The Benefits of Shea Butter

Shea butter, a natural fat extracted from the nuts of the African Shea tree, has been a cornerstone in skincare and haircare routines for centuries, particularly in East and West Africa. Its rich emollient properties make it a sought-after ingredient for moisturizing and nourishing both skin and hair.

Benefits for Skin and Hair

Shea butter is renowned for its high concentration of fatty acids and vitamins, which contribute to its exceptional moisturizing capabilities. According to cosmetic chemist Shuting Hu, PhD, founder of Acaderma, "Shea butter contains a high amount of fatty acids and vitamins... It is a fantastic ingredient for the skin and hair." As an emollient, Shea butter locks in moisture and prevents transepidermal water loss, making it particularly beneficial for individuals with dry skin. Its anti-inflammatory properties can also soothe irritation and support skin regeneration. ​

For hair, Shea butter's moisturizing qualities help nourish strands, reduce breakage, and improve manageability. It's especially advantageous for those with thick, oily hair, as it aids in sealing in moisture and enhancing softness.

Eczema and Inflammation Relief During Fall and Winter

The colder months often exacerbate skin conditions like eczema and general inflammation due to reduced humidity and harsh environmental factors. Shea butter's anti-inflammatory and moisturizing properties make it an effective remedy during these seasons. Dr. Hu notes that "anyone who struggles with eczema, inflammation, or cracked skin can use shea butter to soothe irritation, which tends to flare up during fall and winter.”

How to Use Shea Butter

Incorporating Shea butter into your skincare and haircare routines can be straightforward:​

• For Skin: Warm a small amount of Shea butter between your palms until it melts, then apply it to dry areas such as elbows, knees, and heels. For facial application, especially for those with acne-prone skin, use sparingly and monitor your skin's response. ​
• For Hair: Melt Shea butter and mix it with other oils or conditioners to create a deep-conditioning treatment. Apply the mixture to your hair, focusing on the ends, and leave it on for about 30 minutes before rinsing thoroughly. This can help moisturize dry or brittle hair and improve overall hair health. ​

Store Shea butter in an airtight container away from heat and direct sunlight to maintain its efficacy. While generally considered non-comedogenic, individuals with acne-prone skin should proceed with caution and observe how their skin reacts to Shea butter application.

At the Soap Lady Store, we offer our Shea Butter Body Cream which is whipped, Shea butter. Very thick and rich, a pea size goes a long way so order accordingly. It may help provide relief if you have very dry skin due to genetics, cooler weather, or menopause. It is available in three sizes and over 200+ fragrances to choose from.

Items available that we make that include Shea butter in the product are:

• Men’s Beard Balm - We combine the highest quality oils blended with beeswax and shea butter to make our Beard Balm.
  

• Whipped Body Butter - Extremely light, soaks immediately into your skin with no sticky residue. We whipped shea and cocoa butters, kosher glycerin, aloe vera extract, allantoin and essential oils, if scented. No colorants! Also available in over 200+ fragrances.
  

• Shea Butter Body Cream - which is whipped, Shea butter. Thick and rich and available in over 200+ fragrances.
  

For more information on these and other products we have available, please visit us online at TheSoapLadyStore.com or if you’re in town, we are located at: 106 E. Main Street, Jamestown, NC 27282. Stop by and say, “Hello!”

Reprint from:

Abby Wolner

March 10, 2025

Better Homes & Gardens / Dera Burreson

The Handy Laundry Wool Dryer Ball cut drying time by about 33% and eliminated static.

Dryer balls are an easy-to-use sustainable laundry product that have been on the shelves for years. They're toted by some as a replacement for dryer sheets—but what exactly do they do, and how many are you supposed to use?

Hannah Yokoji, head of marketing at The Laundress, is sharing everything you need to know about these little laundry helpers. She shares the best way to use them, and how many you should put in each load of laundry for ideal results. Plus, find out whether these products are actually a comparable swap for traditional dryer sheets.

