Elephant Bar Soaps – Custom Order

“Base Oils” are the natural oils we use when creating your soap (olive oil, sunflower, and coconut oil). This is the same base blend of oils used in all of our soaps as it’s cleansing yet gentle on the skin. Suitable for most skin types (including sensitive skins and baby when unscented and uncolored) they can be enhanced with natural color and essential oils.

If you would like a custom formula, we provide options for you to select additives for your custom soaps (like shea butter!)

If you are allergic to coconut oil, lets us know that too! We’ll remove the coconut oil from the formulation for you. Optionally, you can consider adding in some aloe vera, oats, or honey to help boost the lather as the unique properties of coconut oil are responsible for the big fluffy soap bubbles many people are used to.

• Custom soap orders ship in 2-3 weeks.
• Soaps will be safe to use 4-6 weeks after made-on-date. The made-on-date will be included in your order details when your soaps arrive.

Our base recipe has a natural “soapy” aroma, which you can choose to enhance with essential oils. Options include our signature blends, as well as unique essential oil combinations. We keep a wide selection of essential oils in stock with the most popular listed as options when you order.

Please note that some essential oils are too rare and/or precious to use in soap (Rose, Ylang Ylang, Frankincense, to name a few). And others (such as lemon) do not retain their aroma in the final product. But, there are other ways of scenting soap, or combining other essential oils to create a similar aroma.

If you would like a custom blend or an oil not listed, select “other” and let us know what you’re looking for.

We use a blend of coconut and olive oils for our custom soap bars, creating a natural off-white/cream base color which can be enhanced with natural colorants. Alō soaps are created with 100% all-natural additives, and the range of color each time you use a natural colorant is part of the beauty of all-natural soaps. Exact colors cannot be guaranteed. Colors will vary between batches.

• Black: activated charcoal provides a black that will range from a dark gray to a smokey black.
• Natural to Brown: a rich brown achieved by the use of cocoa powder in the soap batter while lighter naturals are obtained by the batter alone through using additives such as coffee or beer.
• Green: a natural green with the addition of botanicals and herbs such as spirulina powder or alfalfa infusions, or from carrots and indigo. Note: greens tend to fade when exposed to light and soaps should be stored away from light.
• Yellows to Orange: a sunny yellow to bright vibrant orange can be created by an infusion of annatto seeds, paprika, or carrots.
• Purple: a lovely purple, but not a bright shocking purple is achieved with our custom blend of botanicals and activated charcoal, or from the addition of alkanet infused oils.
• Pink:  can range from a faint pink to deep rose pink. Achieved with madder root, clays, and other botanicals.
• Blue: we use natural blue indigo powder to achieve a variety of blues.

Botanical Soap Colorant Examples

Color disclaimer: we use all-natural botanicals to color our soaps. Pictures provided are approximations of color in the final batch. Colors can vary in each bar, each batch, and with each use of colorant.

Custom bulk soap orders ship naked (no additional packaging). If you would like to have your soaps packaged in our cotton bags, or add custom labels for gifts, weddings, or baby showers. Please contact us for a custom quote. Note: Beldi orders are packaged in mason jars.

Our mini-guest soaps have options to ship naked or with customized labels for your event.

Custom soap orders are added to our production schedule within 1-2 weeks of your order date. Once poured, your soaps will be tended to on our cure racks for 1-2 weeks until they are suitable for travel.

Each batch is handcrafted and is not created from a pre-made base. Your custom soaps will be suitable for use 4 weeks from the poured on date, and will perform optimally if used 6 or more weeks from the poured on date.

All custom orders ship free via USPS priority mail and will ship in sustainable materials.

Once your order is placed you will receive the following order notifications:

• We’ll send you a quick note to confirm your order and request any clarification (if needed).
• Once poured and cut, we will send you a picture of your soaps. Mark this date, as your soaps will be safe to use 4 weeks later!
• Once your order ships, you will receive a standard order shipment email, along with a tracking number.

If you have any questions along the way, we’ll be here to answer them!

The short answer is yes! When you use a bar of soap (or Tooth Suds) the oil attracting end of the soap molecule picks up the grease and oils on your skin. When you rinse, the water-attracting end of the soap molecule follows the water, rinsing the soap and any impurities down the drain when you wash it off (or spit it out). 

After washing or brushing your teeth, any bacterium that was present on either the soap or your hands/teeth is washed down the drain.

Here’s more information about why soap isn’t dirty and perfectly hygienic and sanitary.

Soap ages, like a fine wine, but we recommend that you use your soap within one year of purchase. When a bar of our soap ages:

• the aroma from essential oils will fade (after about 3-months)
• the plant-based colors may fade (some within 6-months, other after a few years)
• the lather will become creamier and thicker
• the soap will become milder

The scent and color changes on our sample bars will be more noticeable and occur sooner than the full sized bars. This is due to an increased percentage of the surface area being exposed to air.

My favorite bar of soap is the first bar I ever made. My daughters and I spent months researching and collecting tools and materials with my husband. Our first soap then took us a full day to mix by hand. I’ll cherish those memories for the rest of my life. I still have a bar from that first batch and I use is once a year on my daughter’s birthday.

Kandra, Owner and Soap Maker, Alō Goods

Short Answer: It depends on how often it’s used, and if it’s kept dry between uses.

When used at the sink for handwashing, a bar of our handmade soap can last for around 6 weeks or more. This assumes that the bar will be placed on a soap dish that allows the water to drain away from the soap, giving the soap a chance to dry out between uses. You can read more on extending the life of your soap here.

When used in the shower, a bar of soap will typically last around 4 weeks. This assumes that the bar is exposed to water longer than at the sink, and then multiple people are using the same bar to wash head to toe.

• A bar of Tooth Suds typically lasts for 3 months!
• A Shampoo Bar typically lasts 2-6 months (depending on how many times you wash your hair, and how long your hair is).

Compared to commercial “soaps”, natural soaps are normally softer as they retain their natural glycerin (commercial soap production removes the glycerine to sell as a separate product). Our soaps are also free from artificial hardening chemicals, synthetic waxes, or free alkali.

No, there is no lye in our soap. However, all true soap is made through the saponification of oils with lye—either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. Once saponified none of the lye remains, and the oils are turned into soap. You can read more how soap is made, cured, and cared for in these articles:

• Is Handmade Soap Better than Commercial Soap?—Find out the real deal between handmade soap and commercial soap. Here’s a hint… one’s not really soap.
• How do YOU clean YOUR skin?—Exploring soaps, detergents, glycerin, and lye products used for cleaning skin… busting a few myths along the way too!

Alō products are made in a private kitchen, with clean and sterile equipment and quality ingredients. In fact, many of the ingredients are food grade…but please don’t eat your soap or body butter!

Our products are made with all natural ingredients, including organic oils, nut butters, essential oils, and botanicals. Natural does not always mean safe, and we encourage you to educate yourself on the power of natural ingredients. If you are allergic to any ingredient in a product, you should not use that product.

• You can find a complete list of ingredients on the product page of our website for each of our products.
• If you have a Shea Butter allergy, you can shop shea free products here.
• The Pure signature blend line features products crafted for individuals with sensitive skin and for those who seek a natural product free from added fragrances.

Alo Goods is not responsible for any reaction to any ingredient. All ingredients are clearly listed on each product page of our website as well as on the ingredients tag included with each purchase. People with sensitivities to any listed ingredient should not use the product. If you have severe anaphylactic-type reactions to ANY of the ingredients we use, please do not buy any of our products. Our workspace is kept meticulously clean and, while all soaps are cured in separate containers, we cannot guarantee that one soap did not touch another.