I make my own cold process soaps, and have always wanted to try my hand at pine tar because of how popular it seems to be amongst soap makers. I would recommend buying handmade from Etsy if you want to try it. Alternatively you could try finding a local soap maker. If you go grocery store, you never know what crazy stuff is in it.
You could always try to make it yourself, but know that both quality and grade of ingredients matter. Additionally, always run the recipe through a soap calc to ensure the recipe will work out, because there are plenty of bunk recipes out there.
What do you use for washing hair vs washing dishes? Potassium or sodium?
I just make hand/body soaps mostly, and outside of sodium hydroxide (Lye), it's just liquid (generally milk, or water depending on my mood), and various fats (oils). I may or may not choose to add essential oils if I have any on hand (my favorite combo is Lavender, Peppermint, and Frankincense, with a dash of Vanilla oil - not extract).
I have however, made bars with relatively high super fat (around 7-8%) that I've used on my hair, but I still find them a bit too cleansing for my taste; then again, it might just be my choice of oils. To be fair though, my hair is down to my waist and it's prone to being dry to begin with.
For the dishes, I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I use Dawn. I've never really looked into making liquid type soaps for dishes or laundry, but I do know that those particular soaps are usually made with potassium hydroxide.
Interesting thanks for the information. I've switched body wash to something natural, may just try making it myself. So far I haven't switched dish and laundry soap but feel like I probably should. Although I'm considering just switching to washing dishes with vinegar+lemon peels.
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