There are a wide variety of natural homemade soaps available on the market place. It all depends on what specific part of the world you are in for what is available. Each part of the world has its own different supply of raw materials. This accounts for the difference in the recipes.

The most unique soap I found marketed was the soap of Jesus. This is a Christian soap that only uses the ingredients found during the life and time of Jesus. The claim is that the recipes are based on homeopathic formulas that not only clean your body but also uplift and inspire your delicate soul.

Then there is French/African soap named Earth Essence. This one combines the deep cleansing power of French green clay with the moisturizing properties from shea butter that comes from the African shea nut.

Aphrodite soap from Greece has the claim of being 80 to 100 % pure extra virgin olive oil with potent Mediterranean herbs from the sunny, unpolluted Greek hills.

From India there is Nag Champa Herbal soap. With a mixture of 21 different plants along with a coconut base and other unnamed oils. This soap has a very strong herbal scent.

France has another contribution with the Cote Bastide or Cotton Soap. The fragrance shifts from the subtlety of cotton flowers to the gentleness of sweet almond. For added gentle exfoliation cottonseeds are added.

No natural soap list would be complete without that good old American Lye soap. All you need is lard, lye and water. What could be more natural? For added cleaning power powdered bleach can be added. No wonder Americans are such thick skinned individuals.

There naturally are more but this just to say that because it is different does not mean it is not natural just from another part of the world.  How about you?  Do you have a homade soap recipe or source for your favorite?

We mentioned our new sponsor, Buy Green, in a previous post and now we want to make you aware of some of the excellent personal care products that we have to offer through this sponsor.

Who doesn’t like a winning smile? Cleanse and brighten your teeth naturally, while organic essential oils and herbs freshen your breath and maintain healthy teeth and gums.

We like Miessence Toothpaste that you will find by clicking on the Buy Green link. Miessence Toothpaste comes in three flavors and they are free from fluoride, aluminum, artificial sweeteners or detergents.

The “I Dream” line of Body Wash, Shampoos, Conditioners and Detanglers are second to none. All of the I Dream line of products are 100% Natural and Organic. There are also a couple of different lip balms or lip conditioners that they offer that will come in handy this time of the year.

Don’t forget baby. The I Dream Baby Lotion, Baby Oil and Baby Wash are all 100% Natural and Organic also, and they even offer an I Dream Baby Gift Set.

When you go to the Buy Green order page, make sure you click on some of their headers which will explain their company policies and why we support them so much. They describe how they eliminate toxins, and all raw materials are natural and organic, or come from sustainable sources or recycled materials.

You will help your family immensely by purchasing your personal care products from Buy Green. Check out their website and you will agree.

Order Buy Green Products

Before the end of 2009, there will be a set of minimum standards for HBC (Health & Beauty Care) companies to live up to before they can claim to be making Cosmetics, Organic or Natural and other products.

Surprisingly, many people have been led to believe that the products they are using have been put to the test so their labels can say natural or organic. The truth is, there have been no standards for HBC products so companies have gotten away with calling their products and cosmetics organic or natural when they really aren’t.

There are companies that have worked hard to live by their own set of standards to produce products that are of high quality. Aubrey Organics and Dr. Bronner’s are good examples of this. Their products contain quality ingredients and they are obtained through fair trade.

Some are worried though, that as bigger companies get involved, they will work to weaken the standards. This would result in companies looking for the loopholes to be able to include un-pure ingredients or fillers in their products and still claim to be natural or organic.

Be on the lookout for seals on the natural and organic cosmetics and products. These seals will tell you whether or not the product meets the Natural Product Associations standards.