❤ How Long Does Our Soap Last?

 One of the most common questions we get is “How long does our handmade soap last?” We’re going to answer that question as well as ingredients used and I'll even give a few tips on how to get the most out of your handmade soap with proper care. This post is quite long so grab a cup of your favourite tea and sip while reading.

In a world filled with chemical cleaners, one of the most appealing things about our soap is that they are made almost entirely from natural ingredients. If you’re not convinced, let's take a look at Dove Beauty Bar ingredients against ours. (Thanks to Alabu for the dove listing.)

Dove Sensitive Skin Unscented Beauty Bar Ingredients:

• Sodium Lauroyl Isethionate
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Uses: According to DCI it is used as a detergent, wetting agent, and emulsifier
  About This Ingredient: This is a synthetic detergent. It may dry the skin out because if it's degreasing properties. Depending on where you look, this detergent may be listed as a mild skin irritant.
  How It's Made: This detergent is chemically synthesized in a lab.
  • Summary: This Dove soap ingredient does not appear to have any beneficial properties for your skin (aside from cleaning it), and may dry it out.
    
    
• Stearic Acid
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Uses: Used as a hardener in soap. According to DCI, it also gives liquid soap a pearly appearance.
  About This Ingredient: According to DCI and Cosmetics Info it is deemed safe by the FDA and CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review) expert panel. DCI states that it is a possible sensitizer for allergic people. Stearic acid is a constituent in some vegetable oils.
  How It's Made: According to wikipedia, Stearic acid is prepared by treating animal fat with water at a high pressure and temperature, leading to the hydrolysis of triglycerides.
  • Summary: This Dove ingredient does not appear to have any beneficial properties for your skin, and may sensitize you to allergens.
    
    
• Sodium Tallowate
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Uses: Used for cleansing.
  About This Ingredient: Sodium tallowate is a salt of Tallow (according to Cosmetic Cop's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients it is a substance extracted from the fatty deposits of animals, especially from suet (the fat of cattle and sheep). Tallow is often used to make soap and candles. In soap, because of its fat content, it can be a problem for breakouts). According to The Soapmakers Companion (Susan Miller Cavitch) "Quite a bit of controversy surrounds the use of tallow in soap making. It is thought to clog pores, cause blackheads, and increase the incidence of eczema for individuals with sensitive skin."
  How It's Made: Sodium tallowate is made my mixing Tallow with Lye (a solution containing water and an alkali).
  • Summary: This inexpensive and readily available Dove soap ingredient cleanses and moisturizes your skin, but may worsen or cause acne.
    
    
• Sodium Palmitate
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Uses: Used for cleansing and creating lather.
  About This Ingredient: Sodium Palmitate is a salt of Palmitic Acid (according to Cosmetic Cop's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients. Palmitic Acid can be drying to the skin).
  How It's Made: Sodium Palmitate is made my mixing Palmitic Acid with Lye (a solution containing water and an alkali). Once soap or detergent is made correctly, no lye traces are left behind in the finished product.
  • Summary: This Dove soap ingredient cleanses your skin, but may dry it out.
    
    
• Lauric Acid
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Uses: According to Cosmetic Info it is a surfactant and cleansing agent.
  About This Ingredient: Lauric Acid occurs naturally in some vegetable oils like palm oil. It can be irritating to super-sensitive individuals at high concentrations.
  How It's Made: Occurs naturally.
  • Summary: This ingredient cleanses your skin. It may irritate very sensitive skin.
    
    
• Sodium Isethionate
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Uses: It's generally used as a surfactant.
  About This Ingredient: This ingredient is a type of detergent surfactant. It's pretty mild and produces a lot of dense lather. Sodium isethionate works equally well in soft or hard water.
  How It's Made: This ingredient is normally chemically synthesized in a lab.
  • Summary: This ingredient is mild on the skin and non-drying.
    
    
• Water
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Uses: Typically used in soap as a solvent for dissolving the oxidizer.
  About This Ingredient: A solvent is always needed to dissolve the oxidizer. It can be water, milk, or any other liquid containing water.
  How It's Made: Occurs naturally.
  • Summary: Water is used as a means of dissolving the oxidizer (the thing that combines with the oils to make soap).
    