How Many Dryer Balls Should You Use?

"Wool dryer balls are the perfect tool to help reduce static on clothing and linens while making your drying cycle more efficient," Yokoji says. "They can help prevent fabrics—especially bedding—from clumping in the dryer, stopping frustrating tangles and improving air circulation."

By agitating the clothes and creating space between them, dryer balls lead to soft, fluffy laundry that dries on time. To achieve this result, you need at least three dryer balls (most packages come with three). "They’re designed to work together, so be sure to use at least three when completing your dry cycle," Yokoji says.

There are cases when you'll want to use more than three dryer balls. Use up to six dryer balls when drying large or bulky items to improve the efficiency of your dry cycle. This might include coats, duvets, blankets, or rugs.

How Many Dryer Balls Is Too Many?

It is possible to use too many dryer balls. Doing so can not only slow down drying times by over-stuffing the dryer, but it can also damage the dryer's drum. Stick to three dryer balls for typical loads and up to six for large items. Also, be sure to keep your loads a reasonable size for your dryer.

Should Dryer Balls Replace Dryer Sheets?

Dryer balls are a good replacement for dryer sheets in most cases. "Instead of single-use, fragranced dryer sheets that can cause buildup on fabrics, wool dryer balls can be used over and over to enhance your drying routine," Yokoji says. Dryer balls soften clothes like dryer sheets, and they help reduce static. Lastly, unlike dryer sheets, wool dryer balls absorb moisture, which helps clothes dry faster. In most cases, you won't regret swapping your dryer sheets for sustainable dryer balls.

The exception to this rule is if you live in a cold, dry climate. In such a setting, wool dryer balls may be too drying and actually increase static. When the weather and humidity drops, opt for dryer sheets or a shorter drying cycle to keep static down.

Click Dryer Balls which are available on our website. May be used in conjunction with our Natural Laundry Soap.

DON’T LET MOSQUITOES GET YOU DOWN – GO NATURAL

Mosquitoes are a common problem during the summer months, and many people turn to chemical insect repellents to keep them at bay. However, these products often contain harsh chemicals that can be harmful to both your skin and the environment. Fortunately, there are natural alternatives that are just as effective, safer for your skin, and better for the planet.

One of the best ways to repel mosquitoes naturally is through the use of essential oils. Certain scents, such as lemongrass, eucalyptus, and lavender, are known to repel mosquitoes. These oils work by masking the carbon dioxide that we exhale, which is what attracts mosquitoes to us in the first place.

Another option for natural mosquito repellent is using hand-made soap. At our Soap Lady Store in Jamestown, NC (and online at www.thesoapladystore.com) we offer a variety of natural, organic, and hand-made soaps that are infused with essential oils like eucalyptus and lemongrass. These soaps not only smell amazing, but they also have insect-repelling properties that will help keep mosquitoes away.

One of the best-selling products at The Soap Lady Store for repelling mosquitoes is our 'Bug Be Gone' , which is a natural insect repellent that is available as a spray or a stick made with essential oils like lemongrass, and eucalyptus. 'Bug Be Gone' is perfect for outdoor activities like camping, hiking, and picnics, where mosquitoes and other insects are likely to be present.

Using natural mosquito repellents is not only safer for your skin, but it is also better for the environment. Chemical insect repellents can be harmful to aquatic life and other animals in the ecosystem. By using natural products like essential oils and hand-made soaps, you can help protect the environment while also protecting yourself from mosquitoes.

A few of our suggested soaps are: Lemongrass and Eucalyptus.  These scents are also available in lotions, sugar scrubs and shower gels, so there's a variety to choose from.

In addition to using natural mosquito repellents, there are other steps you can take to reduce your risk of mosquito bites. Wearing long sleeves and pants during early morning and at dusk when mosquitoes are more prevalent, and eliminating standing water around your home are effective ways to keep mosquitoes away.

