(Really) Good, Clean History....Soap Edition

Soap was first discovered around 2800 BC by the Babylonians, Greeks, and Egyptians They would mix animal fats (tallow), oils, sand, ashes, and salts. Initially, soap was used to clean clothing and other items before it was used for hygiene. Ancient soaps were primarily used for cleanliness but were also used to treat many skin diseases and sores. Over the next few centuries, the recipe for soap was improved by incorporating lye (sodium hydroxide), goat fat, olive oil, and aromatic oils which made the soap more appealing with fragrances and colors.

In the 1800’s famous chemist Michel Chevreul worked with sodium carbonate and found that when mixed with animal fats and glycerin oils could be used to chemically saponify ingredients. This method began to evolve in Europe and the United States and is the predecessor of soap that is used today.

Before modern technology, soaps were produced by combining animal fats (tallow), oils such as olive oil or palm oil, and lye (sodium hydroxide) which compose the base of the soap. This base creates a lather and gives a deep clean. Some outdated brands still use tallow! Just say no to Tallow!

The negative side-effect of this method this is that it can result in soaps with a very high pH due to the animal fats used, the sodium hydroxide concentration, or the chemical formula of the lye. Potential hydrogen (pH) is crucial to the health of your skin, ideally, the pH of your skin should be between 4.5 and 6.5. To maintain a healthy pH the skin produces a film layer (sebum) that has a balanced pH. Sebum consists of natural fatty acids that the skin produces to keep bacteria and toxins out while also keeping skin moist and youthful. Balanced skin has a strong defense system against the harmful acne-causing bacterium. Once the pH exceeds 6.5, the danger of bacterial invasion increases dramatically resulting in acne, a loss of skin integrity, wrinkles, and sometimes atopic dermatitis, seborrhea, ichthyosis, or rosacea.

Alkaline soaps and cleaners, those with a high pH, can be so harsh that they strip the skin, even burning it while stripping natural oils from the skin, creating more skin issues. Using a soap that maintains healthy pH is crucial for everyone regardless of your skin’s tendency towards dryness or oiliness.

Even today there are skincare brands that still use outdated and harmful alkaline animal fats and chemical additives in their soaps, this is why it is important to always read the ingredients in your skincare so you can make informed choices about your skin’s health. With J.Nicole ® , we value total transparency and want to provide everyone with information on how to best take care of your skin so we recommend avoiding these harsh ingredients:

J. Nicole ® uses Bio-Hybrid Technological ® ingredients. With all the science, innovation and research on human health and homeostasis, we felt it was time to modernize soap.  The Soap by J. Nicole ® is handcrafted with a unique modernized PH BALANCED formula which will not dry out the skin.  We do not use alkaline ingredients that other soaps use.  Our soothing, healing ingredients perfectly pairs with our patent pending J. Nicole ® Face Serum.

J. Nicole ®'s Soap uses mild bases making its pH perfectly balanced, not alkaline. Our 100% vegan, organic ingredients such as saponified organic olive oil, organic flaxseed oil, organic shea butter, and organic coconut oil, all chosen to moisturize and restore the skin and prepare the skin for Step 2 

J. Nicole ®'s Soap incorporates a combination of lavender, benzoin, and bergamot, an “essential oil power trio”. This trio gives the soap a natural organic fragrance and has been shown to help with dry skin. We blended the trio into shea butter to help repair, rejuvenate, and balance the pH of the skin. Shea butter also helps rashes, psoriasis, eczema, scars, cuts and stretch marks. Flaxseed oil provides omega-3 fatty acids which are essential to healthy, and elastic skin. J. Nicole ®’s Soap is topped with Sunflower buds for an extra boost of vitamins B, C, and E.

Another key ingredient that makes The Soap special is moon dust (Kaolin clay). Moondust is also known as “White Gold” and was considered a commodity in Georgia for centuries and is the gentlest, purest of all the clays; and perfect for even the most sensitive skin types.