FAQs

Sodium hydroxide (lye) is a necessary component to soap making. When molecules of lye "hook up" with the molecules of fat (from the olive oil, almond oil, etc.) they chemically react to produce something totally new: soap and glycerin! Making soap is an awesome balance of science and creativity and both the oils and lye are carefully calculated for each batch of soap (all of our soaps actually contain more oils than are needed to convert all of the lye so that there are never any mishaps). The end result is that your new bar of soap no longer contains any lye and is safe to use :)

Rosemary antioxidant is an organic and all-natural product that extends the shelf-life of your soap by slowing down the oxidation of the oils used in making it. It's extracted, via CO2 extraction, from organic rosemary leaves.

Our soaps are scented with 100% pure and certified organic essential oils, and if you're accustomed to heavy perfumes and fragrance oils, then you'll likely notice a difference (perhaps a big one) between our products and others. Because of their natural nature, essential oils tend to fade more quickly than artificial scents do although there are some exceptions to this (for example, cedarwood and patchouli). Additionally, we also intentionally scent our soaps at 3%, which is on the lighter side. Personally, we find the world to be far too in-your-face when it comes to fragrance, and we're aiming for a lighter, yet still pleasantly scented, bathing experience. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions regarding the scent of a soap before purchasing, and we'll do our best to guide you towards what  you're looking for. 

Each and every one of our soaps get their variety of hues from all-natural plant and mineral based colorants like cacao powder and clays. The colors of some natural colorants, like turmeric for instance, have a tendency to change over time, and so we generally prefer clays for their color stability (plus, they give a wonderful slippery feel to soap that we adore!). The clays may not present as vibrantly as their synthetic counterparts do, but we think they're absolutely gorgeous just the same! The color in clays is due to naturally occurring elements within the soil, and we take care to source from companies who don't add synthetic additives to enhance their innate beauty. For example, the red of Rhassoul red clay comes primarily from iron oxides, and the green in French green clay is partly thanks to decomposing plant matter, like algae and chlorophyll. But while we love designing soaps with clays, you'll also find quite a few of our creations that showcase the beautiful brown of cacao powder, the earthy green (or blue) of indigo powder, the purple of sandalwood powder, and the grays/blacks of activated charcoal. One note about natural colorants is that some of them, like cacao powder, will tend to leave behind marks on white/light washcloths, but I've never found these to  stain and will immediately rinse out. 

Soaps are weighed after, on average, 4 weeks of curing time and it is this number that appears on our soap labels. "Curing time" is a period when the water used to make soap batter is in the process of evaporating, making for a harder and longer lasting bar of soap. At about 4 weeks, our soaps have lost the bulk of their water weight and become available for purchase but will continue, in small increments, to continue losing water weight. If your bar is slightly less than what's listed on the package (this difference should be quite small) this only means that your bar of soap should last a bit longer in use :)

This is obviously dependent on many factors, but a bar of soap lasts us about 2.5 weeks on average (1 person at 1 shower per day). The bars that we use for handwashing at sinks last much (much) longer than that. Please see the above answer on how to get the most out of your soap bar.

Unfortunately, no. For a company as tiny as ours, the cost to become certified organic is prohibitive. You can rest assured, however, that the ingredients we use to make our soaps ARE certified organic. We've been living an organic lifestyle for about 15 years now and it's non-negotiable for us. We believe it's the best choice for the health of ourselves, our global human/animal family, and (obviously) this gorgeous planet Earth. As for the ingredients we can't get organic (such as clays), we're careful about purchasing only 100% clays that are free from artificial colorants or other materials; the colorants in the clays we use are naturally derived (i.e. the pink color in our pink clay is from iron oxides found naturally in the soil). As always, please feel free to reach out anytime via email at sudsmeupscotty@outlook.com if you'd like any additional reassurance about the products we use to make our soaps.

If a soap bar is in use, store it on a well-draining soap dish with adequate airflow to ensure that your soap dries out properly between uses. Allowing your soap to languish in water will turn it to mush and shorten its lifespan significantly (and unnecessarily!). If you're not yet ready to use your bar of soap, storing it somewhere with adequate ventilation (like a closet shelf) will be great. Also, to prevent the fading of colors, keep it out of direct sunlight.

