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Soap Curing Process



It is said that “good things come to those who wait” and in the case of soap, this is true as well! We make our soap in small batches of six each using the cold process method of soap making (as opposed to the hot process method). Cold process just means that the soap generates its own heat to cause the chemical reaction that result in soap. Using high quality ingredients from all over the world, our final soap is also high quality and gives the best performance to you and your family.

Our soap loaves are big! They weigh in at two pounds and they are left to cure as whole loaves for weeks after being made. During the first two weeks, the saponification, which is simply the name for the chemical reaction taking place, is completed and the sodium hydroxide is broken down and released at this point.

Sodium hydroxide, also called lye, is required to make soap of all forms. Historically it was made from rain water and ashes and was very unpredictable. If an egg could float in it, it was ready to use! In the late 1700’s and again in the early 1800’s several discoveries were made- a way to make soap using sodium hydroxide that was easily produced was discovered in France and the chemical equation for sodium hydroxide. Before that, soap was expensive and most people had to resort to their own methods of soap making. To this day, there have really been no new discoveries and soap is made much as it was then and it still has to be mixed a certain way and cured. In our society, many people do not understand the waiting process and so it can also teach a lesson about patience as well!

In our handmade goat milk soap, we use also, Oatmeal, almonds, herbs and wholesome ingredients. These are cured in the soap along with the soap itself, as well as goat milk, so that the end product requires no preservatives or chemicals. It is a breath of fresh air in our chemical laden world!

The curing process allows for excess moisture to also evaporate and the soap actually shrinks during this time as well as hardens. The result is a longer lasting soap with frothy bubbles. The bubbles soap produces are also dependent on the oils used to make it. Olive oil does not make many bubbles, but we add a bit of coconut oil to increase the lather.

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