It will surely benefit them.

Moisturizer
Glycerin is a humectant that is capable of drawing moisture towards itself. When you use glycerin on your face, it attracts moisture towards your skin and locks the water molecules there. This keeps your skin hydrated constantly and gives it a moist feeling. Regular use of glycerin soaps can make your skin softer and suppler.

Skin Disorders
People with skin diseases like eczema or psoriasis find it very difficult to choose the right soap. Slightest amount of toxic chemicals in their soaps can aggravate their condition. Glycerin soap is very mild and gentle on the skin and can even help in relieving symptoms of certain skin disorders.

Cleanser
Glycerin soap can be a very good cleanser for your face and can help you get rid of the extra oils and dirt that clogs your skin. It is also effective for acne prone skin and helps keep the acne away.

Anti Aging
Glycerin soap keeps your skin moisturized all the time and prevents a lot of skin problems. It prevents the skin from developing wrinkles and stretch marks, thus acting as an anti aging product. It keeps your skin healthy all the time.

Glycerin soap is the best choice for people with dry or sensitive skin. The low pH of the glycerin soap helps your skin retain its natural moisture and remain fresh throughout. So, say goodbye to your synthetic soaps and switch to glycerin soaps for a soft and healthy looking skin!

Benefits of Natural Soap

Why choose natural, handmade soap over its commercial counterpart? Listed below are some common chemicals in everyday soaps and detergents:

Sodium Laurel/Laureth Sulfate (SLS and SLES) - Chemical compounds found in virtually every commercial soap, shampoo, detergent, toothpaste, and other products we expect to "foam up".  Both chemicals are esters of sulphuric acid and are incredibly effective foamers known as surfactants.  So effective, in fact, that SLS is the same substance you would find in a car wash or auto garage where it is used to degrease car engines!  It's a known skin irritant that can cause a dry, itchy scalp, dandruff, and even corrosion of hair follicles, which can lead to hair loss.  In the same manner that it can dissolve oil on a car engine, SLS can dissolve the oil on your skin, which causes a drying effect and even denatures proteins of the skin. 

DEA/MEA/Parabens - These are ammonia derivatives which have known hormone disrupting effects:  diethanolamine (DEA), triethanolamine (TEA) and monoethanolamine (MEA).  DEA is a surfactant, corrosion inhibitor, and known skin irritant.  TEA has been directly linked to tumor growth in mice and is considered to be toxic to multiple aquatic species.  MEA is documented to cause eye and skin burns and can cause irritation to the respiratory tract.  If accidentally ingested, it can cause chemical burns of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and stomach.  Parabens fall under a class of chemicals that are commonly used as preservatives in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.  They have been found to weakly mimic estrogen and are known to cause skin irritation, contact dermatitis, and rosacea in those with paraben allergies.  In recent years, questions have been raised as to the possible link between parabens and certains cancers. 


Petroleum-Based Additives (including mineral oil) - Commonly found in personal care products marketed toward dry skin, petroleum-based products actually trick the body into thinking that the skin is moisturized, causing it to stop the production of natural body oils. In reality, these additives do not effectively nourish the skin, rather cover it in a relative moisture barrier that does not permit the skin to adequately breathe and creates a false feeling of hydration. The result is skin that becomes dependent upon external products to maintain moisture and keep it hydrated due to a lack of production of its own nourishing oils.

The Effects of Smell

Smell, one of the five senses that people often tend to take for granted. But did you know that smell can effect you both physically and emotionally? Savory Soaps not only offers benefits for the skin and the environment, but try our products and see how our soaps can bring about some of these benefits of smell with the use of our all natural aromas!

Dreams - Smelling pleasant things such as flowers before sleep can lead to positive dreams. Studies have shown that dreams have been linked to smell.

Insomnia and Stress - Studies have shown that the smell of lavender can help insomnia, anxiety, stress, and, in some cases, physical pain. Aromatherapy with lavender promotes relaxation and lift mood.


Concentration - Smells such as peppermint, strawberry, and lavender have been found to help improve concentration. 


Memory - Smells are sometimes used in types of therapy to recover lost memories. Studies show that memories triggered by smells tend to be clearer, more intense, and more emotional.


Love - Research shows that smell has a significant effect on love and attraction for women. 






Sources:
http://www.saga.co.uk/health/mind/how-smell-affects-your-body-and-mind.aspx
http://bonnieramsey.hubpages.com/hub/Can-You-Smell-That-How-Scents-Effect-You

Castile Soaps:

If you’re newer to green living, you may be wondering – What in the world is castile soap, and what can I use it for?

Castile originally referred to the highly-prized vegetable based soap produced in Castile, Spain. For centuries this soap was considered "the soap of royalty" because of its luxurious lather and gentleness to the skin. Today, Castile refers to any vegetable based soap.

Castile is a vegetarian and eco-friendly soap that is Never Tested on Animals. It is Hypoallergenic, Biodegradable, and contains NO Animal By-Products and NO Synthetic Detergents.


Castile soap is a true gift to sensitive skins due to its hypoallergenic nature. It comes in variety of heavenly scents such as peppermint, citrus, and rose to make your morning showers a pleasant wake up call.


