Frequently Asked Questions
Regulations set forth by the FDA prohibit bath and body companies from making health-related claims about beauty products. I am not a medical or healthcare professional and do not claim that the use of my products may have a positive effect on pre-existing physical and/or mental health conditions. The information in my listings pertains to the properties of specific ingredients used in the product.
How do you ship your products?
All products are shipped via UPS, you will be provided with a tracking number to follow your order. Please allow 5 business days to process your order.
Do you make custom, personalized orders?
If you can't find a product in my shop that meets your needs I could create a new product just the way you like it! All you have to do is contact me!
Is there wholesale availability of your products?
Yes, we are! Please contact us by filling out the form at the wholesale section.
Returns, Cancellations and Refunds:
- If you wish to cancel an order please contact me within 24 hours of purchase.
- Due to the natural state of our products I accept returns or exchanges only on unopened and unused soaps. Shipping charges are not refunded. The buyer is responsible for paying to have a product returned to us.
- If you wish to return an item please contact me within 14 days from the time of delivery.
- No refund on custom orders.
- We do not ship our emulsifying scrubs during hot seasons due to a temperature sensitivity. Scrubs will melt if exposed to a high temperatures. If the product has melted when you receive it, stir it and put it in the refrigerator for a few minutes. There will be NO refunds for any products that melt during the shipping. Melting does not affect the wonderful ingredients, it is only affects the texture of the product, which makes them completely safe to use.
What do you mean your soaps use natural colorants?
The first thing anyone sees about your soap creation is its color. A lot of soap makers are choosing synthetic lab colors, micas and pigments, but there are many options for coloring your soap naturally. Instead, I use herbs, dry botanicals, spices, teas and clays to impart natural colors.
Why does Soap sting the eyes?
Let’s Talk About pH. As you may have learned in science class, the pH scale measures how acidic or basic a substance is and ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is neutral, a pH less than 7 is acidic, and a pH greater than 7 is basic (alkaline).
The Human Eye. Human eyes have a natural pH level of around 7, which is neutral. Our eyes are extremely sensitive to any variations in pH and have a very low tolerance for alkalinity. Soaps have a pH of between 7.5 and 9, so their chemical nature is more alkaline.
Since our eyes can't handle an alkaline substance, they begin watering to get rid of the potentially harmful substance. Blood vessels then enlarge, coming closer to the surface of the eye and making them appear red. This is what we usually experience when soap gets in our eyes.
Thankfully, before soaps are put on the market, they are tested to ensure they are non-toxic if they do come into contact with eyes. Even so, it’s best to try to keep soap out of your eyes as much as possible. After all, no one wants to have stinging, red eyes!
Why is there lye in your soaps? Isn't it a hazardous material?
Well, yes, and no. All soap is made with lye. There are no exceptions to this rule. Lye or sodium hydroxide is most commonly known as a drain cleaner, but also plays a role in the soap making process. A lye solution and oils are combined and a chemical reaction takes place called saponification. The lye and the oils undergo a chemical change and form a salt that we commonly known as soap. Don't worry, a properly made soap does not contain any lye in the finished product.
There is no lye present in the finished bars of soap or shampoo. While all real soap must be made with lye, no lye remains in our finished product after saponification (described below).
Important! Always Read the Ingredient List on the Label. Commercial "soap" bars and handmade soap bars are also made with lye even though the words "sodium hydroxide" or "lye" do not appear on the labels. Does your bar of "soap" contain ingredients such as...
• saponified oils: oils and butters are mixed with sodium hydroxide and a liquid (usually water).
• sodium cocoate: the generic name for the mixture of coconut oil with sodium hydroxide (lye).
• sodium palmate: the generic name for the mixture of palm oil with sodium hydroxide (lye).
• sodium palm kernelate: the generic name for the mixture of palm kernel oil with sodium hydroxide (lye).
• sodium tallowate: the generic name for the mixture of beef fat (tallow) with sodium hydroxide (lye).
• sodium olivate: the generic name for the mixture of olive oil with sodium hydroxide (lye).
We once had a customer who returned a bar of our soap because her dermatologist told her that she should not use a soap made with lye. What did he recommend? Dove.
It is true that the words "lye" or "sodium hydroxide" did not appear on the ingredient label.
But, the first ingredients listed were sodium tallowate, sodium cocoate and sodium palm kernelate. So, you can guess what I told her! Yes, Dove is made with lye!
These words are not usually used to deceive consumers. But soap makers know that consumers are afraid of the word "lye." We believe that today's consumers are pretty savvy and the best practice is to educate.
WHAT ARE SAPONIFIED ORGANIC OILS?
Saponification is the technical name for “soap-making” and describes the chemical reaction that takes place when you mix oils and water with a strong alkali - (naturally occurring potassium hydroxide) under heat. In the case of 4-Legger's liquid shampoo, sustainably sourced certified organic oils of coconut, olive, and jojoba are mixed in kettles under heat with potassium hydroxide and water.
Each oil has its own temperature and alkali to oil concentration required for the chemical reaction of saponification to take place. The saponification reaction results in soap and glycerine and the water evaporates from the heat.
We mix the glycerine and the soap back together again to create our superior Castile base.
The reason "soap" has come under attack by dog shampoo companies marketing detergent based dog shampoo is inferior soap companies who do NOT mix the glycerine back into the soap but instead sell the glycerine to companies who are making detergent based products who then market their product as "soap free"!
Sadly, some soap makers discovered they could make a lot more money selling the glycerine to bolster the detergent based products instead of using it to retain the high quality of their own soap. Any dog shampoo made WITHOUT an alkali is a detergent.
Another reason our Castile Soap is better is what we call “super fatted”. More oils are added in the mixture than the alkali can react with during the chemical reaction. This ensures there is no detectable lye in the final solution.
So, some definitions:
- saponified oils: oils and butters mixed with potassium hydroxide (alkali) and water
- sodium or potassium cocoate: the name for coconut oil that has been saponified
- sodium or potassium olivate: the name for olive oil that has been saponified
- sodium or potassium jojobate: the name for jojoba oil that has been saponified
Saponified liquid = potassium hydroxide as the naturally occurring alkali
Saponification sounds easy - just mix oils together under heat with water and an alkaline.
Let me assure you it is not as easy as it sounds! It is truly an art!
As a side note, the USDA Organic Program uses "saponified organic oils" as the final listed ingredient as it contains NO detectable alkali - all of the oils have converted to soap and glycerine - it is truly safe and non-toxic.