*A great tip learned from our Vet, if you are bitten, wipe the area with household ammonia. I always keep a small bottle and cotton balls with me for that reason. The ammonia neutralizes the acid from the bite is especially helpful on young children's legs that welt. (Commercial products that are sold for this reason if you look at the ingredient list, it's ammonia much less expensive to buy at your grocery store to keep on hand).

For more information, you can contact us directly, visit our store in Jamestown, or visit our website.

SOAP

Handmade vs Commercial

I could write a book on soapmaking however, a great short analogy would be to think of making a cake.

Scratch bakers use fresh ingredients such as eggs, flour, milk, baking powder and a few other items depending on their recipe for their end result, cake.

Most large commercial bakeries/box mixes use, processed flour, egg substitute, artificial flavoring, coloring, water, and preservatives.

Both recipes will give you cake, but which would you choose to consume when considering the ingredients?

Soap, like scratch cake, has been made for thousands of years in much the same way however, we now have the benefit of quality plant oils instead of tallow, or; animal fat. Each soapmaker has their own recipe but most contain a blend of olive, sunflower, grape seed oils. We do not use coconut or palm oils as it is not a favorite of ours and palm oil makes a harder soap but contributes to the deforestation of the rainforest....no thanks!

Whether handmade or commercial, soap is a measured blend of oils, fatty acids and water. Glycerin, a highly valuable humectant is created when you make soap and helps to draw moisture to the skin.

Commercial soapmakers remove valuable glycerin from their products to sell to the medical industry. By doing so they may by FDA rule no longer call their altered products soap but detergents. You recognize them by the names "beauty bar" or "deodorant bar".

If the word soap is not on your label you are using detergent. Yes, it will clean however, it will also strip your skin of your natural oils and may leave you feeling dry and itchy and reaching for more lotion.

Try using our handcrafted soap, your skin, the largest organ on your body will thank you!

TheSoapLadyStore.com

*If you would like to try making your own soap or have any questions please contact us!

I love everything about the fall season. The crisp air, falling leaves, the colors of fall mums and especially the cooler temperatures. However, the drier air also brings things I don't care for, static, drier skin, and turning the heat on!

Our air becomes drier in the fall. The cooler temperatures have me loving a hot shower even more. Thicker lotions are called for and needed more often. I use a rich soap everyday but switch to using my goats milk or hemp oil soaps when the weather gets cooler. Both of these soaps are extra rich in fatty acids and protein. Hemp oil has the added benefit of high doses of vitamin A which is great for skin in need of a little pampering!

If your skin bothers you when the heats turns on, try a few simple changes that may help.

*keep showers/baths shorter and cooler

*use a rich, natural soap (not detergents, look for word soap on label; soap contains rich glycerin that is a natural humectant that draws moisture to your skin)

*use a thick, rich cream containing Shea or other plant oil butters, avoid petroleum products such as Vaseline or lotions containing mineral oil which cannot be absorbed by human skin.

*try a body oil such as sweet almond oil. I use this each evening after shower and patting dry. Begin with your feet using more as needed as you move up. I use the small amount left on my hands for my face each evening. It does not clog pours and is easily absorbed, in the morning I splash and go!

*for very dry, cracked, irritated skin a more concentrated oil blend or extreme cream may be in order. Three Sisters blend is a rich blend of jojoba, sweet almond, and Argan oil. Extreme Creme is available for when nothing else works. Rich lanolin forms the base for this specialty blend I created for our youngest child when nothing else would help her irritated skin. No preservatives, unscented, used daily wherever you need immediate relief. Patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation have found help for their skin with this product.

*avoid synthetic materials, wear cotton fabrics that breathe especially at night

*increase the moisture level in your home with a humidifier or do as we always do and boil a pot of water on the stove, just remember to refill!

*increase your water intake, sounds simple but most of us are dehydrated. A gallon a day, more if exercising.Put fresh fruit or a squirt of lemon or lime juice to enhance the flavor

*eat foods with heavy water content, soups are great however, many overlook berries, melons, fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, squash and more that are available year round.

