Soap

History: A few years ago I discovered Grandpa’s Pine Tar Soap. It had a nice manly scent and felt great on my oft annoying skin and I fell in love with the product. Pine tar soap is expensive and I wanted to experiment with stronger recipes, so I decided to make my own. After a few weeks of cure, I was able to try my new creation and after doing so, I never looked back. Upon hearing I was making soap, a friend asked me to make some nag champa soap, so with that, I began experimenting with various recipes and fragrances. It really is an addictive form of chemistry. There are an untold number of options with soap making; the recipe, fragrance, additives and decorative combinations are endless.

Will you make me some? While at this time I am not in the business of selling my soap, I will be happy to make a specific batch upon request. If you are interested in having me remake a particular soap you have received, please make note of the batch code. This code will be located on the label and will follow the pattern: IS118-xxx-xxxxxxx (where the Xs are individual to each batch). Please note that homemade soap involves a lengthy cure time so requests may take several weeks to fill. A contact address is below.

My lard/tallow rant: My soaps are typically made with lard. While some people may consider this a negative as it is an animal product, I believe it to be far more environmentally friendly than the common alternatives. Pig’s tallow (lard) is a byproduct of an industry that is going to exist whether you support it or not. If not used, this byproduct will simply go to waste. To me, if an animal is going to be sacrificed, all of it should be used and none should be wasted. Soap has been made with lard or tallow for thousands of years and it makes an amazingly nice soap. The most common “vegan” alternative is palm oil. Palm oil involves mass deforestation of native land and the loss of habitat for endangered animals. Human rights violations are common with the manufacture of palm oil; palm oil ranks among the U.S. Department of Labor’s top worst industries for forced and child labor. Vegan isn’t always better, despite the claims made by some. Research is your friend.

What’s with the name? In debating what to call my soap so that I could make labels for it, I wanted something that would express my faith without being too assertive. For years I have commonly seen humorous soaps with names such as “Wash Away your Sins Soap.” While I won’t say any offense is intended by the authors of these punny creations, the truth is obvious – washing your hands doesn’t remove sin. Jeremiah 2:22 says “Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me…” Any washing or self-improvement we attempt is only superficial. Only God through Christ can make our sins, which are scarlet, white as snow (see Isaiah 1:18). Ultimately the name “Superficially Clean” came from this thinking.

Feedback/Questions: If you have received some of my soap and would like to give feedback or ask a question, please contact me at soap [at] davidprofitt.com.