Makes a creamier bar with a more moisturized feel. Too much Shea butter can make the soap sticky and reduce lather. With sensitive skin, reduced lather can be a good thing, so Shea butter can be a real assistant, but in the end, this must be in balance with the rest of the soap.

One word... Lather! Coconut adds to hardness and creates "big bubbles" in soap. A little goes a long way, too much can be "too effective".

Over the past few years, the rise in bio-diesel and the need for edible non-hydrogenated oils has created a huge demand for palm oil. Palm oil is only harvested significantly in tropical rain forest regions and the potential for deforestation is the root of the problem. When we became aware of this issue several years ago, we switched to an organic palm oil which is a renewable and sustainable resource. Our sustainable organic palm oil is not likely to contribute to the industry which ultimately demands more deforestation and our sustainable organic palm oil is farmed organically thus not polluting the land. 

Essential Oil is a naturally derived plant fluid (usually by distillation of the plant) extracted from bark, leaf, or petals of the plant. Essential oil is usually a pure, single plant oil. The FDA has noted that these must be listed separately on labels or they should be called "fragrance". In other words, if you make an all-natural essential oil blend, it doesn't matter, they must be called "fragrance" if not listed separately. Since our suppliers utilize essential oils and other natural raw materials to make our certified natural blends, they do not wish to disclose every ingredient, so, our way of doing this is calling them Certified Natural Fragrance, since this informs the consumer that it is indeed of natural origin, if/when applies.

EO - Essential Oil - A pure, undiluted, therapeutic-grade essential oil.

FO - Fragrance Oil - A man-made blend of cosmetic grade fragrance oils.

CNF - Certified Natural Fragrance - A blend of pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils combined to create a unique scent.

This is an ambiguous title used to note any amount of aromatic chemicals used (natural and/or unnatural origin) to create an aroma for a product. When a list of ingredients is not disclosed individually, a manufacturer must list as "fragrance" or "fragrance oil". As noted above, when we use aromatic elements of natural origin, we note these on the ingredients in order to inform the consumer the difference. If "certified natural" is not noted, the fragrance may contain some synthetic chemicals. We use only cosmetic "skin safe" fragrances in any case, though different skin types react differently. It has been suggested by some that synthetic fragrances are to blame for skin irritation. This may or may not be true for the "majority”, but everyone must determine what works for them and in either case essential oils and fragrances are all extremely strong chemicals that should not be overused.

FO - Fragrance Oil - A man-made blend of cosmetic grade fragrance oils.

CNF - Certified Natural Fragrance - A blend of pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils combined to create a unique scent.

All the activated charcoal used in our products is produced from sustainably grown hardwood trees, which are one of the United States most plentiful and sustainable resources. Unlike other charcoal sources, which can include recycled pallets and other unsustainable materials, our charcoal is made under the oversight of a reputable, nationwide forest preservation program. No old growth trees are ever used to produce our charcoal.