All soap used to be made at home using some very basic ingredients. Its main purpose was to help get the dirt off of your body, the end. We use soap products that are mass produced with unpronounceable ingredients, chemicals and additives. They foam, lather and scent our skin. Some claim to make our skin softer and in better condition. We have antibacterial soaps that fight off bacteria and supposedly keep us from getting sick. And where does all of this soap come from? Huge, smoke-belching factories that pollute our air and waters to churn out tons and tons of soaps of every shape, size, color and scent.

While the average family does not have the time, patience or know how to make all of their own soap products, there are other options for good quality soaps that work well and do not contribute to further chemical leaching. Alternately, soap making is a very interesting hobby and definitely one worth looking into.

When you are buying soap products from the stores, make sure that there are no harmful additives listed on the label, aiming instead for soap that is listed as all-natural and organic. A good source for these types of products are farmer’s markets, health food stores and through catalogs that specialize in natural products.

Of course, the more natural a product is, the less it might resemble the soaps that you are used to. Natural soaps might foam a bit less than your regular soaps for instance and they won’t be the same vivid colors. Don’t be alarmed and do not think that natural and eco-friendly soaps do not work just as well as the others.

Eco-friendly soaps might be a far better choice for those children and adults that suffer from allergies, infections and psoriasis. Some of these conditions are exacerbated by the chemicals and dyes found in commercial products. Using more natural products may lessen the severity and frequency of outbreaks from these conditions. Make sure that you test any new soaps or other products on a small area of the skin first to be sure that they are safe.

If you are a vegan or vegetarian, eco-friendly, organic soaps may be the only way to go. Many soaps are made with lard- which is an animal product, so looking for alternately made soaps may become necessary. Some vegans find it so hard to find soaps that meet their stringent rules that they end up learning to make their own soap products. Doing so is not that hard, and as it was previously mentioned is actually a very enjoyable new hobby to begin.