Discover the Ingredients

Explore the natural ingredients behind the products you love.

Natural Now Wellness Finder

Explore Nature's Ingredients

Search ingredients, explore their characteristics, and discover Natural Now products that contain them.

Product suggestions are for general shopping and educational purposes and are not medical advice.

Why Choose Natural Handmade Soap?

7 Reasons to Choose Natural Handmade Soap

Tap any card to read more. Highlighted ingredients link to Natural Now products that contain them.

What's the Difference?

Natural handmade soap

Many commercial cleansers

Cleansing base

Handmade: Botanical oils and butters such as olive, coconut and shea

Commercial: Varies widely — may use soap, synthetic detergents or blends

Glycerin

Handmade: Forms naturally during saponification and stays in the bar

Commercial: Often removed or added back separately in certain products

Ingredient list

Handmade: Usually short and simple

Commercial: Can be longer and more complex

How it's made

Handmade: Small batches, by hand

Commercial: Large-scale manufacturing

Packaging

Handmade: Paper or minimal wrapping

Commercial: Often plastic bottles or wrappers

Scent

Handmade: Fragrance-free or essential-oil scented options

Commercial: Fragrance-free and scented options, natural or synthetic

Skin feel

Handmade: Depends on the oil blend and recipe

Commercial: Depends on the formulation

Good to know: Not all commercial cleansers are harsh, and not all natural soaps are appropriate for every skin type. The ingredients, formulation, and individual skin needs matter most.

From Natural Oils to Beautiful Handmade Soap

Sliced loaf of handmade soap with cut bars, a measuring cup and mixing bowl

Selecting Ingredients
Quality oils, butters and optional botanical additives are chosen for the recipe.
Measuring and Preparing
Oils and a sodium hydroxide (lye) solution are carefully measured.
Saponification
The oils react with sodium hydroxide to form soap and naturally produce glycerin.
Pouring Into Molds
The soap mixture is poured into loaf molds to firm up.
Cutting the Bars
The loaf is removed from its mold and cut into individual bars.
Curing
Traditional cold-process soap cures, often for four to six weeks depending on the formulation.

Properly formulated, fully reacted soap should not contain excess caustic lye — the lye is used up as it turns oils into soap. This is a general description of traditional soapmaking; each Natural Now product page lists its own ingredients.