FAQ
Here are common questions we get asked.
If you can't find the answer to your question, please contact us via the contact us page, or drop us a line at oioi@tetrazebra.co.uk.
ABOUT OUR BLOCKS & SERVICE
Absolutely. 100%. We only use natural oils, butters, clays, plants, charcoal and exfoliants.
- Our fragrances are created using natural essential oils.
- Our colours are made using plants, clays and charcoal. We take pride that we don't use mica, dyes or synthetic colourants.
- Our base is all natural, using butters like cocoa, mango and shea.
- Our additives are all from Mother Earth, like nettle root, seaweed and bamboo powder.
When we say natural, we mean it. Check out our ingredients page for more information on what exactly we put in our blocks.
They are 75x80x30.
They weigh approximately 170g per block.
Most customers report anywhere between 25-35 uses. There are a number of factors that can influence this number such as how hairy you are, how wild your technique is, how often you shower, how hard your water is, if you use a sponge/flannel etc.
Our advice on how to look after your blocks like a pro:
- Keep your blocks dry!
- Keep your blocks away from direct water contact when not in use.
- Keep it on a proper rack where air can get to as much of the soap as possible. Our rack will help you do this.
- Don't let it sit in water when it is not in use (this is a sin).
- Don't use it multiple times a day, instead, if you have to, have 2 blocks on the go and alternate between uses.
- Letting it dry between uses is the absolute key, as this allows your soap to dry and harden, before having another blast.
Typically, the scent will stay strong if it is stored in its carton, in a cool dark place for 6 months. As this is a natural product made with natural essential oils, after 6 months, the scent will become more subtle.
Lye AKA, Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH), is a man made compound, used in soap making since approximately 1800BC, to create saponification i.e., turn oils into soap!
It is a crucial ingredient in soap making and soap cannot be made without it! Here's an easy (ish) explanation of its role:
- Saponification: Lye is essential for the chemical reaction called saponification, where fats or oils (triglycerides, such as olive, coconut, castor oil etc) react with lye to form soap and glycerin.
- Breaking Down Fats: In this reaction, lye breaks down the triglycerides i.e. the natural oils & butters we use, into fatty acid salts (soap) and glycerol (glycerin). Without lye, this breakdown and transformation into soap cannot occur.
- Final Product: The result of this process is a solid bar of soap that is safe to use. The glycerin produced in the reaction is left in the soap providing moisturising properties.
In summary, lye is essential for transforming fats or oils into soap through the process of saponification, resulting in an all natural product that also retains moisturising glycerin. After our 6 week curing period, there is no lye remaining in our products, as the lye has simply been converted through the soap making process.
No and no. We do not use synthetic dyes. As for mica, we believe that it is extremely difficult to trace the origins and extracting methods of mica, therefore we do not feel comfortable including this in our products. Significant processing steps are required to turn natural mica into a cosmetic grade ready product and some are considered unsafe. We do not see any benefit in including this ingredient, especially as there are zero skin benefits associated with it. Instead, we choose other plants, clays and charcoals that have some wonderful skin sprucing properties. Plus it is way more challenging to produce natural colours without ready to go colourants like mica and we love the creative process. Nothing good comes easy.
Yes. 100%. No animal products are used in our products. Nor are they tested on animals.
Yes! Over the last 2 years, this is where all testing and small batch production took place. Over the last 3 months however, we have ramped up the operation and it was not sustainable to keep producing out of the shed. We still carry out some stages of soap making in the shed, but the main production has moved to the kitchen.
We currently only deliver within the United Kingdom.
We don't make soap based on what people do, we make soap based on how people feel. Our profiles for each block are built to help men experience a connection with the scent and of course to help them feel good. It would be too boring to call a block of soap by the way it smelt. So we try to create an experience.
We have some absolute bangers lined up. We have a number of scent profiles developed and ready to deploy after a successful launch. Building a loyal customer base is our first priority. After this, we will release more of the goods!
Cutting a long story short, we make our soap the cold process way.
Cold process soap has a long and rich history that dates back thousands of years! The oldest evidence comes from around 2800 BC in ancient Babylon, where early records describe soap-like substances made from animal fats and wood ashes. Back then, soap was used for everything but personal hygiene!
Our blocks are made by mixing oils and fats with lye (sodium hydroxide) to create soap.
This process is called "cold" because the soap is made at room temperature without external heat.
OUR COLLECTION OF MENS PROPER NATURAL BLOCKS.
made with hard graft. in a shed.
PROUDLY MADE IN THE U.K. PROUDLY NOT FULL OF SH!T.
TETRA ZEBRA IS HERE FOR THE MEN.
BIGGER THAN AVERAGE.
We're bigger than the average soap and our aim is to help men get up to 30 scrubs to last the month (which we can't legally guarantee). We cure our blocks for 6 weeks which is longer than standard. This results in a harder and longer lasting block. They are built to last.
100% truly natural.
We make soap differently to the masses. We only use top grade butters and oils, like mango, cocoa & shea butter, to produce our incredible blocks of soap. Even the colours in our blocks are created by charcoal, clays and plants. Never dyes or mica. We don't use palm oil.
RECYCLABLE packaging.
We only use FSC Accredited material to produce our packaging. They are fully recyclable. The inks are vegetable based and the coatings & varnishes are water based. All from a carbon neutral supplier.
COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT.
We are small start-up business that is independently owned. We're not part of any major corporation, which means we get to focus solely on creating the best natural blocks possible.