Hope that these simple tips help you get through the fall and winter months to come. Please feel free to share your helpful hints and  contact us with any questions or concerns! Enjoy the new season that is upon us, happy fall y'all!

www.TheSoapLadyStore.com

What are the possible physical and mental benefits from soaking in a salt bath?

Decreases Stress - After a long, hard day of work, taking a nice warm salt bath can possibly decease stress by soothing the muscles and joints, helps to detoxify the body and can help relieve internal swelling, as well as giving the body an overall feeling of well-being.  Ah.......

Moisturizes the Skin - Soaking even once a week for 15-20 minutes hydrates and helps to detoxify the skin, as well as decreasing inflammation.

Helps With Insomnia - After taking a salt bath, your body may feel calmer and relaxed which makes going to sleep much easier.

Offers Important Healing Benefits - A salt bath helps remove toxins from the bloodstream and assists in regulating blood sugar which improves cardiovascular health and boosts circulatory and nerve function.  Magnesium is actually absorbed through the skin.

Soothes Pain - Along with helping with pain from muscles and joints, a warm salt bath helps after an injury or surgery and offers exceptional healing properties to many people, especially with chronic pain from arthritis, cramping, and muscle spasms.

We blend Dead Sea salt and Epsom salts (Magnesium Sulfate) for our customers and recommend a tub bath for the whole body, or a foot bath to soothe aching feet.  Learn more about our Bath Salts. Caution, not for use on broken or irritated skin.  For external use only.

Please contact us with any questions, and we'll be happy to help.

Celtic Knots

Happy March!

Whether you celebrate St. Patrick's Day or not the history behind what we call Celtic knots is rich and long.

There are over eight variations of designs, called knots including but not limited to, the trinity knot, Celtic love knot, Celtic cross, spiral knot, Celtic shield knot, Dara knot, Solomon's knot, and the Celtic sailor's knot.

These knots have been around since before the birth of Christ. They are thought to represent Christianity when St. Patrick introduced Christianity to the pagans of Ireland. The trinity knot representing the father, son, and holy Ghost or to others, Faith, love, and loyalty.

If you look you'll find these designs in tattoos, art, clothing, jewelry and now we offer them to you in our medium, soap!  Who says you can't have a beautiful design be functional as well.

Enjoy your March and St. Patrick's Day! ☘️  And don't forget to check out our Celtic Knot Collection.

                       ~the soaplady

*Reprint from the FDA.gov website.

Antibacterial Soap? You Can Skip It, Use Plain Soap and Water

When you buy soaps and body washes, do you reach for products labeled “antibacterial” hoping they’ll keep your family safer? Do you think those products will lower your risk of getting sick, spreading germs or being infected?

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there isn’t enough science to show that over-the-counter (OTC) antibacterial soaps are better at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water. To date, the benefits of using antibacterial hand soap haven’t been proven. In addition, the wide use of these products over a long time has raised the question of potential negative effects on your health.

After studying the issue, including reviewing available literature and hosting public meetings, in 2013 the FDA issued a proposed rule requiring safety and efficacy data from manufacturers, consumers, and others if they wanted to continue marketing antibacterial products containing those ingredients, but very little information has been provided. That’s why the FDA is issuing a final rule under which OTC consumer antiseptic wash products (including liquid, foam, gel hand soaps, bar soaps, and body washes) containing the majority of the antibacterial active ingredients—including triclosan and triclocarban—will no longer be able to be marketed.

Why? Because the manufacturers haven’t proven that those ingredients are safe for daily use over a long period of time. Also, manufacturers haven’t shown that these ingredients are any more effective than plain soap and water in preventing illnesses and the spread of certain infections. Some manufacturers have already started removing these ingredients from their products, ahead of the FDA’s final rule.

“Following simple handwashing practices is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness at home, at school and elsewhere,” says Theresa M. Michele, MD, of the FDA’s Division of Nonprescription Drug Products. “We can’t advise this enough. It’s simple, and it works.”

