The short answer is: soap is natural and detergent isn’t. But there’s more to it than that.
Soap is created by mixing fats and oils with an alkali or base. This method has been around for hundreds of years–remember the soft soap Ma used in the Little House books? It was created with ashes (that contain lye, a base) with animal fats.
Since soap is natural, it is biodegradable and less harmful to the environment than detergents. However, the minerals in water react with soap and can turn clothes gray and leave a film or residue.
Detergents are made by combining chemicals in a slurry mixer. The mixture heats up as a result of chemical reactions, and then it’s dried and powdered to form the final product. On average, there are about ten steps between the original raw materials and the final detergent.
Because detergents don’t react as much with the minerals in water, though, they’re the best choice for laundry (but not babies).
How can I tell the difference?
It’s confusing because most detergents are camouflaged as soaps. Manufacturers use the terms “facial bar” and “body cleansing bar” to keep us guessing. What’s a girl to do? Read the label. Look for chemicals like sodium lauryl sulfate or cocomidopropyl betaine, and then run the other way. True soaps have ingredients like oils, saponified oils, or glycerin.
What should I buy?
As always, you need to do your homework and make your own decisions. We use castile soap (bars or liquid from Mountain Rose Herbs) to wash ourselves and for housecleaning. For laundry, we make our own or choose natural detergents without synthetic fragrances and dyes.
Soap and detergent are used on our skin, our clothes, and in our homes. Immediately after use, they go down the drain and into our environment. Doesn’t it make sense to use the least toxic products we can find?
This article was shared on Small Footprint Friday.
Jackie in TN says
This is a great post, thank you for sharing! We are new to all natural cleaning/cleansing; where do you purchase your castile soap for body washing? I am also wondering what you would recommend for hair washing and conditioning? After reading this post, I picked up my favorite shampoo bottle and almost fell out of my chair when I read the ingredients!
Brown Thumb Mama says
Hi Jackie, you can get castile soap from Mountain Rose Herbs (see ad at top of screen), Amazon, or even sometimes at Target! We use Kirk’s castile bar soap for baths/showers and liquid castile for housecleaning.
I’m still experimenting with shampoo/conditioner options. Since my hair is curly, it needs lots of extra moisture. Stay tuned and when I have a good answer, I’ll write an article about it!
Rachel O. says
Totally didn’t know the difference. I love that you shared this!
Josh Gilbert says
If you have acquired the skills of soap making, all you need to start a small soap manufacturing unit is to get a regular supply of melt and pour soap bases from a reputable soap making supplier, and a few workers that can help increasing productivity.