Table of Contents
- What is your return policy?
- What are your shipping policies?
- What are your payment options?
- Can I order by phone?
- What is the shelf life of your products?
- Do you offer your products wholesale?
- How do you make your soap?
- Why handmade? Why natural?
- Why don't you use mineral oil?
- What's the difference between an essential oil and a fragrance?
- Are your products safe to use on babies and pregnant women?
- Isn't soap drying?
- What does saponified mean?
If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please return it to us for a full refund less shipping.
We ship via USPS priority, parcel post or first class mail. Orders
are filled within 72 hours.
We accept Credit Cards or Paypal. Check out
with your shopping bag, then select your preferred method of payment; Google Checkout (credit cards) or Go To Payments and pay through Paypal (credit cards or your paypal account). Please note, you do not need a Paypal account to pay with a credit card through Paypal.
Phone orders are not recommended because accuracy of orders cannot be
guaranteed. Your best option is to place items in your shopping bag and
continue through checkout. This way ensures that you receive email confirmation of your order.
Bar soaps will last for a few years if kept in a cool dry place, though
scented soaps may loose much of their smell. To extend the life of the bar once you start using it, keep it in a well drained dish. Bath salts and milks
will last for a couple years unopened, but again, over time the scent may fade. Once opened, use within 3-6 months. Salt
scrubs have a shelf life of approximately 3 months. Store in fridge to extend shelf life before use. Once opened you may wish to use a spoon or
scoop to remove product from the jar. I recommend tossing lip balm after a
year if it hasn't been used up.
Yes. Please contact me for more information. april@indianasoapworks.com
We make our soap completely from scratch to ensure that only the finest ingredients are used. Our soaps are made using the cold process method to produce a hard, long lasting bar of soap. If you’ve never experienced the luxury of handmade soap and body products, you’re in for a treat. You’ll enjoy healthier skin with less itching and dryness.
Natural handmade soap is milder and less irritating than typical commercial soaps. Commercial soaps (bar soaps and body washes) contain detergents that strip away the skin's natural oils. Many people are sensitive or even allergic to the detergents found in commercial soaps and find themselves with chronic itchy, dry skin. Our skin is our body's defense so it's important to treat it kindly. Many people with eczema and sensitive skin will benefit by using natural soap. During a bath or shower, the soap you use to clean yourself should wash away the dirt and odors, not your skin's own oils that it needs to protect you from the environment.
Mineral oil is a by-product from the refining process of fossil fuel, such as gasoline. Fossil fuels were formed in the earth, beginning millions of years ago, from decaying plants and animals. The organic chemicals in their bodies are the source of the petroleum products we use today. Products containing mineral oil, petrolatum or petroleum jelly are said to have negative effects on hormones and the skin’s ability to breathe, attract moisture and detoxify. It can also slow down cell renewal. It is not easily absorbed into the skin, but if absorbed, it is broken down by the liver and when it reaches the intestines, it pulls water and vitamins from the body. Mineral oil can be found in such things as baby oil, most commercial and many handmade creams and lotions, lipsticks, lip balms and even certain foods and vitamin/mineral supplements. Even though mineral oil is natural, the methods used to purify it are not. I am leery about using it on my body or eating foods containing mineral oil. I choose not to use it in my products to be on the safe side. I encourage you to do your own research and come to your own conclusions.
An essential oil is a natural compound derived from plants. For example, Lavender oil is made by steam distilling the flowers of the Lavender plant. Orange oil is made by cold pressing the rind of the orange fruit. Essential oils can be beneficial to the skin. Fragrance oils, on the other hand, are synthetic. They are man made. Fragrances allow for a wide variety of scents. Where there is no ‘ocean’ scent found in nature, a synthetic representation can be made to smell like one. The essential oils and fragrances that are used in our products are safe for the skin. Please be aware, however, that there are a certain few people who are sensitive or allergic to a particular fragrance or even essential oil, as well as floral or citrus infusions or extracts. It is always advised that when trying a new product (ours or anyone else's) that you test a small area of your forearm first.
Most bar soaps are safe for babies and pregnant women. Many people prefer castile soaps and/or those scented with pure essential oils for babies and pregnant bellies. I don't recommend using peppermint scented soaps on babies due to the cooling/tingling effect it has. Babies may find this unpleasant. Products containing peppermint oil or menthol should not be used on or near the faces of infants. It can affect breathing. I also do not recommend milk baths, salts, or scrubs for babies. They can ingest some of the water while bathing and even though these ingredients are natural (and some are even edible), it's not a good idea. Pregnant women are advised to use products containing peppermint oil or menthol in moderation. As with any product, if you notice itching, burning, rash, etc., discontinue use.
If you're used to commercial bars of soap, you may have experienced dryness and itching but properly made natural soap is more gentle and contains better ingredients than soap of the olden days and today's commercial soap. Coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil, shea butter and other plant oils are used in our natural soaps. We do not use tallow (animal fat) like many commercial soap manufacturers and we do not extract the glycerin (a natural humectant/moisturizer) from our soaps. We leave all the rich, emollient stuff right where it belongs.
Saponification means: a chemical reaction in which an oil is combined with a strong alkali such as sodium hydroxide (lye) to make soap. This reaction is irreversible; the soap cannot be made to return back to the oils and lye. When correct measurements are used, all the lye is reacted and there will be none left in the final soap. Many soapmakers such as myself, will add extra oil so that the final result is a superfatted soap, which ensures that all of the lye is completely reacted and excess fat is left for skin conditioning benefits. This is one instance where extra fat is good!
