My name is Karin Singletary and welcome to the new and improved Simply Handmade Soap and LLC. Simply Handmade Soap was born out of my need to find a simple, pure soap for my “persnickety skin”. I think that I have always had skin that needed a little extra TLC. When I was growing up I had eczema; not a little patch of redness, or a little dryness, I mean dry, cracked, and bleeding, oozing, pj’s stuck to you in the morning, eczema! Thick places that seemed to encompass my entire face, ears, arms, hands, neck, scalp, legs, there was “no shame in eczema’s game”, it didn’t care that the kids would laugh, and point, and every so often someone would ask “what’s wrong with your skin?” The only thing that seemed to bring some relief was the oatmeal and Keri oil, that was put in the bath water. All those steroids, creams, and ointments did nothing but dry me out more, skin that was so very fragile already. Fast forward many years…After finally getting my skin in check, and learning what to, and not to do with it( no heavy scent, must be super fatted ,no lanolin, no oil from tree nuts, no shea ) I was diagnosed with Lupus. Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease, in which your body attacks itself. It has truly changed my life, and taken to an even higher level my quest to stay healthy. I can honestly say that Lupus has brought out the best in me. It deepened my faith, and required me to shed a lot of bad habits, and to take stock of what I was doing to my body. I lost a great deal of weight (163 pounds to be exact!)I’m eating better, exercising, reading the label, of everything that goes into my mouth, skin, and in my hair, reading Every label… Well, in the “soap” aisle this became a real challenge. I have used the “soap” that was dermatologist recommended and could never figure out why my face, and skin was so dry after using it, that I felt like my face would crack if I didn’t immediately put on a heavy face cream, under eye cream, the thickest lotion all over, really! So finally after much reading, tinkering and downright detective work, I have concluded that it isn’t soap at all, it is detergent, you know like what you use to clean your clothes. Soap is a natural product, comprised of oils, fats, and lye. Yes lye, but after the chemical reaction that happens between the lye and the oils called “saponification” the lye is transformed into soap.. The byproduct of this reaction is glycerin, which the big “detergent “companies siphon off, and use in lotions, and creams. Glycerin is a natural byproduct of the soap making process, it’s a humectant, which means it draws water out of the air and in turn, draws moisture to your skin. Simply Handmade Soap and LLC was born out of my quest for a natural bar of soap. My soaps contain oils, butters, milks, herbs, clays, and botanicals that are meant to help your care for the “persnickety skin” that thru no fault of your own has issues and agendas. Simply Handmade Soap and LLC is for people who care about their skin, and what they put on it. It is made with the best that nature has to offer, no artificial colors or fragrances, and no tree nut oils. Herbs, botanicals, clays and essential oils are used to color, and lightly fragrance the soaps that are truly meant to enhance the skin you’re in.