    
• Sodium Stearate
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Uses: The Stearate salts are generally used for their lubricating properties. They also help to keep emulsions from separating into their oil and liquid components, according to Cosmetic Info.
  About This Ingredient: According to DCI, this ingredient is about 98% Stearic Acid, and carries the same risks.
  How It's Made: Made by reacting sodium with stearic acid to create the salt, sodium stearate, according towikipedia.
  • Summary: This Dove soap ingredient does not appear to have any beneficial properties for your skin.

• Cocamidopropyl Betaine
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Uses: Used as a surfactant, according to Cosmetic Info.
  About This Ingredient: This is generally regarded as one of the more gentle surfactants, although some studies indicate it may be an allergen, according to wikipedia.
  How It's Made: I wasn't able to pin this down definitively, but I gather that it is synthesized in a lab.
  • Summary: This ingredient cleanses your skin. It may also be an allergen.
    
    
• Sodium Cocoate
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Uses: Used as a surfactant.
  About This Ingredient: This is a gentle surfactant.
  How It's Made: Sodium cocoate is produced by hydrolysis of the ester linkages in coconut oil with sodium hydroxide (same as Sodium Isethionate), a strong base, according to wikipedia.
  • Summary: This ingredient cleanses your skin.
    
    
• Sodium Palm Kernelate
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Uses: Used as a surfactant.
  About This Ingredient: This is a gentle surfactant.
  How It's Made: Sodium Palm Kernelate is formed by combining Palm Kernel oil with an oxidizer (such as Sodium Hydroxide).
  • Summary: This ingredient cleanses your skin.
    
    
• Sodium Chloride
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Uses: Used as a thickening agent.
  About This Ingredient: Sodium Chloride is the same as ordinary table salt.
  How It's Made: Occurs naturally. Can be mined or taken from seawater by evaporating it.
  • Summary: This ingredient does not appear to have any beneficial properties for your skin.
    
    
• Tetrasodium EDTA
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Uses: Used as a preservative and chelating agent, according to wikipedia.
  About This Ingredient: No known toxicity to the skin.
  How It's Made: Synthesized in a lab.
  • Summary: This ingredient does not appear to have any beneficial properties for your skin.
    
    
• Tetrasodium Etidronate
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Uses: Used as a preservative and chelating agent (DCI lists this as a synonym for Tetrasodium EDTA, I'm not sure why Dove lists this twice).
  About This Ingredient: No known toxicity to the skin.
  How It's Made: Synthesized in a lab.
  • Summary: This ingredient does not appear to have any beneficial properties for your skin.
    
    
• Maltol
  • Summary: This ingredient does not appear to have any beneficial properties for your skin. It might be used as a fragrance, but maybe not considering Dove claims this bar to be unscented.
    
    
• Titanium Dioxide
• Summary: This ingredient does not appear to have any beneficial properties for your skin. It may cause skin irritation.
• CI 77891 – Colourant – eye and skin irritant

So, we can see from this that from the 17 ingredients in Dove’s sensitive skin soap:

• 11 ingredients may cause irritation or dry skin
• 5 are not known to irritate skin, but not really beneficial either
• A rather pathetic 2 ingredients are mild and gentle on your skin

Now, lets take a bar of  our NoKa'Oi soap 

We'll go with one of our hot seller's the Turmeric & Coconut Soap.

Ingredient listing of our Turmeric & Coconut Soap:

Ethically and Sustainably harvested Palm Oil (Elaeis Guineensis) 

Sustainable Palm Oil: Firstly, we buy all of our palm oil from certified sustainable sources. Our Organic palm is from South America, grown in a mixed species environment with legume under story to provide nitrogen specific plants to host, and feed beneficial insects. Residue from the oil pressings is also returned to the groves to provide nutrients. The farm is in a region of the Amazon that was cleared by previous owners 30-40 years ago, and the reestablishment of a forest crop has brought back many species of birds and other plants and animals. While not as diverse as native Rain forest, it is a vast improvement over grasslands. All our conventional Palm suppliers are members of RSPOas well.We are conscious of where we purchase our oils, and will continue to seek conscientious growers, and producers.

How It's Made: Grows naturally
About This Ingredient:Palm oil contains the hard to find toctrienols, which are members of the vitamin E family. The common form of vitamin E, tocopherol, has long been used to treat many skin ailments and is found in many anti-aging products. Palm oil is full of antioxidants that keep skin looking younger by protecting the skin cells.

Summary: This ingredient .appears to have beneficial skin care properties.

