What is cold process soap?

Soap has been made for many centuries and cold process soap follows a very similar process to those used throughout history.  Traditionally, animal fats were combined with lye made from wood ashes to produce soap.  Cold process soap uses oils and butters selected for their specific properties.  These are melted together and combined with a solution of water and sodium hydroxide.  Some people are alarmed when they hear that sodium hydroxide is used to make soap, however, it is impossible to make true soap without this and there is none left in the final soap product.  This changes the composition of the fatty acids in the oils and butters through a process called saponification.  They are no longer fats and are now soap! Cold process soap requires 4-6 weeks curing time.  During this time, it is losing the water added during production and forming crystalline structures which make for a good hard bar of soap.

Cold process soap allows for gentle cleansing.  When the fatty acids are broken down, they form chains – one end that is oil loving and catches dirt, the other that is water loving and helps the dirt wash away. The mainstream bars you find in the supermarket and chemist are not actually soap and are in fact synthetic detergent bars.  This is because the natural glycerine (moisturiser) is actually removed and used in other products, like lotions and creams.  Synthetic chemicals are added to these detergent bars to cleanse the skin.  These bars cannot be called “soap” and this is why they are often called “beauty bars”.  They tend to strip the skin of all natural oils and often contain petroleum based chemicals and fragrances that can irritate the skin and be harmful over time. Cold process soap contains the naturally occurring glycerine which is much kinder to the skin.

Our soaps are entirely natural.  This means that the final product contains NO synthetic ingredients.  We use only the finest botanicals, clays and essential oils to make our bars as eco friendly and gentle as possible.