Made with ingredients of natural origin, Marseille soap is a product renowned for its quality. It has many virtues and lends itself to multiple uses. To help you rediscover this product you often hear about, read our guide.
What is Marseille soap and where does it come from?
When it comes to body care, Marseille soap is one of the best choices. In fact, it’s a product with a worldwide reputation. It’s made by saponifying several vegetable oils with soda. The trade name “Savon de Marseille” is not an appellation d’origine contrôlée. In fact, this name refers to a codified manufacturing process, which ensures the presence of a minimum percentage of fatty acids. Other components, such as olive oil or animal tallow, may also be used. However, the artisanal production method requires that the oils used be of vegetable origin, to ensure good quality. It is this requirement that makes the product so famous.
The history of Marseille soap goes back to the Middle Ages. This period saw the birth of the first soap factories in Marseille and Toulouse. In 1688, Colbert’s Edict laid down the rules for the manufacture of Marseille soap. It listed the raw materials and required manufacturers to use pure olive oil from Provence, soda from Camargue and salt.
Use Marseille soap to clean your home
Marseille soap isn’t just for the body. You can also use it to clean your home. Ideally, you should use it as a homemade laundry detergent for daily use. All you have to do is wash the surfaces in your home you want to keep clean with Marseille soap shavings. However, here are a few uses for Marseille soap.
Cleaning
You can use Marseille soap to wipe down your kitchen countertops and worktops. It can also be used to clean your bathtub and many other surfaces. Take a damp cloth or sponge and rub your soap on it. Then run the cloth over the surface, and rinse. This solution is environmentally friendly, as it can replace industrial products filled with harmful chemical components. Marseille soap is also an excellent homemade cleaning product for leather surfaces. It can also be used to maintain wooden furniture. It’s also an excellent cleaning product for your make-up brush.
A fragrance for cupboards and drawers
You can use Marseille soap to perfume the spaces in your drawers and cupboards. Simply place soap flakes or shavings in small linen bags or in a dish, then arrange them in the various corners. That’s all it takes to purify the air in your drawers and cupboards.
A deodorizer for chlorinated clothes
If your clothes still smell of chlorine, Marseille soap is an effective solution. Simply grate two tablespoons of soap into boiled water and allow to cool slightly. Then soak your chlorinated lingerie in it for 24 hours, rinse and wring out before drying. Once dry, your clothes will have lost the smell of chlorine.
Effective against aphids
Marseille soap can also be used to make a spray that eliminates aphids. Simply dissolve a small mass of grated Marseille soap (around 20 grams) in a liter of water. You obtain a solution that you spray onto the leaves of your plant. Repeat if necessary. In general, after 2 or 3 treatments, all aphids will have been eliminated.
What are the benefits of Marseille soap for your body?
Marseille soap is considered a product with a thousand benefits. It has multiple virtues for skin, hair and nails, among others.
For the hair
Marseille soap maintains the scalp and reduces dandruff. It deeply moisturizes hair and effectively nourishes the capillary fiber. It is suitable for all hair types, but is best used on fragile, dull hair. Thanks to the hypoallergenic and anti-inflammatory properties of the olive oil it contains, Marseille soap reduces the irritation and itching that can affect sensitive scalps. Its fatty acid content gives it the ability to deeply cleanse hair and remove all impurities, including excess sebum.
For the skin
Marseille soap deeply moisturizes and nourishes the skin, leaving it soft and perfectly satin-smooth. It cares for the skin and protects it from external aggression. Its disinfectant and anti-inflammatory properties relieve skin irritations and heal wounds. Marseille soap helps rebalance the skin’s pH and is suitable for allergy sufferers. It can be used in place of shower gel. Finally, thanks to its ability to regulate sebum synthesis in the skin, it prevents the appearance of pimples and blackheads on your epidermis.
For nails
If you’re looking for a beauty tip for your nails, think Marseille soap. It keeps your nails clean every day. Rub the soap under your nails, then clean with water. The result is hygienic nail contours.
How do I find quality Marseille soap?
With so many Marseille soap samples out there, it’s hard to choose the right one for your needs. Not all soaps bearing the name “Savon de Marseille” are of good quality. So, to make sure you find the right product, you can turn to the cosmetics section of supermarkets. You still need to check the origin of the Marseille soap. In the absence of a label, you should know that a good quality product is made from 100% vegetable oils. It must be enriched with at least 72% oil. Good Marseille soap is made from soda, salt, water and essential oils, and contains no colorants.
You can also find good-quality Marseille soap in the cleaning aisle of a chemist’s or supermarket. On the internet, you can also find and buy the product on numerous online boutiques, but to be sure of the quality, it’s advisable to turn to one of the 4 major soap platforms. These have jointly registered a logo and a charter, which attest to the authenticity of their products. They are: la savonnerie du Fer à Cheval, la savonnerie le Sérail, la savonnerie du Midi and la savonnerie Marius Fabre.