Wild Harvested Turmeric Butter (Curcuma Longa)

Turmeric: We DO NOT use packs of turmeric found widely on super market shelf's, we use our own locally, estate grown turmeric because we care about what you use on your skin.
About this ingredient: Turmeric is a spice with some powerful medicinal qualities that deserves our attention. Turmeric, known officially as Curcuma longa and historically as Indian saffron, is a rhizome of the ginger family. Pretty much every curry you come across anywhere, for example, includes a generous portion of turmeric. Common yellow mustard also includes turmeric, mostly as a food colorant. Turmeric has long been used in India, where it is a venerable ingredient in Ayurvedic medicine, used to heal wounds and treat skin conditions such as psoriasis. Turmeric contains compounds that have powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.
How It's Made: Grows naturally
Summary: This ingredient .appears to have beneficial skin care properties.

Wild Harvested Hibiscus Butter.

About this ingredient: The hibiscus flowers have powerful, exciting benefits to the skin, including the ability to firm and lift, giving hibiscus the nickname, the “Botox plant.”  They have an anti-inflammatory effect as well, which soothes inflamed skin and helps calm conditions like eczema and psoriasis. 

With powerhouse ingredients like this one, why would you ever want to use harsh chemicals?

How It's Made: Grows naturally

Summary: This ingredient .appears to have beneficial skin care properties.

Virgin Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil We Use: Our Virgin Coconut Oil is achieved by using fresh coconut meat or what is called non-copra. Chemicals and high heating are not used in further refining, since the natural, pure coconut oil is very stable with a shelf life of several years no further heating is required. Our coconut oil is sent through the 'Quick drying' of fresh coconut meat which is then used to press out the oil. Using this method, the coconut meat is quick dried, and the oil is then pressed out via mechanical means. This is the most common type of "Virgin" or "Extra Virgin".

About this ingredient: Coconut oil is excellent massage oil for the skin as well. It acts as an effective moisturizer on all types of skins including dry skin. The benefit of coconut oil on the skin is comparable to that of mineral oil. Further, unlike mineral oil, there is no chance of having any adverse side effects on the skin with the application of coconut oil. Coconut oil therefore is a safe solution for preventing dryness and flaking of skin. It also delays wrinkles, and sagging of skin which normally become prominent with age. Coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. Therefore coconut oil forms the basic ingredient of our body care products such as soaps, lotions, creams, etc., used for skin care. Coconut oil also helps in preventing premature aging and degenerative diseases due to its antioxidant properties.

How It's Made: Grows naturally

Summary: This ingredient .appears to have beneficial skin care properties.

Turmeric

(see Turmeric Butter)

Neem Oil

About this ingredient: The Neem Tree is an evergreen tree that is part of the mahogany family and is a common feature of the drier regions of India, Southeast Asia and parts of Africa. Neem bark, leaves, fruit, seeds and oils all contain medicinal qualities. Many of these qualities play an important role in healthy skin care. Scientific studies have shown Neem to have properties that are:

Antiviral – inhibits the growth of viruses
Anti-fungal – inhibits the growth of fungi
Antibacterial – destroying the growth of bacteria
Analgesic – providing pain relief
Anti-inflammatory – reduce certain signs of inflammation, swelling or tenderness
Antimicrobial -destroying the growth of microorganisms

Neem Oil is used in skin care because it’s loaded with nutrients. Neem contains extraordinarily high levels of antioxidants that help to protect the skin from environmental damage. Neem also contains carotenoids (similar to carotene) which provide high antioxidant compounds that help defend the skin against age-promoting free radicals.

Neem Oil is especially high in important fatty acids and vitamin E and is easily absorbed into the skin without leaving skin greasy. Once absorbed, these powerful properties work to rejuvenate the skin’s cells and restore elasticity.

When used regularly, this blend of compounds, makes Neem perfect for smoothing wrinkles and fine lines while helping to prevent the signs of aging. The saturation of antioxidants and vitamin E will help restore a youthful glow to dry or damaged skin and balance skin tone.

How It's Made: Grows naturally

Summary: This ingredient .appears to have beneficial skin care properties. The worst disadvantages of using neem oil is the very pungent smell it gives off.

