Have questions or suggestions? Feel free to contact Hannah at any time with your inquiries.

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Which is the best soap you offer for dry skin?

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If you are not accustomed to using handmade soaps, you will find that any of our soaps are excellent for dry skin, because of the rich glycerin content, goat's milk, and other conditioning ingredients (see our ingredient page for more information). Further, you might consider trying one of our many varieties that include shea or mango butters. Olive oil soaps are also very mild.

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I have sensitive skin. Do you have a soap that would be beneficial?

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Especially gentle and mild are our castile soaps, which contain exclusively olive oil and would be wonderful for facial use. One customer with sensitive skin testifies that she was able to use our Skin Soother soap when other brands caused her to break out. As always, please test products before use if you have sensitive skin. If you are concerned about lye used in soap-making, read our next frequently asked question below. Finally, while recognizing that some skin issues are more than skin-deep, we hope that you'll consider our products as a helpful part of your natural skin-care routine.

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Do you sell lye soap?

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Well, yes, technically, all our soaps are lye soaps. Read on:

Sodium hydroxide, or household lye, is an important part of cold-process soapmaking, used to convert the base oils into true soap and glycerin, in a natural process called saponification. When the soap is fully cured, the lye has been completely transformed, and there is no longer any remaining. The soap you buy from Pleasant View Soaps is superfatted with extra conditioning oils and has been cured at least 4 weeks to give you a mild bar that will be kind to your skin. It's not your grandmother's "lye soap" which could be harsh and super-cleansing....

 

However, we do offer a special product called Laundry Lye soap, which simply contains lard and lye, like the old-fashioned soap, as some customers are looking for help with stain removal, poison ivy remedies, a bar for homemade laundry detergent, and more. While this soap doesn't contain any additional oils, it is not lye-heavy, to ensure a non-irritating and useful product.

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Hannah, do you own goats?

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I do not personally raise my own goats, but I source my goat's milk locally from a family farm in my county.

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I'm allergic to dairy. Are any of your soaps dairy-free?

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Yes, we do offer a selection of soap that does not contain milk for those who are sensitive or prefer not to have it. Several of our olive oil soaps do not include milk, as well as the Carrot Calendula soap.

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Are your soaps vegan?

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Most of the soaps we offer are made with animal products (lard and milk, sometimes honey), although we do offer a line of vegetable-based olive oil soaps. Use the filter in our shop to find our array of olive oil selections.

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​​​The soap sounds so good, I could eat it! Are your ingredients organic?

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We strive to keep our soaps as natural as we can, and yes, most of the ingredients are foods or herbs and our scents inspired by nature. While we can't guarantee that all our ingredients are sourced organically, we can state that our shea butter is unrefined and organic. What you use on your skin is important.

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What is in the Dirt soap you sell? Dirt?

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Yes, this question is asked often, albeit jokingly. The brown tint and speckles you might see in the Dirt soap is achieved with cocoa powder, not actual dirt. The soap is scented with a fragrance oil that smells just like fresh, moist earth - "good dirt."

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What is your most popular product?

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Some of our customers' favorite soap varieties would be Lavender Lemongrass, Blackberry Sage, and Wake Me Up.

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Will the soap melt if stored in high temperatures?

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No, the soap is stable and will not melt; however, if left in sunlight for an extended time, the scent may dissipate, at least on the surface. Once in use the soap will usually release its scent. The solid balms and lip butters should be stored at room temperature; as they are beeswax products, they will get soft if warmed, and temperature fluctuations can sometimes cause the shea butter in the balm to become grainy.

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How long does the soap last (in storage, in use)? Does it go bad?

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The longer a soap sits in storage, the more moisture evaporates and the harder the bar becomes, making for a long-lasting product. Most of our soaps will still retain their scent after 1-2 years of storage in a closed container, and if made correctly with quality ingredients, there should be no worries about rancidity.

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Many customers report their delight that our soaps last a long time when compared with commercial soaps or even other handmade soaps. Made with traditional animal fats, our soaps tend to stay firmer than an all-vegetable soap, making for longer-lasting bars. We recommend keeping the soap dry between uses to prolong its life and to prevent mushy bars - try our wooden racks! 

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How long does it take to make a batch of soap?

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Between prepping the molds, weighing the ingredients, mixing together the oils, lye, and other additions, and pouring the soap to let it harden, it requires setting aside an afternoon to finish the recipe. Then comes slicing the logs into bars after 48 hours, storing the bars of soap on racks to allow to dry, and waiting 4-12 weeks for the soap to fully cure. The soaps are then individually beveled and packaged before they're ready for sale.

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Do you offer classes?

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Yes! If you'd like to be placed on a list for any possible future classes planned in Western Michigan, please contact me or simply add your name to our waiting list. A class would include safety instructions, information on the science of soap and ingredient sourcing, a hands-on demonstration, and your own batch of handmade soap to take home.