The FDA’s final rule covers only consumer antibacterial soaps and body washes that are used with water. It does not apply to hand sanitizers or hand wipes. It also does not apply to antibacterial soaps that are used in health care settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes.

What Makes Soap ‘Antibacterial’

Antibacterial soaps (sometimes called antimicrobial or antiseptic soaps) contain certain chemicals not found in plain soaps. Those ingredients are added to many consumer products with the intent of reducing or preventing bacterial infection.

Many liquid soaps labeled antibacterial contain triclosan, an ingredient of concern to many environmental, academic and regulatory groups. Animal studies have shown that triclosan alters the way some hormones work in the body and raises potential concerns for the effects of use in humans. We don’t yet know how triclosan affects humans and more research is needed.

“There’s no data demonstrating that these drugs provide additional protection from diseases and infections. Using these products might give people a false sense of security,” Michele says. “If you use these products because you think they protect you more than soap and water, that’s not correct. If you use them because of how they feel, there are many other products that have similar formulations but won’t expose your family to unnecessary chemicals. And some manufacturers have begun to revise these products to remove these ingredients.”

How do you tell if a product is antibacterial? For OTC drugs, antibacterial products generally have the word “antibacterial” on the label. Also, a Drug Facts label on a soap or body wash is a sign a product contains antibacterial ingredients.

Triclosan and Health Concerns

Triclosan can be found in many places today. It has been added to many consumer products—including clothing, kitchenware, furniture, and toys—to prevent bacterial contamination. Because of that, people’s long-term exposure to triclosan is higher than previously thought, raising concerns about the potential risks associated with the use of this ingredient over a lifetime.

In addition, laboratory studies have raised the possibility that triclosan contributes to making bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Some data shows this resistance may have a significant impact on the effectiveness of medical treatments, such as antibiotics.

The FDA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been closely collaborating on scientific and regulatory issues related to triclosan. This joint effort will help to ensure government-wide consistency in the regulation of this chemical. The two agencies are reviewing the effects of triclosan from two different perspectives.

The EPA regulates the use of triclosan as a pesticide, and is in the process of updating its assessment of the effects of triclosan when it is used in pesticides. The FDA’s focus is on the effects of triclosan when it is used by consumers on a regular basis in hand soaps and body washes. By sharing information, the two agencies will be better able to measure the exposure and effects of triclosan and how these differing uses of triclosan may affect human health.

The EPA reevaluates each pesticide active ingredient every 15 years. The EPA’s Final Work Plan for the triclosan risk assessment can be found in docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2012-0811.

More on the FDA’s Rule

The FDA’s rule doesn’t yet apply to three chemicals (benzalkonium chloride, benzethonium chloride and chloroxylenol). Manufacturers are developing and planning to submit new safety and effectiveness data for these ingredients.

With the exception of those three ingredients that are still under study, all products that use the other 19 active ingredients will need to change their formulas or they will no longer be available to consumers. Manufacturers will have one year to comply with the rule.

This rule doesn’t apply to hand sanitizers. The FDA recently issued a final rule on OTC hand sanitizers and will continue to review the three active ingredients commonly used in hand sanitizers. To learn about the difference between consumer hand sanitizers and consumer antibacterial soaps, visit our consumer information page.

Consumers, Keep Washing with Plain Soap and Water

So what should consumers do? Wash your hands with plain soap and water. That’s still one of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting sick and to prevent spreading germs.

*Link to FDA.gov Article

You're not just washing viruses down the drain.  Soap destroys the coronavirus, a chemistry professor explains....

By Brian Resnick

As Covid-19 cases in the US surge to more than 1,000 and fear sweeps the country, there’s one consumer product critical to our great national battle to “flatten the curve,” or slow the epidemic: soap. Humble, ancient, cheap, effective soap.