Here at Suds Me Up, Scotty, we don't use artificial anything— and that includes preservatives. If a product never spoils, then we're suspicious of how safe it actually is for the human body! Although we do add rosemary antioxidant to all of our soaps to slow down the oxidation process, it won't preserve your soap forever, and eventually all of those lovely, organic oils will begin to spoil (as any natural product should!). This usually begins to appear as small, orange spots on your soap. While we would never sell a bar that we know has begun to spoil, it really isn't much cause for alarm if it does happen. Those orange spots are considered a cosmetic issue and don't render your soap dangerous! I would, however, use the soap immediately since it's showing signs of nearing the end of its lifespan. After a couple of handwashings, those superficial spots should disappear, but you can also speed things along and shave off the spots with a vegetable peeler. In either case, I'd recommend using the bar immediately. In my experience, these small spots are odorless—and we've used quite a few of these oldies—but if your soap develops an odor, I'd discard it. While there are many ways to slow down this process (we use them all), it may still happen from time to time. Please contact us if you have this happen to a newly purchased bar of soap and we'll be happy to replace it!

We like to think of each soap as a tiny, individual masterpiece. Even though we use the same recipe (if this ever changes, we make note of it in the listing) and the same design technique, each time we slice into a fresh loaf of soap we're never sure of exactly what we'll find! (Honestly, the element of surprise is one of my favorite things about making soap!) As a general rule, the soaps should look very similar to those pictured in the listing, but due to the handcrafted nature of our products, each bar will be somewhat unique. Additionally, some natural colorants (turmeric, for instance) can change color over time, so the colors may appear slightly different than pictured.

Prior to learning how to make soap, I thought it was a product with no expiration date! Turns out, I was wrong, and the oils used in the soap making process can and will go rancid as oils normally would (and should!). We recommend using your soap within sixth months of purchasing, but because we use fresh oils, your soap bars may potentially last for longer (personally, I wouldn't push it longer and risk losing them). We do add organic rosemary antioxidant to all of our soap batches to extend the shelf-life of your soap and slow down the oxidation process, but natural products can go bad, even with the precautions we take to slow this down. Please see the "what are these orange spots" question for more details! 

This little trick deals with those end slivers that we here hate washing with! While still sudsy, they make bathing more difficult than it needs to be, but who wants to waste all of those precious plant materials? So what to do? When your bar of soap is nearly at the end of its lifespan and is a mere sliver of soap, "marry" it to a new bar! Simply wet both bars and stick them together. After a washing (either hand or in the shower), the two bars should be firmly stuck together and you can continue until the sliver is gone. Simply repeat the process when the new bar reaches its final days as well. This ensures you get every last bit of goodness/value from your soap (and your money!).

Well, we like to think of them as simple, but there are a couple of reasons why our labels are as they are (other than the fact that we just like them!). From the beginning, we've kept two things in mind: 1. our soaps will be crafted from only organic ingredients and 2. we'll keep the cost per bar as low as possible. We want our soaps to represent who we are, and since we've been organic vegans for 15 years now, what you see in our soaps (and on our labels) is what you see in our lives. Plain? Perhaps. Organic? Definitely. Why? Because we're wholeheartedly committed to the health of our family, our planet, and all of the critters that inhabit it with us. That being said, organic ain't cheap; the cost of organic products is significantly higher than that of conventionally grown ones (even when purchasing in bulk, like we do). So while the organic part is non-negotiable for us, the fancy labeling is. Labels can be absolutely lovely, but beyond the visual appeal, they're just... garbage. Literally, you're just going to toss them. So in an effort to keep our prices down, we decided to keep the packaging as minimalist as possible, and so we print the labels ourselves without fanfare.​ Additionally, our labels are printed on card-stock made from 100% recycled content, and being in charge allows us to change them as needed, when needed (like for our custom soap loaves!) Basically, we're simple and so are our labels. I guess maybe I could've just said that...