Ask the Soapman

SUGGESTION: With your deodorant being all-natural, please consider coming out with more scents, other than lime. The lime is nice, but why not some scents that match your soaps. Debra Thanks for the suggestion Deb! We use the sage/lime combo because it fought BO better than any other essential oil combinations we tried. It also had a low reactivity to sensitive skin. Thanks for keeping it natural! Soapman    

How is your shampoo bar different from your soaps? What would happen if I used your soaps to wash my hair? I’m trying to find a shampoo bar I like but several of the ones I’ve tried leave a residue in my hair. What causes this? Is it the shampoo or is it my hair? Hi Diana, Here’s what I can tell you: The thicker and curlier the hair the less a shampoo bar will work for you. Shampoo bars will lighten dyed and tinted hair Thin hair will probably not need a conditioner. The thicker the hair follicle the…

What is better to use on dishes: castile soap or liquid sunshine? They are two different versions of the same liquid soap base. Liquid Sun cleans grease better than any other blend, but in a pinch I use whatever Vermont Soap product is handy; including gels and foamers. Best! Soapman

I can’t tell the difference between Castille liquid soap and shower gels. I am sure I’m not the first person to ask but I can’t seem to find the answer. I’d be using it for shower/bath and hand washing. thanks. MGB Dear MGB, Castile liquid soaps are multi purpose products used for hands and feet and general cleaning. Dilution and use instructions are on the product page of the website. Shower gels are very differently made and formulated to be used on the body. They are more moisturizing and less de-greasing and not particularly suited for cleaning purposes. I think…

Do you still sell seconds at your store and do you ship them? I met Larry quite a few years ago when you were on RT 7, in Brandon in a small house. Mike Egan Hi Michael, You bet! Seconds are still offered for sale at our Discount Factory Outlet and Soap Museum in Middlebury. Open m-f 9-5. We also sell seconds and thirds on the website. All the Best, Larry Plesent

How come my sensitive skin can tolerate handmade bar soaps but regular bar soaps dry me out? Soap is fascinating stuff and the same ingredients can take bar, liquid, gel, paste or foamer forms. But of all the forms soap can take, properly made and formulated handmade bar soaps are always the mildest soap that can be made. Here are three reasons why: Handmade soap has no measurable free caustic. Excess caustic in mass market soap insures an extra long shelf life and helps the bar foam more. Downside: your sensitive skin will get dried up and irritated! Handmade soap…

While driving around Vermont one summer many years ago, we stopped by the factory and bought the the soap scented as “fresh cut hay.” We absolutely love that scent……will you ever make that soap again? If so, I am going to buy loads of it! It was the best scent ever! Our store, officially the Vermont Soap Discount Factory Outlet and Soap Museum, is located right next to our factory in Middlebury, VT. Glad you found us! We sell dents and bents and seconds by the pound. Vermont Soap makes a lot of soap for other companies and a lot…

Why don’t Vermont Soap bar soaps lather more? There is an inverse relationship between lather and moisture. More moisture = less lather. Synthetic detergents lather better in hard water and cold water than soap does – and the suds last longer. Downside; these synthetic foaming chemicals do not exist in nature. Thus there are unintended consequences that go with their production and use. Every foaming agent that ends with an “ate” or an “eth” contains minute amounts of 1,4, dioxane a potent tumor enhancer; for just one example. As another: sodium lauryl sulfate is suspected of deteriorating the optic nerve…

I am interested in your soaps for my bath and body liquid dispensers. We live in the Southern parts of NJ and our water is 25ppm of iron content. We use a salt water softener. We have iron deposits in our water and rinsing of traditional soaps is difficult at times – especially shampoo and conditioner. Thus we use minimal amounts and stretch it thin. Anyway, I am interested in a bath & body gel/soap for the new dispensers we purchased. I wanted to choose a soap that is perfect for sensitive skin as my four young children have (8,6,4,2)…

Organic liquid soap is it usually thin like watery or thick but not overly I guess my question is that I heard organic liquid soap is thin. Making it thick is difficult? Our organic shower gels are made by thickening our liquid soap with vegetable gums and glycerin. You can buy this from us online for your use as a shower gel. It is tricky to do successfully on your own – despite some internet claims otherwise. For cleaning and general use you will want to use our liquid soap, which rinses off faster and is more de-greasing. Even though…