Soap Facts...

The making of soap is actually just Chemistry 101. Soap is a cleansing agent made from the chemical reaction of oils and fats with an alkali [sodium hydroxide- also known as lye] to produce a solid bar of soap. Soap cannot be made without using lye. When made correctly, no lye will remain in the bar of glycerin rich soap. 

                             *Here are some saturated fats such as coconut 

                                           oil,  palm oil, cocoa butter & shea butter.

                                   **Some unsaturated fats include

                                                    olive, castor, sunflower oils.

Once the fats are mixed with the lye, a chemical reaction begins to happen.   This is called saponification. - the chemical reaction that makes soap. This chemical reaction gives off heat- so much that the soap mixture will retain enough heat to create what's called a "gel stage." The soap mixture will get so hot that it almost liquefies and turns translucent. It really does look like a gel.

                                               ***This is some soap in one of our molds
                                                during the gel stage.




Some soap mixtures get hotter than others. If your recipe includes alcohol or sugar, it can overheat. This is something we've found out the hard way. We used beer and put honey in all our first soap batches. We've learned alot about making soap over the last few months. We continue to work on getting our recipes just right and testing them out on ourselves, family members and gullible friends.  

This is just a brief summary of some soap facts we've gathered so far. Oh- and the handmade soaps like the soap we make contains natural glycerin. The commercially produced soap has had the glycerin removed and used or sold elsewhere! That is one of the reasons why handmade soap is so good for your skin. The extra glycerin helps retain moisture.   

Thanks for your interest and we'll keep you posted on our progress. Smell you later!