Why you only should use handmade soaps for your skin and hair-Interview with Terrorists of Beauty
Choosing to use handmade soaps over shower gels can make a big difference for your skin and hair. We almost don’t pay attention to the ingredients on the product’s package when we buy body washes. This, however could majorly improve your skin health.
To have a better understanding why, a handmade soaps specialist from Germany, answered all we need to know about handmade soaps and healthy body wash.
Mixedskins: Why did you chose handmade soaps? And what does soap mean to you?
Terrorists of Beauty: Soap is the most basic beauty product in the world. Humanity is using it for thousands of years. Basically, it is everything we need to look beautiful.
Mixedskins: What is your brand’s story?
Terrorists of Beauty: Mar and me are flatmates. We live in a creative startup flat in Hamburg, Germany. One day we were discussing the amounts of plastic trash in our bathroom. Mar and I were trying alternatives like soap and shampoo bars. But somehow we were not happy with the results! There was no cool brand out there with convincing products that gave us a good feeling.
We simply decided that we want to make this better. We wanted to launch a project with the power to inspire as many people as possible to turn towards plastic-free care products. The idea for terrorists of beauty was born and while researching we found more and more problems inherent in the beauty industry.
Frankly, we decided to fix more than “just being plastic-free”. We wanted products that are vegan, palm oil-free, unisex and handmade in the local area to minimize the effects of pointless globalization.
Mixedskins: What are your brand values ?
Terrorists of Beauty: We are natural, radical, inspiring and provocative. We love nature. And we are willing to change our lives in a radical way to make sure that our planet earth can survive. We want to inspire as many people as possible to follow us and to pass on the spirit.
And finally, we are also daring enough to step up and to provoke the big players in the industry. We question stereotypes and business habits that were established over decades. Or in other words: we fight the laws of the beauty industry together with all our customers.
Mixedskins: What kind of handmade soaps do you have?
Terrorists of Beauty: We have four soaps made for all kinds of skin (face + body) and hair types.
Block 001 is made with coconut-coal and cedar oil. It’s perfect for hair, body and face. Especially for normal to greasy skin or acne-prone skin as well as for normal to fine or greasy hair.
Block 002 is made with grapeseed oil. This is perfect to balance skin tending to rashes or that is dry and greasy at the same time.
Block 003 with Shea butter is based on a very reduced recipe which makes it perfect for sensitive or allergy-prone skin. The key ingredient Shea butter cares for normal to thick or wavy hair as well so it’s also a great shampoo alternative.
And finally, block 004 with turmeric – it’s a very rich formula so it’s perfect for very dry or very curly hair. But you can use it as well for normal to dry skin.
Mixedskins: For what type of people are you making the soaps?
Terrorists of Beauty: We are doers. Mar comes from Spain, she grew up on the land and in her family soap making was kind of tradition. So, she is responsible for product development and all sorts of logistics and purchases.
Natalie is from Germany, originally working in advertising. She is responsible for all creative things and sales. Together we are the perfect teams regarding skills and mindset.
What unites us is the love for nature and the planet. We do not care so much about business or crazy profits. We want to make a difference in this world by being self-employed and free with our own rebellious company.
Mixedskins: Do you have any advice on how should you care for handmade soaps after the first usage?
Terrorists of Beauty: Handmade soaps should not stay in the shower, especially not in a wet bowl.
Instead, you should put them in a nice soap holder that ensures that the soap can dry; so that no germs can hold on to it and it doesn’t shrink too fast.
We offer handmade holders from concrete in which the soap is stored vertically. Ideally, you put this holder outside the wet area, for example next to the sink or shower.
Mixedskins: What should someone look for when deciding to buy your handmade soaps?
Terrorists of Beauty: You should look for natural soap. Such soap is based on natural oils only. So, it comes without sulfates or other chemical surfactants, preservatives or additives.
Best you use the codecheck app or something like that, to make sure that there are no harmful (hidden) ingredients.
Make sure to buy handmade soaps only. Because industrial soap is heated up to high temperatures which diminishes the effect of the ingredients for hair and skin.
Also palm oil-free is an important feature for good soap.
Mixedskins: How does your brand differentiates from other manufacturers?
Terrorists of Beauty: We have very strict rules when it comes to production. We use premium cold pressed oils only. Our soaps are handmade at low temperatures around 40 degrees to ensure that the natural power of all ingredients is not killed.
We let our soaps ripen for several weeks and manufacture everything up to the packaging in Germany to limit transportation and CO2 emissions. All our products are packed in a workplace for people with disabilities.
We pack our products without plastic, even shipping is done without plastic! Up to the very last detail we try to find the most sustainable way. Even in areas that customers rarely notice.
Mixedskins: Do you think a soap’s package and how the soap looks like (shape, color, smell) + the brand itself influences more someone to buy the soap instead of just focusing on the soap’s benefits and ingredients?
Terrorists of Beauty: It’s a mix. Today, people are so used to good design and branding that it has become kind of essential to look fancy and up to date.
A compelling smell is very important to convince people to try soap instead of regular shampoo or shower gel.
But in the long run, the core is the product itself: only when you experience a good outcome, you will stick to handmade soaps instead of commercial body wash. And especially in this regard we get great feedback from our customers.
Of course, most customers have to pass a nasty transition phase in which skin and hair suffer because our bodies got used to chemical support from conventional beauty products for decades.
But as soon as skin and hair have recovered, they find new and natural strength and glow. Many customers give us astonishing feedback on the long-term effects of our products. And this is what keeps us motivated; because we know we can change attitudes and habits of the people for good.
Mixedskins: After how many usages can someone see/feel the real effects of your handmade soaps on their skin?
Terrorists of Beauty: You have to be patient for about 2-6 weeks to feel the real effects of soap. Especially for hair it needs this time until all residues of formerly used care products are rinsed out.
And even after using soap for let’s say half a year, you will experience an ongoing balancing and recovery of skin and hair.
The truth is that unless handmade soaps, most commercial soaps are loaded with harmful and toxic chemicals.
They are mass-produced by multinational companies, made with the cheapest ingredients. Furthermore, they are factory produced creating large amounts of environmental waste.
Terrorists of Beauty manufactures plastic-free handmade soaps that replace shampoo, shower gel and facial cleanser. They have certified natural cosmetics, are vegan, palm oil-free and unisex.
Handmade in Germany and wrapped in paper is their weapon to make you and the world more beautiful.
