Question 1

Do you offer free shipping?

Accepted Answer

No.  We do not offer free shipping.  However, make sure you sign up for our newsletter to receive special offers!

Question 2

I placed an order online - when and how will it ship?

Accepted Answer

Well thank you for placing an order with us!  We ship all orders within 48 hours (usually less!) and as of 1/11/21, all orders will ship USPS.

Question 3

Is your soap handmade?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we make soap the old fashioned way... by hand. Our soap is made from a combination of natural oils with a strong alkali (lye) solution until a process of saponification takes place.  Saponification is a chemical reaction that occurs when the lye is combined with whole oils. Soap and glycerin are the resultant products. No lye remains in the finished product.  Our bar soaps are made using the cold-process method wherein we mix the oil and lye into soap and glycerin without added heat and let the soap cure before selling. During this curing process, the soap fully neutralizes and evaporates off some of its water.  This results in our long lasting, mild bars of soap.

Question 4

Do you have to use lye when making your soap?

Accepted Answer

Yes. It is impossible to make real soap without using lye.  However, during the process of making soap, no lye remains in the finished product.  100% of the lye added to our recipes bonds with the oils in the recipe and through the saponification process, becomes soap and glycerin.  No lye remains in the final bars of soap.  Our soaps are all made with an excess of oil so that there is also some of the recipe oils left in the final product as well.  This is done to ensure the bars are extra moisturizing.
Today’s handmade soaps are far more gentle than they ever were due to advances in supply standardization and more refined measuring.  They are made to be gentle to the skin with many people finding them very moisturizing.

Question 5

Is your soap “Organic”?  What do you define as “Natural” soap?

Accepted Answer

Our soaps are made using organic ingredients in many cases.  
When we say our soap is all-natural, it is our way of saying that it contains no synthetic fragrances, petrochemicals, synthetic dyes or preservatives. Our soap is scented with essential oils and naturally derived ingredients (plant extracts) and colored with organic herbs, clays and plant extracts.
We recognize that there isn't really such a thing as "natural soap" or “organic soap”, in the technical sense of the words, since soap isn't present or formed in nature.  At Ms. Tee’s, we take elements from nature and mix them together to make something new (alkali + oil = soap).  However, saponification is a chemical reaction that occurs by mixing these elements.  Some would therefore call it a "chemical" and technically they are correct.  We needed to find a way to convey to you our commitment to only use ingredients that are plant based, contain NO phthalates, dyes or preservatives and we do that by using the term “natural”.

Question 6

Does your soap contain glycerin?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Glycerin is a natural byproduct of the saponification of the oils we use to make our soap, so it is a natural part of all our soaps. Our soaps qualify as glycerin soaps because glycerin accounts for over 9% of the final bar of soap.

Question 7

What oils do you use in your soaps?

Accepted Answer

A good bar soap balances bar durability (hardness), lather quality (both fluffiness and stability), and moisturizing ability. Each oil has unique properties and provides different characteristics to the finished bar of soap.  However, the properties that contribute moisture are not those that contribute much to lather quality, and the ones that make great lather are drying to our skin.   We use a selection of the following varieties of oil in our recipes to provide balance to Ms. Tee’s Soap:
We use (sustainable) organic palm oil for its ability to create a harder finished bar of soap.  It is high in palmitic acid, vitamin E, vitamin K and magnesium and is considered a natural anti-oxidant.
Organic sunflower oil is used for its humectant property, similar to olive oil, but with a ‘cleaner’ feel on the skin but tends to soften the bar, so it’s used in moderation.
We use organic olive oil because it acts as a humectant, drawing moisture to the skin.
We use cocoa butter for stable lather and hardness in the final bar.
Sweet Almond oil is used because it saponifies easily and produces a stable and conditioning lather in soap.
Avocado oil gives a conditioning quality to the soap and is rich in vitamins A, D and E, lecithin, potassium, protein and amino acids.
Organic coconut oil gives bubbly lather and adds an additional hardness to the finished soap.
Shea butter lends a creamier texture to the finished bar of soap but can reduce lather.
Organic Goat’s Milk gives a conditioning quality to the soap and is rich in vitamins A, B6 and B12. It also includes antioxidants which prevents your skin from becoming dry and irritated.

Question 8

How can I make my handmade soap last longer? / What is the shelf life of your soap?

Accepted Answer

All handmade soap should be kept in a dry, cool, dark storage space to maximize its lifespan. Since our soaps are scented using essential oils, the scents will dissipate over time.  When the soap is in use, make sure it has sufficient drainage to dry in between uses, as water will wash the soap away.  Try a handmade wooden soap dishes to help keep your soap dry in between uses.
Our bar soaps won't go bad, but over time may lose some of the potency of their scents.

Question 9

Do you test your products on animals?

Accepted Answer

We NEVER test our products on animals. Our friends and family happily volunteer to be our testers.

Question 10

Why don't our bath bombs have color?

Accepted Answer

To keep our bath bombs all natural, we refrain from using dyes to color them. They are all made with natural ingredients.

Question 11

What are bath bombs good for?

Accepted Answer

A bath bomb adds emollients and softeners to your bath’s water that moisturize and indulge your skin. No matter what your skin type, the beneficial ingredients in bath bombs leave it soft, supple, and silky. Yes, it’ll cleanse your skin, but the ingredients inside will also pamper and soothe it. Your skin will feel velvety, sinuous, and youthful.

faq

Frequently asked questions