Respiratory viruses — like the novel coronavirus, the flu, and the common cold — can be spread via our hands. If someone is sick, a hand can touch some mucus and viral particles will stick to the hand. If someone is well, hands act like sticky traps for viruses. We can pick up droplets that contain the virus, and they’ll stay on our hands, and perhaps enter our bodies if we touch our hands to our faces.

That’s why our hands are the front lines in the war against Covid-19. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends washing hands with soap and water as the top way to clean our hands. “But if soap and water are not available, using a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol can help,” the CDC says.

Related

How canceled events and self-quarantines save lives, in one chart

The CDC prioritizes soap. Yet, per news reports, people have been stocking up and hoarding sanitizer. The sanitizer situation is growing absurd: The Atlantic reported on a man who sold a bottle of Purell on eBay for $138. Hand sanitizer containing over 60 percent alcohol works against Covid-19 and is a good option when you’re not near a sink. But it’s getting harder to find than a hypodermic needle in a haystack.

Sanitizer might feel like a modern-day, scientific, and more clinical upgrade to soap. But I’m here to tell you that soap — all sorts of it: liquid, solid, honeysuckle-scented, the versions inexplicably only marketed to men or women — is a badass, and even more routinely effective than hand sanitizer. We should be excited to use it, as much as possible.

That’s because when you wash your hands with soap and water, you’re not just wiping viruses off your hands and sending them down the drain. You’re actually annihilating the viruses, rendering them harmless. Soap “is almost like a demolition team breaking down a building and taking all the bricks away,” says Palli Thordarson, a chemistry professor at the University of New South Wales, who posted a viral Twitter thread on the wonders of soap.

In a recent phone call, he explained why soap is such an effective Covid-19 killer and why it’s so important to soap your hands for at least 20 seconds.

First up: What is soap?

Soap, Thordarson explains, is common phrase for what chemists call “amphiphiles.” These are molecules that have a dual nature. One end of the molecule is attracted to water and repelled by fats and proteins. The other side of the molecule is attracted to fats and is repelled by water. (If you’re looking out for product labels, the most common soap is “sodium laureth sulfate” — it’s a detergent that’s often mixed with other chemicals to both clean our hands and not damage our skin.)

It’s this dual-nature chemical construction that makes soap so effective. “When you buy a conventional soap, it consists of a mixture of these amphiphiles,” Thordarson explains. And they all do the same thing.

Think about what happens when you pour some olive oil into water. The oil pools up in a mass that floats. “That’s because fats don’t mix with water,” he says. But mix some soap into the oil and water and the oil will disperse. Basically, that happens because the soap is attracted to the grease, via its fat-loving side, but then tears it up, pulling it into the water via its water-loving side. It’s a one-two punch. Surround the oil particles and move them away from one another.

Now, lucky for us, coronaviruses are a bit like the oil mentioned in the above example: bits of genetic information — encoded by RNA — surrounded by a coat of fat and protein. Thordarson likes to call viruses “nano-sized grease balls.” And grease balls, no matter the size, are the exact type of thing soap loves to annihilate.

How soap destroys viruses

The soap takes care of the virus much like it takes care of the oil in the water. “It’s almost like a crowbar; it starts to pull all the things apart,” Thordarson says.

One side of the soap molecule (the one that’s attracted to fat and repelled by water) buries its way into the virus’s fat and protein shell. Fortunately, the chemical bonds holding the virus together aren’t very strong, so this intrusion is enough to break the virus’s coat. “You pull the virus apart, you make it soluble in water, and it disintegrates,” he says.

Then the harmless shards of virus get flushed down the drain. And even if it the soap doesn’t destroy every virus, you’ll still rid them from your hands with soap and water, as well as any grease or dirt they may be clinging to. Soap will also wash away bacteria and other viruses that may be a bit tougher than coronavirus, and harder to disintegrate.

The trick is this all takes a little time to happen, and that’s why you need to take at least 20 seconds to wash your hands.

First off, your skin is wrinkly, and it takes time for soap to penetrate into all the tiny folds and demolish the viruses that lurk within. Then the soap needs a few moments to do its chemical work. “You do need a bit of time for all the soap to interact back and forth with the virus particle,” he says. Twenty seconds should do the trick just fine.

