Ask the Soapman

I’ve tried to keep up with your blog and answers over the years and know that making a shampoo bar that would make everyone happy is not possible. So, in my attempt to use only 1 source for my house, pet, and body cleaning, I’ve been using various scents of your bar soap (prefer bar since there is no plastic bottle to dispose of). I have softened and iron filtered well water and have to use a vinegar rinse or my hair is sticky. Other shampoo bars, over decades of use, have not caused this problem. Why? Will your liquid…

Does a LCS dilution clean differently than a white vinegar diluted 50/50 with filtered water? Is one more effective for bathroom/bacteria cleaning? -Louise in Michigan Hi Louise, Soap is alkaline. Vinegar is acidic. Both break down bacterial walls, but differently. Officially, soap’s main action is through washing away bacteria. THIS is primarily a result of the effect sudzy things have on water and their ability to loosely grab things and pull them along with its flow. Pretty cool, right? All the Best! Soapman

Do you make body lotions? ~Lorraine Hi Lorraine, We make salves and balms, such as Green Gold and Arnica, all non-water containing moisturizers. Shea Butter and Arnica Salve are in stock right now.  By leaving out the water we can also leave out the preservatives. All the Best! Soapman

Hello! Which of your soaps is best to preserve the microbiome of our skin, the most hydrating and leaves the least residue? Many thanks, Monty Fantastic question Monty. Love it. Look, soap is mildly alkaline and sudzy, two things that are useful in controlling bacteria, virus and fungi that want to colonize you while you sleep. See the documentary “Life on You” for more on that. Using organic soap wisely allows you to have some actual control regarding your skin biome. Without knowing you or your skin I generally recommend foamer soap for your hands, Blue Bar or Fungasoap for…

I love your stuff and have skin sensitivities including sensitivity to fragrance. Do you make anything for laundry? -Darcy in Huntington Hi Darcy, Hope ya’ll are well up there in Huntington. Having sensitivities can be a real pain. We are here for you, kid. Rather than write you a book, here is a link to one I already wrote called the Reactive Body Handbook. It’s free as a short and readable ebook download. To learn more than you ever wanted to know about how to use Vermont Soap’s Castile Liquid Soap for laundry, click here. We also have a version…

Do you sell bar soap without palm oil or its derivatives? -Elena from Atlanta Hi Elena, The short answer is no. We use certified organic palm oil, sustainably grown. For very acre put into production 2 acres are set aside in a nature preserve. Our sole source is Agropalma in Brazil which won a Greenpeace award for their work. No orangutans in Brazil. All the best, Soapman

Does your soap have vit. E (Tocopherol) in it? Thank you. -Melissa from Cypress Hi Melissa, Thanks for writing. We use Vitamin E in our Green Gold Healing Salve. We do not use it in any soap product we produce. The pH of soap breaks down tocopherols over time, negating the antioxidant and preservation properties. All the Best, Soapman

I want to know if in commercial soap making it’s more profitable to use hot process and if yes, what’s increasing the soap quantity in hot process? I really will like to use cold process but I don’t know why most commercial companies are using hot process and if it’s because of profit. Thanks. -Daniel from Yenagoa, Nigeria   Hello Daniel, Thanks for thinking about soap. Soap is a crystal (see my video). The mildest and all around BEST quality soap is properly made cold process bar soap. A world class bar needs world class crystal structure, ie uniform, medium-sized,…

Should Organic African Shea Nut Butter be stored in the fridge after a period of time? If so, after how long a time? What happens if this is not done? It doesn’t start to grow any bad stuff, does it? I prefer it at room temp. Thanks. -Bob in Apalachin Hello Bob, This product has a 1 year shelf life when kept cool but not refrigerated. You can also separate out some for long term storage and keep it in the fridge. This will add another year or more to its shelf life. No bad stuff will grow in it…

All of your foam soaps are out of stock. When will there be more? -Kathleen Hi Kathleen, Most people do not realize there is a nationwide shortage of bottles and caps due to COVID-19, and deteriorating international relations with key suppliers of parts and spare parts coming out of Asia. Most of our suppliers are US based, but they are backed up for months in advance. We are waiting for our (delayed again) shipment of foamer bottles to arrive and hope to have foam soaps back in inventory in 2 weeks (end of September). You can help by saving your…