The liquid form of Castile soap could be used for many other purposes.

• Shaving
• Body wash
• hand wash
• Bobble bath
• Baby wipes
• Homemade multi purpose cleaner
• Laundry
• Dishwashing

Due to the thickness of liquid, the soap needs to be diluted with water before use. The amount of water depends on the purpose of use.

For recipes on how to use Castile soap visit:

http://going-well.com/2010/07/11/how-to-use-liquid-castile-soap/

Going Green

Our all-natural soap products here at SavorySoaps provide an eco-friendly touch. Using natural oils and minerals, our soaps are made with an environmentally friendly process. We combine our all-natural ingredients with our green processes to make sure that your beautiful looking skin can keep the earth beautiful as well. The cost of luxury and beauty should not come at the expense of our great planet. 

Eco-friendly soap

Here at SavorySoaps our idea is that our customers will benefit from our excellent soap selection that comes from all-natural sources. SavorySoaps does not believe this eco-friendly behavior is limited to our own process. Rather, SavorySoaps calls our customers to engage in an eco-friendly lifestyle to promote beauty in our world for generations to come. Going green is a choice, and SavorySoaps calls on all its customers to go green!

All Natural Can Be Beautiful Too

Natural soaps are usually made in much smaller sized batches than commercialized soaps, which can give the soap its own characteristics. Each batch can be unique and come in different shapes, sizes, colors, and aromas. It's up to the imagination of the soap masters to decide what the end product will be like. With the help of different natural materials, essential oils, colors, and molds, the limitation to crafting unique and natural soaps is virtually endless. Not only are specialty crafted soaps a thing beauty, they also help to keep your skin looking beautiful as well!

With so many unique bars of soap already being crafted, we here at Savory Soaps would like to show you a few of our favorites!

Benefits of Shea Butter

Stemming from the nut of the African Shea Tree, shea butter can be found in a variety of cosmetics such as soap, shampoo, make-up, and lotion.  Something that was once an African secret is now viewed as a beneficil natural remedy by people all over the world. Shea butter is great to use for helping improve the following ailments:

• Eczema 
• Psoriasis 
• Rosacia
• Dryness of the skin and hair
• Razor bumps and rashes 
• Wrinkles 
• Stretch marks 
• Bruising 
• Cuts, burns, and scarring 
• Sunburns 
• Inflammation of the body (may be used as a message oil or ingested)

Clearly, shea butter offers many potential benefits. Doesn't relaxing in the bath and using a bar of shea butter soap sound amazing?

Here is a guest bathroom decor idea from Savory Soaps:

When looking for unique ways to store and display decorative bars of soap, fill a clear jar with a wide variety of varieties and hues. Glycerin soap is especially colorful, and it is a great choice when seeking decorative and practical bathroom decor. Consider using two old-fashioned glass  jars of varying heights. The soap inside will beautifully enhance your bathroom hues. 

Make your guest feel welcome with an artfully arranged assortment of bath goodies. Glass jars serve a dual purpose: they are beautiful and elegant, but they also provide storage. They introduce femininity and curve into a space with predominantly straight lines. Pair a few sizes of these jars together, and fill them with decorative soaps, natural sponges, or even bath crystals and salts.
Liquid soap and shampoo cannot be seen when stored in solid colored pumps. Buy tall heavy glass containers with cork lids, and fill them with colorful liquid soap. Various colors can be added to create stripes and designs. Simply add thick colored soap of your choice, and use a wooden skewer to create interesting patterns. Run a wooden skewer along the inside edges to creak streaks, peaks and lines. It will look like liquid sand art. Stick a pump through the center of the cork top, and the decorative container can be used in another unique and practical way. 

What could Coconut soap do for my skin?

Simply miracle! Coconut oil is an amazing moisturizer that not only prevent dryness but it also prevent rashes from coming back.

But that is not all. Coconut oil contains Vitamin E that clears up clogged pores. this is specially important for people who suffer from Acne as clogged pores are the main cause of acne breakouts. Vitamin E also decreases the need for the skin to over-produce oil which leads to less clogged pores in the first place. Soaps containing this wonderful oil not only supplement the skin with Vitamin E but they also deliver the oil's natural anti-microbial properties that treat acne breakouts.

The skin's elasticity decrease as we age, which causes unpleasant wrinkles and lines. Most anti-aging products sold today in fancy beauty parlors contain antioxidant. Our body fights the free radicals with the help of anti-oxidants. Think of a piece of unprotected metal that will rust if it gets oxidized. Pollution, smoke, medications, stress, and certain food are contributors to this oxidation process, or aging. Unrefined coconut oil slows down this process, can prevent wrinkles from forming, and reduce the appearance of existing ones. It is because of all the wonders of this miraculous oil that we at SavorySoaps believe a natural soap containing coconut oil should be treated like a gift of beauty, and not "just" another soap!  

How Soap is Made

Have you ever wondered how your favorite Savory soaps are made? The video below shows the long, exciting process of soap making. Tune in and gain insight on how the simplest raw materials are made into the products you have come to rely on to become squeaky clean.



Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1baLzbathvI

The Importance of Having Healthy Skin

Skin is the largest human organ, but caring for this organ is often overlooked. Having healthy skin helps protect the body from bacteria and viruses.

Allergies affect one in five Americans yearly and atopic dermatitis, more commonly known as eczema, affects seventeen percent of Americans. Eczema is a skin condition where skin becomes dry and inflamed causing itching and redness. Although it is a disease that is simply remedied, many of the affected people are unaware that it is also very simply preventable.

With the widespread use of chemicals and unnatural ingredients in common soaps and substances, skin can react in many different ways. That's where we come in. Savory Soaps is made with all natural ingredients that prevent the development of skin conditions such as eczema. While the ingredients found in common soaps and skin care products can dry out the skin and cause breaks and cracks in the skin, Savory Soaps nourishes and rejuvenates the skin with natural oils.

Our products can help prevent and treat skin conditions in several ways. Eczema is affected by many things. If already diagnosed with it, focusing on reducing the symptoms is key. Our products can play a huge role in doing that. The soothing nature of our products helps calm the skin irritations while relieving the pain and itching. They also moisturize the skin and are very gentle. Lastly, as emotional stress can have a large impact on skin, the relaxing nature of the aromas in our products can help reduce stress, benefiting the body as a whole.



So it's time for you to stop neglecting the largest human organ and start taking care of your skin and yourself, and we are doing our best to make this an easy task for you to do. Be beautiful and feel beautiful.


Sources:
http://www.medicinenet.com/rash/article.htm
http://allergies.about.com/od/skinallergies/a/skinallergyhub.htm
http://www.aad.org/skin-conditions/dermatology-a-to-z/atopic-dermatitis/diagnosis-treatment/atopic-dermatitis-diagnosis-treatment-and-outcome

What is Luxury?

We at Savory Soaps feel that everyone has the right to luxury. The sense of
relaxation, comfort, and beauty that comes from using our natural soap products
can melt away stress and free your mind from clutter. At Savory Soaps, we believe
luxury is much more than material possessions; it is a state of mind. Our soaps allow
you to indulge in the joy that comes from using an environmentally friendly product
that has natural cleaning power.

We believe that a luxurious state of mind is one that is at complete ease with the
world. Here at Savory Soaps, we allow you to pamper yourself by using our soaps
and slip away into a state of complete relaxation. Through our soaps ability to
nourish and heal your skin, you will feel a sense of refreshment and rejuvenation
after using our product.

Everyone has an inner-beauty and shine that makes them unique and special. At
Savory Soaps, we want you to feel confident and comfortable so you can share your
beauty with the rest of the world. By using our soaps, you can drift away into a state
of carefree, relaxation and live in true luxury.

Welcome to Savory Soaps!

Soaps have been around for about 2800 years now. Some may define soaps as the simplest form of cleansers. Well, we simply agree but we also believe that they could be a lot more than just cleansers. And, we are here to show you that these cleansing agents could be used for variety of other purposes.

But first, Where do soaps come from?

A little history:

Early soap makers probably used ashes, and animal fats. The Celts, who produced their soap from animal fats and plant ashes, named the product saipo, from which the word soap is derived. The importance of soap for washing and cleaning was apparently not recognized until the 2nd century A.D.; the Greek physician Galen mentions it as a medicament and as a means of cleansing the body. Previously soap had been used as medicine. The Arabs made the soap from vegetable oil as olive oil or some aromatic oils such as thyme oil. Sodium Lye (Al-Soda Al-Kawia) NaOH was used for the first time and the formula hasn't changed from the current soap sold in the market. From the beginning of the 7th century soap was produced in Nablus (Palestine), Kufa (Iraq) and Basra (Iraq). Arabian Soap was perfumed and colored, some of the soaps were liquid and others were hard.

 The industrialization of soap making though tended to use more chemically produced ingredients and less natural ingredients, and produced in essence a detergent rather than soap such as our ancestors used. With World War I and the shortages of fats and oils that occurred, people felt compelled to look for a replacement for soap, leading to the invention of synthetic detergents.

This has caused in some people super sensitivity to these "soaps", rashes, skin irritations, and allergies plus a general drying out of the skin. Increasingly, we are required to use hand creams and lotions to prevent or reduce the dryness and roughness arising from exposure to household detergents, wind, sun, and dry atmospheres. Like facial creams, they act largely by replacing lost water and laying down an oil film to reduce subsequent moisture loss while the body's natural processes repair the damage.

It is tempting for manufacturers to use synthetic and avoid natural ingredients as much as possible: they are more cost effective, more stable, and a higher degree of consistency could be achieved. But, as you use more and more of these harsh substances, your skin loses its natural defense mechanism and become more and more dependent on stronger cleansers and costly lotions. So, ask yourself the question: do I want to go the nature’s way or the lab’s way?

Sources:

Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com , 2006.

Wikipedia Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page, 2006

Cavitch, Susan Miller, The Natural Soap Book, Storey Publishing, North Adams, MA, 1995.

Cavitch, Susan Miller, The Soapmaker's Companion, Storey Publish, North Adams, MA, 1997.