What goes into a bar of Four Dirty Boys Soap?

As a soap maker, I believe it’s important to share this information since many who are looking at buying handmade products are also looking to get away from the chemicals in commercially made products. Legally, I can sell soap without ingredients listed but I choose to list what I use on every box so my customers can feel confident in their purchases and in my product. So..here we go.

Four Dirty Boys Soap Bars may include: olive oil, castor oil, sunflower oil, coconut oil, lard, palm oil, beef tallow, cocoa butter, shea butter, mango butter, hokum butter, canola oil. (Not every bar has all these oils but these are oils/butter I use routinely. Check the back of your box of Four Dirty Boys Soap for ingredients specific to the bar you purchased)

In addition to the oils/butters listed above, I use distilled water, goat milk, coconut milk, aloe vera juice, Jersey cow cream and beer.

Lye : Isn’t that dangerous? Yes, but...you cannot make soap without lye or Sodium Hydroxide. It just isn’t possible. Safe handling practices, including the use of rubber gloves, goggles and spill proof aprons reduce the danger of working with lye. It’s important to understand that by the time you buy a bar of soap, there is no lye remaining. The lye, added to the oils/butters create a chemical reaction that results in ...you got it..SOAP! I take all the risk, you get all the great smelling soap, which brings me to fragrances.

I use both essential oils and fragrance oils specifically created for soap making. In that way, Four Dirty Boys Soap is not unlike the large commercial manufacturers. How we differ however is on our process.

Check out this video to see how commercial producers make soap bars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ba.... We love How It’s Made videos! This is NOT how I make soap. My soap is made in small batches of 2.5 to 5 pound batches. It is labor and knowledge intensive. Care is taken to assure the soap is properly balanced with the right amount of fats and acids to create a bar that is safe and long lasting.

We also use colorants in our soaps to create vibrant swirls and appealing designs. The colorants are skin safe micas. I also make “plain” soaps with no colorants.

So now you know what I use. Feel free to ask any questions you may have. I am always open to discussion and special orders.