FAQs
Why handmade?
For years I used commercial soap without thinking about ingredients. A few years ago I decided to start testing highly touted soaps with claims like ‘anti-aging’ and containing very complex ingredients. I thought these would be better and healthier.
These did not work for me. I ended up breaking out in hives with some and having eczema with others, my face seemed especially sensitive. It was not ideal.
Frustrated I started to look soaps with natural ingredients. These had the effects of making my skin soft and smooth with ingredients I recognized. I began to wonder if this is something I could do for myself.
Thus began the real journey.
What is cold process?
There are two ways to make soap, they both involve a lye solution (which causes the chemical reaction to make the soap and does not remain) and oils. Any ‘soap’ that does not use an ingredient to create a chemical reaction, or saponification, is actually just a detergent.
The choice was between hot process and cold process. I did research on both and while hot process was easier and cleaner, I chose cold process. I did this because it was more natural. In the heating process there is more of a chance to lose nutrients in the making of the soap. Cold process heats internally after the soap is in the mold. My reasoning was that if I put good healthy oils and natural ingredients in the soap, they will be in final bar.
A bonus to cold process is that it tends to create a smoother sudsier bar for a great shower feel. It also cures for 6 weeks so it is a harder long lasting bar.
I want to create a bar that is full of as much revitalization that I can, it just takes a little longer.
Why does it take 6 weeks for the soap to be ready?
So the downside of cold process soap is that it takes a bit to cure, but in my life I have found that the better things in life are crafted and take time.
Having a little bit of patience gives a process for the heartiest bar I can make that will last longer. Over time the moisture in the bar evaporates leaving only the condensed oils.
What is the weight of the bars?
This is a trick question. Because the point of curing is that moisture is wicked from the bar, the weight decreases over time. The lighter the better it is for use.
I can tell you the starting weights. The hunks are over 6 ounces, the body bars are 4.5 to 5 ounces, and the face bars are 3.5 to 4 ounces. Time will decrease the weight, but that it is a good thing. That means that the bar will give you good healthy moisture and cleansing for longer than commercial bars.
What is (or isn’t) in it?
As I thought about my personal process I really considered what I wanted to put in my bar. The possibilities are endless, but how do I want to create.
The first ‘rule’ is a big one is that I decided early on that I didn’t want to use palm oil, I didn’t want my skin to benefit from the destruction of other environments. Palm oil makes a good bar, but it isn’t worth deforestation. I’ve played around a bit with recipes and I can find ways to make equally great bars without it.
The second big decision was I really want to only put real things in my soap. There are no preservatives or parabens in anything that I make. I have chosen to stay as far away from anything chemical. I also look to get some of my materials locally sourced. My farmer’s market has become a source of curiosity if I can make soap out of the wares there.
The scent of my soap is from essential oils and not fragrances. Essential oils are pulled from the source and not chemically created. It is a little more costly and a little more limited, but using essential oils allows for additional benefits to be added to a bar.
I’ve always been obsessed with color and in recent years I’ve done some researching on pigments, I am obsessed with the history and effect of natural pigments. The roots of plants, seaweeds, and clays are my source of vibrancy.
I want to stick to only putting natural and beneficial ingredients into my soaps.
What’s coming out next?
Subscribe and find out.