Alcohol, the main ingredient in hand sanitizer, can destroy viruses, too. Sanitizers “actually work in a similar way, the alcohol molecules are somewhat amphiphiles,” he says. The thing is, you need a very high concentration of alcohol to achieve the same effect. (Chemicals called quaternary ammonium compounds — the main ingredient in Lysol — kill viruses too but can be a bit harsher on the skin.)

The CDC recommends a sanitizer that’s 60 percent alcohol, so beware of sanitizers or wipes on the market that don’t meet this standard (or contain alcohol at all). Hand sanitizer is useful, but it can fail in un-ideal situations. If your hands are wet or sweaty when you use the sanitizer, that can dilute it and diminish its effectiveness. Also, sanitizer doesn’t clean your hands of sticky grease to which viruses can also adhere.

“Soap doesn’t really fail easily,” Thordarson says. It doesn’t really matter the formulation of soap, either. You don’t need “antibacterial soap” — which the Food and Drug Administration advises to skip altogether due to a lack of evidence of its usefulness. And you don’t need a super-harsh detergent like you’d put in your dishwasher or laundry machine. Simple soap works fine. “As long as you give it a little bit of time, it will do its job.”

All of this, at least, makes me excited to wash my hand more. As I’m washing with soap and water and counting to 20, I’m going to imagine a battle being waged on the nano-scale in the teeny-tiny folds of my skin. The soap is charging in, sticking to viruses (as well as dirt and other grease), and tearing them apart in brutal, heroic fashion. It’s almost like the Avengers, but better. Because it’s real. And it can help stop the spread of this outbreak.

Kaylee Marie, one of our five granddaughters. Loves our soap and helping around the store.

Many consumers buy their bar or liquid "soap" from a store without a second thought as to the product they are using on their skin. We help change this thought process by raising the bar, pun intended!

Our soap is handmade in Jamestown, North Carolina using only the highest quality plant oils that are vegan based and never tested on animals. The products we offer are ones we use ourselves and never contain artificial lathering agents, hardening agents, or harsh chemicals.

We care very much what we put on our skin as it is the largest organ of the body and we absorb over 50% of the products we use, children may absorb even more! Therefore, be assured that our soap or any other product we offer has no Benzoyl peroxide, DEA, Dioxin, Parabens, PEG, Sodium Laurel Sulfate, Triclosan, Phthalates, or any other unnecessary chemicals.

Pure natural soap has been made for thousands of years. While we no longer use animal products, the process is the same and glycerin, a natural humectant is created when making soap. Glycerin is what draws moisture to your skin and to your bar of soap on a humid day! Most commercial soap makers remove this valuable humectant from their products for sale to the medical industry, and are left with a hard, longer lasting bar that cannot by FDA law be labeled soap. Read your labels, beauty bar, deodorant bar, etc...if it doesn't read soap, then you are buying detergent!

Our youngest child now 21, suffered from eczema in elementary school. No lotion or potion offered by the dermatologist helped. When reading the labels the first two ingredients were always the same, water (aqua) and mineral oil (a petroleum based product not absorbed by human skin). These two ingredients are "fillers" and are not used in our products. Water grows bacteria which creates a need for a preservative, mineral oil clogs the skin. Back to basics before artificial ingredients and colorants that can cause irritations. The Soaplady was a small venture to create a quality product for my child, gifts for my scouts and friends and has now grown into a thriving business that offers unique, quality skin care products for all ages from head to toe.

Raise the bar and treat yourself to a product that doesn't strip your skin of natural oils! Since 1998 and celebrating 10 years in our storefront! Finally a website after much demand and my hesitation. Additional items coming soon. Thank you for stopping by and if you have any questions or are making products yourself and need a helping hand, give us a call! Visit our website www.TheSoapLadyStore.com

We add new items each week and appreciate every product review and referral.