Soap opera: natural soap will have you (and your skin) singing in the shower.(MAKE THE SWITCH)

Making soap is simple enough: Take an alkaloid and some fat, add water and voile, you've got suds. But in the quest to make the cheapest bar, many mass manufacturers have gotten chemical crazy. They use artificial dyes--often derived from coal tar, a carcinogen--to make soap colorful; irritating and drying laurel sulfates for bubbles; petroleum by-products, such as mineral oil, for moisturizers; and fake fragrances for, well, smelling good.

Natural soap makers, on the other hand, rely primarily on plant-based ingredients. For instance, for the fats needed, olive, palm and coconut oils are used. Moisturizers might be aloe vera, shea butter or hemp oil. Pure essential oils perfume the bars with scrumptious scents such as lavender, rose or peppermint (perfect for the morning shower). And in lieu of parabens (chemical preservatives), natural preservatives such as rosemary oil are called on. In addition, these soaps are never tested on animals, which is not always the case with conventional bars.

The best part? These quality natural ingredients give you a bubbly bar of soap that smells better than supermarket varieties, doesn't irritate your skin and can be super-moisturizing. The only problem is choosing.

To help you figure out which type of soap is best for you, turn the page and let us introduce you to some swell-smelling varieties.

 
soap opera 
 
TYPE       HOW IT IS MADE                 USES 
 
GLYCERIN   A by-product of soap           Great for dry skin. 
           making, translucent 
           glycerin yields a very 
           moisturizing bar but 
           one that melts fast. 
 
FRENCH     Soap is milled                 Ideal for hand soap. 
MILLED     (meaning water is 
           pressed out) at least 
           three times to produce 
           long-lasting bars. 
 
COLD       Made in small batches          Ideal for sensitive 
PROCESS    that are allowed ...