A Bit About Cold Process Soap Making:
The Splendid Sudsery prides itself on using fresh, high quality ingredients. We make our delectable soaps using the cold process method. In cold process soap, sodium hydroxide (lye) is mixed with fats. Fats can be animal fats such as lard and tallow or plant fats such as oils including coconut, olive, and avocado oils among many others and/or butters such as shea and cocoa butters. When lye is mixed with fats a chemical reaction called saponification takes place. Once saponification occurs and the soap hardens, the soaps can be unmolded and cut. Unmolded soaps then need to cure for a minimum of 4-6 weeks. During this time water evaporates out and hardens the bars. Besides lye and fats, other additives may be incorporated to help achieve unique and splendid bars.
First and Foremost lets talk about Lye (Sodium Hydroxide):
Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) also known as lye is a vital ingredient in the soap-making process, real soap can not be made without lye. When mixed with fats, lye creates a chemical reaction known as saponification which creates soap. We add extra fats to our product in a process called superfatting to make sure no lye remains in the final product of our soaps. There is no lye in the bars of soap you purchase.
Most Common Fats Used in Splendid Suds:
Coconut Oil: Coconut oil provides strong cleansing properties to soap and produces large, fluffy bubbles.
Shea Butter: Shea butter feels luxurious and moisturizing on the skin. It helps to produce a creamy stable lather. It also helps create a hard, longer lasting bar of soap.
Olive Oil: This is a staple in cold-process recipes. It’s a thick oil that provides slip and conditioning properties, but does not provide much of a lather.
Cocoa Butter: Cocoa butter has a cocoa flavor and aroma. Our naked bars, which have no additional scents or colors added, will smell a bit like chocolate due to the unrefined cocoa butter we use.
Castor Oil: Castor oil is a thick multi-purpose vegetable oil. It draws moisture to the skin and creates a strong, stable lather.
Avocado Oil: Avocado oil is high in vitamin E and other vitamins and minerals making it a great addition to facial bars or bars for elder skin.
Sunflower Oil: This oil is rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin E. It produces a conditioning lather.
Most Commonly Used Soap Additives in Splendid Suds:
Aloe Vera Juice: This is added to some soap in place of distilled water. The polyphenols, along with several other compounds in aloe vera, help inhibit the growth of certain bacteria that can cause infections in humans. Aloe vera is known for its antibacterial, antiviral, and antiseptic properties. This is part of why it may help heal wounds and treat skin problems.
Activated Charcoal: Activated charcoal is a very fine dark black powder that’s produced by processing carbon-rich items such as bamboo, coal, or coconut shells at high temperatures. It has absorbent properties that help pull impurities from the skin.
Coffee and Coffee Grounds: Caffeine in coffee may reduce the appearance of skin imperfections by brightening the overall skin tone. The texture of coffee grounds is exfoliating and helps to scrub away dead skin cells.
Titanium Dioxide: Also called titania, (TiO2), a white, opaque, naturally occurring mineral used for coloring soap.
Micas: Micas are a powder colorant that usually contains a slight to intense shimmer. In geology, mica refers to a group of metamorphic minerals. Micas come in many different forms due to the wide array of ways in which they can form within the earth. Whether micas are “all-natural” is debatable, as some have added colorants – also, the term “natural” is unregulated and often up for interpretation. We only use skin safe, ethically sourced micas.
Fragrance/Essential Oils: We use both phthalate free Fragrance Oils and Essential Oils to add scent to our soap. Our Earthy line is just essential oils, no Fragrance Oils and our Naked line has no added scents. Usage guidelines are followed for safe skin applications (IRFA guideline recommendations are followed).
Kaolin Clay: A cosmetic clay rich in silica and with a neutral PH. It’s a mild clay and can be used safely on all skin types. Kaolin clay is a very effective skin cleanser, helping to slough away dead skin cells and absorbing impurities from the pores. There are several types and colors of Kaolin Clay. We use Kaolin Clay in most of our scented bars because it can help anchor the scent and help the bars maintain their scent longer.
French Clay: French Green Clay helps to absorb toxins that get trapped in the skin.
Oatmeal: The saponins found in oats work as a natural exfoliant, removing dirt and oil from the pores.
Honey: The sugar in honey adds to the sweet smell and helps create a more bubbly lather. Honey is a humectant, which means it has moisturizing properties.
Pine Tar: High temperature carbonization of pine wood produces a resin that is called pine tar. Pine tar adds a blackish - grey color to soaps. It has properties that help to detox skin. Similar to activated charcoal, pine tar pulls impurities to the skin’s surface and soap washes them away.
Herbs and Spices and other plant material: Herbs and spices maybe used to add color, exfoliating and/ or other properties to the soap. Some examples are Turmeric, paprika, and cocoa powder for colorants and poppy seeds, crushed nut shells for exfoliants.