Bar and Liquid Soap FAQs

Q: Lye? In my Soap? That stuff is sold as drain opener!

Q: Is this soap like my great-grandmother made in the backyard?

Q: Yeah, grandma's soap didn't stop at the dirt...it kind of burned.

Q: Soap dries my skin. Why should I use your soap?

Q: I have hard water. How does the soap perform in hard water?

Q: Is Green Mountain Soap gluten free?

Q: What's the difference between a "detergent" and soap?

Q: Is "body wash" a soap or a detergent?

Q: Your liquid soap kind of "clots" in the dispenser, and body wash doesn't.

Q: Is your bath soap both unscented and fragrance free?

Q: My skin is really sensitive. Will your soap irritate it?

Q: People send nice letters to a manufacturing corporation?

Q: Is your soap "tear-free" (suitable for infants)?

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Lye? In my Soap? That stuff is sold as drain opener!

A: All true soap is by legal definition “lye soap” (an alkali salt of fatty acids). Once we make soap from it, there's no lye present anymore; it's all combined with oils and converted to soap, glycerin, and water. Further, we test every batch for excess caustic in our chemistry lab.

Is this soap like my great-grandmother made in the backyard?

A: Just barely. Both soaps are made from oils and caustic, but grandma couldn't really control the quality of her ingredients or monitor the process like we can.

Yeah, grandma's soap didn't stop at the dirt...it kind of burned.

A: Right.  Ours is made using high precision processes and tolerances, with more than a few safeguards and tests.  Excess lye can cause a burning sensation and serious skin irritation. 

Soap dries my skin. Why should I use your soap?

A: Some soaps dry people's skin because all the glycerin has been removed from it for resale to the cosmetics industry. We don't remove the glycerin so our soap is very moisturizing to your skin.

I have hard water. How does the soap perform in hard water?

A: Surprisingly well. It's still soap, so you may see soap curd in very hard water; but unlike some soaps, it lathers well in hard water. 

Is Green Mountain Soap gluten free?

A: Yes. We don't use wheat or related products to make our soap.

What's the difference between a "detergent" and soap?

A: Detergents use petroleum-based oils and do not contain any naturally-occurring glycerin. Detergents don't react with hard water minerals (i.e. they can't make "soap scum") but can be very drying to skin.

Is "body wash" a soap or a detergent?

A: It's a detergent. If it doesn’t meet the legal definition of soap (an alkali salt of fatty acids) it may be labeled as a body wash, deodorant bar, beauty bar, or some similar marketing term.

Your liquid soap kind of "clots" in the dispenser, and body wash doesn't.

A: True, but you can clean the dispenser easily and pronounce all of our ingredients.

Is your bath soap both unscented and fragrance free?

A: Our unscented soaps are nothing but soap, water, and glycerin. They are very popular with people who have allergies or multiple chemical sensitivities. We do sell scented soaps. The shaving soaps are scented with essential oils. We use fragrance oil for the scented bath soaps, but we manufacture the unscented soap in a separate building from the scented soap.

My skin is really sensitive. Will your soap irritate it?

A: Almost certainly not. We get letters (actual paper letters and cards) and emails from people telling us they can use our soap even though other soaps or cleansing products they have tried do irritate their skin or aggravate sensitivities to fragrances.

People send nice letters to a manufacturing corporation?

A: Some of our individual customers send us Christmas cards! We are proud of the personal relationships we have developed with folks.

Is your soap "tear-free" (suitable for infants)? 

A: No. If any of our soaps get in someone's eye, it will hurt. The soap is gentle on all types of skin (including our adorable grandchildren), but it isn't tear free.