Cold Process Soaps - art of soapmaking

The world of soap is a fascinating one! There are many different kinds of soap, and many different ways to make them but here earthscent's Soap Company our bars of soap are made using the ‘cold process’. We combine exact quantities natural plant oils such as; palm, olive and coconut with a lye and water solution, warmed with exacting time and temperature to craft our soap. It is the careful blending of these oils, a mild acid, with lye water, an alkaline, that transforms these normally opposing ingredients into soap.

With constant stirring this mixture of oils and lye water solution gradually thickens as it begins to transform. Towards the end of this mixing period we add fragrances and color. Once the mixture has thickened to the right consistency it is poured into individual molds for the coconut soaps or into large square box forms for our gourmet soaps. Not long after being poured into forms this mixture of oils and lye water begin to transform, in a natural chemical reaction called saponification. This style of soap making is known as “cold-process” as it is not necessary to “cook” the mixture. The heat generated from the natural chemical reaction is enough to provoke the transformation.

This basically means when we make make soap we allow the natural chemical reaction between the base and acid to take place, without adding heat. When the mixture is ready it’s poured into wooden molds and later cut by hand into bars. These bars must then be left to dry (or cure) for six weeks before they can be sold.

It’s a pretty time consuming affair! However the benefits of slowing down are you get great smelling natural soap that cleans as well as moisturizes. Definitely worth it!

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