Let's Talk Soap

We make soap here.  For a few years I wanted to make homemade soap but was afraid to handle the lye used to make cold process soaps. A friend that made soap graciously offered for me to come over and make some with her.  Since then we have been trying all kinds.  It can be a lot of fun coming up with new ideas and trying them out. In keeping with our philosophy about natural ingredients, we only use essential oils and botanicals in our soaps including 100% of the liquid portion being Goats milk from our hard working girls in the barnyard. We only make soap the cold process way...not hot process and not melt and pour. I guess because melt and pour isn't as creative and the cold process way works and I haven't been interested in learning another way, yet.

What is Cold Process?  It is close to the process our great grandmother's used when making soap on the homestead.  Instead of using wood ash we use lye and instead of saving the leftover grease from cooking we have many choices of oil to use.

Here is a definition of Cold process from The Soap Queen site:

 COLD PROCESS: Cold Process soapmaking is the act of mixing fixed oils (common oils include Olive, Coconut and Palm) with an alkali (Sodium Hydroxide or Lye). The result is a chemical process called saponification, where the composition of the oils change with the help of the lye to create a bar of soap. One of the main benefits of cold process soapmaking is having complete control over ingredients. Depending on the ingredients you use, cold process soapmaking typically yields a long-lasting bar of soap. A downfall is that due to the chemical process, there are serious safety considerations to take into account and not all fragrance oils, essential oils, and colorants survive in cold process, thus limiting design options. Plus, patience is a virtue as this process involves a 4-6 week curing time.

People are concerned when they see that lye is used in soap making.  If you  had chemistry class in high school you will remember that when you mix a base with an acid, you form a neutral. This is exactly what happens in the soap making reaction. The base (lye) mixes with the acid (oil or fat) to form a neutral (the soap). So during the saponification  process the lye is converted and becomes inert in the bar of soap.  Actually this reaction produces glycerin which is wonderful, moisturizing, and mild on your skin.

Soap can be used after a few days since the saponification process is complete but it will not be very hard and will not last long unless it is allowed to cure for 4-6 weeks. The longer the bar cures, the harder it will become due to the liquids evaporating.  The harder the bar, the longer it lasts.  Next time you purchase homemade soap you might want to ask how long it has been curing so you know whether to go home a use it or let it sit for a little longer. 

I take the trimming from our soap and re-batch them to make what is called a hand-milled soap.  I put the in a crockpot with a little water and warm them up enough to pour them into soap mold. Let it cool and cut bars.




 This is a container with the trimmings.








I'm glad I finally got the courage to make soap, our family will never go back to the chemical ladden soap in the soap aisle. We have soaps for sale on our website at www.raisinacresfarm.com if you don't have time to make your own.  If you have been on the fence, you can do it. If you do it you (and your skin) will never be the same again.