Soap is formed from a chemical reaction between oils and lye. The reaction is called saponification. (This is how our soaps are made anyway). It’s then left to set for about a few weeks. Our soaps are made such that the lye mostly exhausted. This is good.

HOWEVER…Commercial soap is usually produced from tallow (beef fat) and other fats (waste fat), waste cooking oil etc plus a variety of synthetic chemicals which are added to produce the desired lather, texture and hardness of the finished bar. The mixture is boiled at high temperatures with the caustic solution until the process of saponification takes place. The soap base is then extruded into noodles. Colour and synthetic smells are then added to the soap noodles, mixed and then compressed into a nice shiny bar that looks so nice and uniform in a nice wrapper. Of course, in the squishing process, more additives are needed to prevent the soap from sticking to the rollers of the milling machine. And VOILA! Your have nice cheap rubbish soap. Of course, this soap costs next to nothing to make but, with all the marketing and beautiful models to brainwash you into thinking it’s the best of the best, the cost goes up.

A side product of the saponification process is glycerine. During the manufacture of commercial soaps, glycerine is either washed away with the other waste products, or it is separated out(by a process called salting) and sold on to the cosmetics, food or explosives industries. This is an enormous loss to the user of the soap – glycerine is a natural moisturiser for the skin, and the removal of glycerine during the commercial production of soap is one of the reasons why commercial soaps can often be so drying to the skin… besides the fact that it’s loaded with chemicals you DO NOT want on your skin.

In our cold-process soap making method, (a painfully slow but, the right way to do it) the basic mixture of vegetable butters, oils, milk, lye, water, natural nutrients, essential or phthalate free certified fragrance oils are used. Only gentle warming is used to melt the butters and oils at the start of the process and glycerine is left in the soap as the saponification reaction takes place. This means that our handmade soaps retain all the glycerine, making for a superior and gentle bar of soap.

ECZEMA

For most people dry skin is not an issue, but for eczema sufferers, dry skin results in intense itch. Usually, due to micro cracks on the skin. This is made worse when the salt in sweat comes in contact with these micro cracks. When salt hits a wound, it hurts. This is exactly the same thing. But, on a different scale. Due to the cracks being so tiny, our brain interprets the “pain” as a large collection of tiny irritations, ie, an itch.

Once the itching starts, the eczema sufferer begins to scratch and the skin surface is damaged. This leads to redness and rawness, sometimes accompanies by bleeding. This could get infected. We have discovered that the key is the itch. If this can be controlled, the sufferer won’t scratch, and the skin will not be damaged. We needed to find a way to break this cycle.

Eczema usually (not always) has an age relationship. For infants, it’s the face, ears and neck. School age children usually have it behind the knees, armpits, inside of the elbows and wrists. Adolescents and adults tend to have it on the hands and feet. Eczema is also, seasonal. It hits hardest in the dry months (not hot humid months but dry months)

Understanding this, SHEA^® started our research. Our goal was to locate a substance that would not irritate the skin when applied, would keep the eczema afflicted area moisturized and promote healing. We identified a particular grade of 100% pure unrefined SHEA butter that has all these properties. It was high in vitamin E that promoted healing, it did not irritate the skin and it kept the skin moisturized without blocking the pores or leaving a sticky after feel. Yes, it took us a very long time to find the perfect type. But we did it.

We did not stop there. We did more research. And we realized that Argan Oil had similar properties. It was logical. Both Shea and Argan come from the same family of trees. We went about searching for a good Argan Oil and we got into talks with Saadia Organics who had 100% pure Argan Oil that was absolutely superb. Also, argan oil had other benefits, amongst them being able to help reduce wrinkles, fine lines and reducing fibrillation of hair, (resulting is smoother, glossier hair).

Now armed with two of the best natural products, SHEA^® is able to help eczema sufferers. We usually recommend argan oil for the face and neck areas and shea butter for other parts of the body. Explore our site and learn more in our knowledge base. Talk to us if you need help. It won’t cost you a thing (except for the phone call), and, don’t keep this info to yourself, refer other eczema sufferers to read this, you will be doing them a great service.

www.shea.com.sg

ps. Eczema sufferers, please do not bathe in very hot water. Your water should be just “not cold”. Also, apply the shea butter or argan oil immediately after you’ve towelled dry after your shower. it helps trap moisture even better. And, please, use the right soap. Your soap should not contain any of the nasty stuff. Our soaps do not contain sulphates, phthalates, EDTA, parabens, or any stuff that would irritate your skin.If you are not sure, speak to us.

Link to : Eczema Products