Our Method
WHY COLD PROCESS SOAP MAKING?
When it comes to making bar soap from scratch, there are two methods to choose from: hot process or cold process. The difference between the two is in the way each process uses external heat, the time required for saponification and curing, and the finish of the soap (appearance). The hot process method speeds up saponification and “cooks" the soap before it goes into the mold. Additive ingredients are mixed in when making hot process soap, cutting down dramatically on the wait time.
However you won't find any additives in our soap because we don't like cutting corners. That's why we choose cold process only. The cold process method ensures there is no damage to the scent or medicinal properties of the soap we make. This is really important to us, because we make most of our bar soap with a purpose. The ingredients we choose are often used for healing properties or to spotlight a particular scent we've created!
Side note: It is against FDA guidelines for me to claim that my soap will change or alter your appearance or cure an ailment. Therefore, Nature's Embrace Soap Company makes no cosmetic or health claims in that our soap will do anything but do what good old fashioned soap does, get you squeaky clean!
HOW DO WE MAKE OUR COLD PROCESS BAR SOAP?
We make all of our soaps with oils made with natural ingredients. We do not use any stripping agents, drying detergents or fillers. To begin, we heat each base oil and combine them together in a large mixing pot. At which time we then add in any solid natural ingredients if our soap recipe requires them, such as oatmeal, ground clove and many other botanicals and clays. Ingredients are then mixed together methodically and poured into molds.
Once in the mold, the soap must sit for 24 - 36 hours before unmasking. Making bar soap the cold process way relies solely on saponification. While the hot process method relies on a crock pot or oven to cook the soap, the cold process method uses saponification to heat the soap.
WHAT IS SAPONIFICATION?
Saponification is a chemical reaction that occurs when soap is made. Soap is a product that results from mixing an alkali with a triglyceride (vegetable oils). Saponification is a process by which triglycerides are reacted with sodium or potassium hydroxide (lye) to produce glycerol and a fatty acid salt which in turn produce soap.
The process of saponification creates glycerin, which some soap makers remove to sell as an ingredient to be used in other products, such as cosmetics. We, however, keep all the glycerin in our soaps. This is because glycerin is ultra-moisturizing. Glycerin works by attracting moisture to the skin where dryness and irritation often occur. Glycerin is beneficial because it traps in any moisture that might otherwise evaporate.
After 36 hours, the logs of soap are removed from the molds, sliced into rectangles and stamped with our logo because they're still very impressionable at this point. The hand-cut, hand-stamped bars of soap are moved to drying racks where they're left to cure for 6 weeks. During this time, any further saponification take places, making the soap safe for use. The curing process, although long, results in harder, bubblier bars of soap!