Naturally Occurring Vegetable Glycerin

Glycerin: Originally glycerin came to us from the candle making industry. However, post 1889 a more viable way was established to remove glycerin from soap making, where it was a natural byproduct of the process. Until recently, soap making has continued to yield the most glycerin. In the last decade though glycerin has also been coming to us as a waste product of the biofuel making process. Besides natural occurring glycerin, synthetic glycerin is made and used in many of the products we use today. Of course, the glycerin we use in our soaps is the naturally occurring variety made during the Cold-Process soapmaking method.
About this ingredient:  The primary use of glycerin for the skin is as a moisturizer for dry, rough or scaly skin. Various studies, such as one conducted in 2002 on patients with eczema in Sweden, have clearly demonstrated that glycerin has humectant properties, drawing water into the outer layer of the skin.
Skin Elasticity: Another benefit of glycerin is that it helps make skin more supple. A study in Denmark in 2003 showed that skin elasticity was improved even after only a 10-minute application of glycerin.

How It's Made: Naturally derived from our cold-process method of soap making.

Summary: The naturally derived glycerin appears to have beneficial skin care properties.

Water

Used in soap as a solvent for dissolving the oxidizer.

Cocoa Butter

About this ingredient: The skin has three layers. Cocoa butter penetrates the top layer of the skin called the epidermis. The cocoa butter can also reach the dermis, the middle layer. Cocoa butter is made from the vegetable fat of the cocoa bean. It is very effective for lubricating dry skin. This natural moisturizer also softens the skin. Its incredibly high content of vitamin E is responsible for its beneficial properties." Vitamin E is proven to help with skin renewal and repair. Cocoa butter is also an antioxidant. Antioxidants protect the skin from free radicals or toxins that damage tissues at the cellular level. The antioxidant property also provides a natural preservative so cocoa butter lasts for a long time.

How It's Made: Grows naturally

Summary: This ingredient .appears to have beneficial skin care properties.

Coconut Milk

About this ingredient: The great thing about Coconut milk is that it’s extremely high in fat, which makes it the perfect cleanser to use on the skin. Most of the dirt on our skin consists of various oils and other fat-soluble materials. This is the reason that you can’t shower with water alone and expect to truly get clean; oils only really want  to bind to other oils. Since Coconut milk is high in fat, it will easily pick up all these fat-soluble particles, leaving your skin clean and fresh, but not completely dried out afterwards.
There are also a number of other additional benefits Coconut milk and bring to your skin. Coconut is full of antioxidants, and is also thought to be possibly antibacterial in nature. Those with acne especially can benefit from these possible antibacterial properties. Those with dry skin greatly benefit from its moisturizing effects.

How It's Made: Grows naturally

Summary: This ingredient .appears to have beneficial skin care properties.

Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH)
About this ingredient: At room temperature, sodium hydroxide is a white crystalline odorless solid that absorbs moisture from the air. Sodium hydroxide is used to manufacture our soaps. This ingredient when dissolved in water or neutralized with acid it liberates substantial heat.
How It's Made: It is a manufactured chemical.

Summary: When soaps are made properly, there is no lye or sodium hydroxide left in the finished bar of soap. The process of saponification changes the lye and oil into soap and glycerin, with a pH of approx 8.5 to 10 when fully cured. Our soap recipes are not taken from the internet but formulated by a Cosmetic Chemist. When we say 'we know what we're about' we do. 

Castor Seed Oil

About this ingredient: When it comes to skin care, castor oil most likely doesn't come to mind. Castor oil has been found to have antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties that can help treat a variety of skin conditions and add moisture and elasticity to your skin.
Castor oil comes from the castor seed plant native to India, the southeastern Mediterranean Basin and Europe. It’s also widespread in many tropical regions. The castor oil plant has glossy leaves that can be between five and 18 inches long and bears fruit, containing large, oval, shiny bean-like seeds. The seeds contain between 40 to 60 percent oil. It’s this unique composition that gives castor oil its many beneficial properties.

How It's Made: Grows naturally

Summary: This ingredient .appears to have beneficial skin care properties.

Vitamin E

About this ingredient: Vitamin e oil for your skin helps maintain it no matter how much damage it has suffered. This oil gives your skin all of the moisture and antioxidants it needs for healing. It can remove brown spots those usually caused by either aging, radical damage, or bad liver function. It repairs the free radical damage and works towards preventing it as well. When you apply it to brown spots it can lighten the area and smooth out the roughness of the skin encouraging the cells to regenerate. Scar tissue can also be healed by vitamin e oil. The vitamin e oil goes beneath the skin to block the free radicals that stop the skin from healing allowing the scar tissue to heal and more often than not remove the scar completely if not make it look far less noticeable.

