Ever wondered what actually goes into a handcrafted bar of soap? We walk you through our cold process method from start to finish.
Cold process is one of the oldest and most traditional ways to make soap. Unlike commercial manufacturing — which strips out glycerin and uses detergent-based formulas — cold process soap is made by combining oils and lye (sodium hydroxide) in a reaction called saponification.
The "cold" in cold process doesn't mean we use cold temperatures. It means we don't apply external heat during the mixing process. The chemical reaction between the oils and lye generates its own heat naturally.
It starts with choosing our oils. For most of our bars we use a combination of olive oil, coconut oil, and shea butter. Each oil brings something different: olive oil is conditioning and gentle, coconut oil creates a hard bar with a bubbly lather, and shea butter adds extra moisture.
We mix our lye with water separately — this step gets hot quickly, so it's handled carefully and left to cool. Once both the oils and lye solution are at the right temperature, we combine them.
Using a stick blender, we mix until the batch reaches "trace" — the point where the soap has emulsified and holds a trail when dripped across the surface. This is when we add essential oils, botanicals, clays, or anything else that makes each bar unique.
After pouring into molds, the soap sits undisturbed for 24–48 hours. Then it's unmolded, cut into bars, and left to cure on open-air racks for 4 to 6 weeks.
Curing matters. During this time, excess water evaporates and the bars harden. A well-cured bar lasts significantly longer in the shower and feels gentler on skin. We never rush this step.
The result is a bar that retains all of its natural glycerin — a byproduct of saponification that's a wonderful skin moisturizer. Commercial soap manufacturers typically remove the glycerin to sell separately. In our bars, it stays right where it belongs.
Every bar takes time and attention. That's exactly how we like it.