Why is Handmade Soap So Expensive?

Handmade soap, like most handmade things, tends to be more expensive than mass-produced, factory soap.

This is because the ingredients used tend to be better, batches smaller, and shelf life shorter.

What are the benefits of natural soap? Find out here.

Want to buy natural soap? Browse our range here.

Real Soap Bars vs Cheaper Alternatives

Real soap is created through a process known as saponification. In saponification, lye, vegetable oils and water are combined into a solid combination. This takes four to six weeks to complete.

Instead of using harsh detergents like sodium lauryl sulphate – a common chemical detergent used in mass-produced soap bars – handmade soaps use cold-pressed oils and plant-based ingredients to make sure your skin is nourished and protected – not just stripped of moisture!

We have SLS Free Soap here.

In addition to the time taken to create this mixture, handmade soap artisans use custom moulds to create beautiful and interesting shapes for the soap, from elegant and chic brand names to artistic designs.

Artisan soaps are developed over time, with minute little tweaks to each recipe, to ensure the best product for your skin and the tastes of the soap-makers’ customers. This process takes care, knowledge, and lots of hours of development.

Most handmade soap artisans take great pride in what they are creating – it is more than just a way to make a little money; it is a labour of love and passion.

Handmade soaps come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colours and fragrances, and each of these falls within a category.

Did you know you can get tea tree soap bars here!

Some are chemical free, some are organic, others are vegan (most are at least vegetarian) – but all of them are made using traditional methods and in smaller batches. Small batches mean greater control and care is possible.

Traditional methods mean that glycerine and other moisturisers are left in the soap – rather than extracted for use in other products – so the overall affect is a great-looking, unique style of soap that is better for you than the same-old, factory-produced detergent-based soap bars available from mass producers.

If you prefer unscented soap, click here.

Buying Natural Soap is Supporting Small, Local Producers

There is another consideration when you buy handmade soaps too: you are supporting a different kind of economy, a local one. We used to rely on cottage industries, neighbours making things for neighbours and helping to bring employment and prosperity to one’s own neighbourhood and region. Mass-produced consumerism means that your wealth is sent away, to wherever the owners of the big companies live. By supporting a smaller producer, you are allowing cottage-type industries to flourish and generate wealth for the local community.

Prefer liquid soap? We stock that here.

Even if you order soap online and it comes from a place a little farther away, you are still supporting that neighbourhood-level industry and are doing good for regular people – like you!

Better for you, better for your community, and really satisfying to buy, display and use… handmade soaps are great in so many ways!

Want to buy a soap on a rope? Click here