How It's Made: Vitamin E oil is made from alpha-tocopherol, which is blended with an oil carrier. It can also be made from distilled vegetable oils, such as canola or corn oil. 

Summary: This ingredient .appears to have beneficial skin care properties.

Perfume Blend

Leigh Lopez, personally develops all of our scents using the highest quality ingredients including fragrances, essential and natural oils from all over the world to create NoKa'oi proprietary perfume blends. Leigh does not support the use of naturals that are threatened or where the harvesting of the plant endangers biodiversity or causes other environmental issues. We adhere to strict IFRA standards, a self-governing organization that sets safety standards for all natural and non-natural aroma compounds.

Nothing Else.

Says just what it states. Nothing is hidden in our ingredient listing. 

Our soaps are, moisturizing, rich-lathering, sulfate-free and bio-degradable, They are handmade with a proprietary vegetable base formula that consist of local Trinidad Coco butter, herbs and our own signature perfume blends with essential and natural oils. 

With powerhouse ingredients like these, why would you ever want to use harsh chemicals?

Soap Life Span: 

There are two different life spans to consider. First, there is shelf life. This is the length of time you can expect your bar of soap to last if it is not used. The typical bar of handmade soap will have a shelf life of about 1 year if it is stored in a cool dry area. You can expect the scent to slowly fade over time. Any natural colorants (onion skins, cucumbers, alkanet powder, etc.) will fade as well. This is normal because homemade soap does not have the naturally occurring glycerin removed from it nor does it have the addition of any chemical preservatives. (Well at least ours doesn't)

If you find your scent fading, sometimes it can be brought out by rubbing the bar with a rough cloth, exposing a new surface; this will become less effective as the bar gets older.
Ingredients can affect shelf life as well. Some oils have shorter shelf lives than others. Hemp, sunflower, and peanut oils are a few that have a short life span. If we do use these oils we attempt to extend their shelf-life by adding a natural antioxidant.

Most people want to know how long a bar of homemade soap will last once they start using it. Our NoKa'oi cold process soap will last just as long as a commercial bar of soap. And I say 'ours' cause I have used handmade soaps made by others in recent times and the soaps were quite soft, therefore it lasted a very short time in the shower. Given the fact that homemade soap retains all of the naturally occurring moisturizing glycerin (commercial soaps have this glycerin removed as a by-product), it is much more solvent. To ensure that your homemade bar last as long as possible, never let it stand in water. Make certain your soap dish allows the water to drain completely away from the soap, allowing it to thoroughly dry out between uses.

As a rule of thumb, harder bars will last longer and of course, soft bars that are not perfectly formulated will last a very short time. Curing time also affects hardness, cure for the full 6 weeks or more and you'll have some pretty amazing hard yet moisturizing soap bars. 

A tip passed on by one of our customers: Our soap is sold in large bath sized bars (4.5 oz), take a large kitchen knife and cut the bar in half. Alternate the halves, allowing a longer drying time between uses, making it last even longer. One of our customers has reported that she has had a bar last two months with daily use. However, we find that the average life-span is about 1 month. Larger households will need to replace it more frequently.

Handy Tip: Take a wash cloth, fold it in half and sew two sides together and 2/3rds of the remaining open side. Slip the small soap pieces that normally get thrown out into the cloth. Once a few have collected, use it in the shower.

Another Tip: Many of our customers use our soap with nylon bath sponges. This allows a little to go a long way, keeps the soap from becoming too wet, and is very satisfying as they get loads of lather.

So there, you've had it. Now rush on over to the nearest Pennywise and ask for NoKa'Oi ("nok caw oy") The Maui phrase translates to 'The Very Best" it's our bragging rights and it is true...we have the very best handmade soap that's available on the market today. 

We blend the artisanal craft of perfumery with the art of soapmaking to produce exquisitely fragranced luxury beauty soaps. Moisturizing Trinidad Cocoa Butter and nourishing Coconut Oil leave your skin silky smooth and hydrated. Our soaps are super conditioning and supremely gentle. Handcrafted from scratch, with only the purest, sustainable ingredients to nourish and indulge your skin. NoKa'Oi is True soap. True soap won't dry out your. Pick up a bar today!

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