Since we have many new customers I thought I'd tell a little bit about our soaps.
Our typical bar of soap contains the following ingredients: olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable shortening/lard and castor oil. We use these ingredients because together, they make a great lather, lots of bubbles, moisturize well and they are suitable for most skin types. The properties these oils have in soap are:
Olive oil: rich in vitamin E and antioxidants, thick and moisturizing, mild.
Coconut oil: abundant lather, fluffy, large bubbles, high cleansing, hard bar.
Vegetable shortening/lard: mild, moisturizing, gives soap a low, creamy lather.
Castor oil: suspends lather made by coconut oil.
The oils and fats we use are food grade and when possible, we purchase organic. In our special soaps we use more "fancy" oils such as avocado oil, jojoba oil, rice bran oil, shea butter, cocoa butter and sweet almond. The properties of these oils are:
Avocado oil: medium lather, mild cleansing, high in vitamin E and other vitamins and minerals, great for facial bars or elder skin.
Jojoba oil: good for stabilizing soap.
Rice bran oil: medium lather, mild cleansing, gives soap a sheen making it look less dull.
Shea butter: mild, stabilizing, lotion-like lather, long-lasting bar, moisturizing.
Cocoa butter: mild, stabilizing, lotion-like lather, hard long-lasting bar.
Sweet almond oil: medium lather, mild cleansing.
We also use sodium hydroxide. Once the oils have saponified there are NO traces of lye in our soap. No soap can be made without lye. The definition of saponify is to turn fat/oil into soap by reaction with an alkali. Once we have mixed the melted oils and lye together, it starts to saponify. Then we cook it over low heat for 30-45 mins till it becomes soap. We put it into a mold and let it sit for 24 hours. Next we cut it into bars and let them sit for a week or two to harden and to make sure there are no traces of lye left. That's when it's ready for purchase!
What's your favourite bar?
