Do you know what's in your soap?
Donald A. Coggan, PE
Special Edition
Boyds, MD, August 17, 2002 - Do you know what's in your soap? Does your soap even have a list of ingredients? Is it really soap? Soap maker Rita Reames will tell you that most of the soap you buy in your local grocery, drug, or specialty store isn't really soap at all, it's detergent! "Commercial soap manufacturers remove the naturally occurring glycerin that forms in the soap making process and sell it as a by product," says Reames. Glycerin is a humectant that attracts and holds moisture. Handmade soap differs in that it retains its natural glycerin, making it much gentler and less drying to the skin. Visit Reames at her booth, Sylvan Soap, at the Shaker Forest Festival in Gaithersburg, Maryland on September 14 or 15th and talk to her about soap. You can also see pictures of soap being made on her website, www.sylvansoap.com. "If you're going to use soap on your skin every day, don't you want to know what goes into it and how it's made?" she asks.
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Throughout nearly 30 years of business starting in 1967, Don Coggan has held positions ranging from sales engineer to general manager to business owner. Since early 1996, he has been providing bilingual Internet business consulting services across the US and Canada to clients in the private and public sectors. He can be reached by e-mail at don@naftatrade.com.
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