soaps

The history of soap making goes back to the Roman era and it is strictly linked with olive oil. Back in the days before soap was invented, the ancient Egyptians who wanted to clean themselves, spread only olive oil on their skin. Other civilizations in Mesopotamia

learned to put soda ash in olive oil and this became the precursor of soap.The first definite and tangible proof of soap making is found in the history of ancient Rome. Pliny, the Roman historian, described soap being made from goat's tallow, olive oil and causticized wood ashes. He also wrote of common salt being added to make the soap hard. The ruins at Pompeii revealed a soap factory complete with finished bars. While the Romans are well known for their public baths, generally soap was not used in the beginning for personal cleaning. To clean the body the Greeks and then the Romans like the Egyptians would rub the body with olive oil and sand. Afterwards the skin was rubbed down with salves prepared from herbs. Throughout history people were also known to take baths in herb waters and other additions to the bathing medium thought to be beneficial. It is well known that Cleopatra, who captivated the leaders of the Roman world, attributed her beauty to her baths in donkey's milk. During the early century of the Christian era, soap was used by physicians in the treatment of disease. Galen, a 2nd century physician, recommended bathing with soap to be beneficial for some skin conditions. Soap for personal washing became popular during the later centuries of the Roman era. Our handmade soaps are specially formulated to deliver the very best in skin care while using only safe, truly natural ingredients. We handcraft our soap using the cold process method, which means no external heat is used maintaining intact the goodness of the natural ingredients. This natural cold process method avoids oxidation and completely preserves all the natural ingredient benefits for your skin care. Each bar begins with a high percentage of skin-loving cold pressed Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil to which we add only food grade coconut oil, for a rich creamy lather that nourishes as it moisturizes. Next, depending on the flavor and the healing function of the soap, we add natural donkey milk, red grape juice, purifying Dead Sea mud, or simply the best Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, rich in Polyphenols giving our soaps exceptional skin care benefits.