Natural vs. Synthetic Soaps

Aside from the obvious difference between the two (natural soaps contain unprocessed ingredients while processed soaps contain a lot of chemically made materials), both kinds of soaps have differences in usefulness as well. It is up to the user whether to cite these characteristics as advantages or disadvantages.

Handmade soaps, traditional soap makers believe, is the purest form of soap in essence. Its purpose is simply to break the surface tension of water in order to cleanse the skin or any dirt marks whereas commercial soaps are considered detergents by the party implying that commercial soaps not only cleanse the skin but remove natural oils as well. Natural oils are oils provided by our body to instinctively protect our skin from harmful elements and deterrents.

Natural soaps (dominantly handmade soaps) contain glycerin which add to the moisture of the body rather than take it away are present in most handmade soaps because it is a byproduct of the soap making process. Commercial soaps choose not to contain glycerin. It is removed in the method because it will decrease the shelf life of the product. If majority of commercial soaps contained glycerin, then a lot of these products probably would've gone bade in the supermarkets already. Glycerin is valuable in itself and has been extracted to used in other areas.

Natural soaps contain plant based oils rather than animal based oils that commercial soaps have. It is said that plant sources such as those of nut oil and palm oil are lighter. They do not cover up the pores of the skin, allowing it to breathe and excrete toxic waste. Animal oil such as Sodium Tallowate found in most soap in the supermarket is a byproduct of cows. They are highly saturated and can sometimes be heavy on the skin.

Handmade soaps also use essential oils more than fragrance oils (although some beginning hobbyists practice with the latter first before moving to essential oils). Essential oils are extracts from plants and are known to have healing properties. Because of this, it is more expensive than fragrance oils. Because of the bulk of ingredients needed for commercial production, most soaps in the supermarket make use of fragrance oils where a combination of ingredients that include chemical additives and synthetic scents are utilized.

So to cite a point, if you want a cheaper and more convenient alternative, go for synthetic soaps. If your values do not allow you to use laboratory made ingredients, go for Natural!