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Q & A ...Naturally
What is Handmade Soap?
Handmade soap has little to do with store bought soap. True soap is fundamentaly made of just two ingredients...fat and lye. From there it is the soapmakers knowledge and skill which determines the added luxurious nutrients. The fat and lye are mixed together at the temperature most favorable for initiating the soapmaking reaction, which is called saponification. It is a chemical reaction: the ingredients come in contact with one another, mingle, interact and turn into a new product which is a combination of soap and glycerine. In manufactured soaps, the glycerine is removed and sold separatly because of its commercial value in other industries. Replacing the natural glycerine is added detergents, chemical hardeners, and synthetic stabilizers. None of which are healthy for your skin. Handmade soap retains it's natural glycerine, making it all the more beneficial to use. Glycerine is very soothing and moisturizing. Though soap can be made from tallow and lye, Following Seasons recipes use combinations of the finest vegetable and friut oils, nut, seed and grain oils, and exotic butters to make a rich and more sophisticated soap. These soaps are decadent and luxurious; Exquisite fine soaps to use on your skin. Face, Hands and Body!
Does All Soap Contain Lye?
No! A well-made, superfatted soap does not contain lye (sodium hydroxide).
This "old wives tale" started because the alkali, sodium hydroxide, is used in the manufacturing of soap. It is necessary to use a strong alkali as a reagent during saponification. Once saponification is complete, however, you are left only with soap, glycerine and skin-loving superfat.
Soap made in cottages and on farms in earlier American times became known as "lye soap". That term is now derogatory and denotes a harsh soap that would irritate your skin. The old soap earned a bad name because it had an excessive amount of caustic. Weighing and measuring techniques were crude, and knowledge of soap chemistry was elementary or nonexistent.
The true fact is that modern handmade soap, though necessarily made with lye to get true soap, has no lye in the final product. It has all been reacted with the oils to form soap and glycerine.
What is Saponification?
Saponification is the chemical reaction that changes fats and oils into soap and glycerin.
The name saponification literally means "soap making". The root word, "sapo", is Latin for soap. The Italian word for soap is sapone. The Celts called soap saipo, Hungarian szappan, in Turkish sabun, in Spainish jabon, in Dutch sepo, and in French savon. Soap making as an art has its origins in ancient Babylon around 2500 - 2800 BC. However, it was not valued as a cleansing agent, but rather to dress one’s hair or apply as a medicament to wounds.
The oils used in modern handmade soap are carefully chosen by the soap maker for the character they impart to the final soap. Coconut oil creates lots of glycerin, makes big bubbly lather, and is very stable. Olive oil has natural antioxidants and its soap makes a creamier lather. Many other oils can be used, each one for a specific reason.
Will Handmade Soap be Gentle to My Skin?
Yes! The reason Real Handmade Soap is gentle to the skin is because of the glycerin content. Glycerin is a natural by-product of the soapmaking process.Commercial manufacturers remove it because it "gums" up the milling machines and because it is a valuable commodity that can be sold to the cosmetic and other industries. Real Handmade Soapmakers do not remove the glycerin because glycerin is a "humectant" which is a category of substances that attracts moisture. What this means to you is that soap with glycerin actually moisturizes your skin. Soap without glycerin dries it out. Glycerin is also what creates the lovely, silky feel that people typically associate with Real Handmade Soap.
I Want Glycerine Soap...
If it is Real Handmade Soap then it has glycerin because glycerin is a natural by-product of the soapmaking process. However, glycerin “bars” typical of the type manufacturers produce are drying for your skin. A fine balance of soap and glycerin is ideal for skin care. A knowledgeable and skilled soapmaker creates the perfect balance of soap and glycerin while maintaining a superfatted and nutrient enriched, gentle cleansing soap.
How To Use Soap!
There was a time when a bar of soap was a most luxurious oddity. Soap might be sent cross-continent as a gift of goodwill from one influential party to another. In the late seventeenth century a German princess received a present of soap from an Italian emissary, accompanied by a detailed description of how it was to be used.
Here, I offer some of my own advice.
How long your soap lasts is determined by the degree to which it is subjected to water. If you hold the soap under the tap, it will not last as long as you may wish. Instead, you should wet your hands, rub them about the dry bar of soap, return the soap to the soap dish, work up a lather, wash, and rinse. Repeat as often as desired. Admittedly, I find indulging my skin directly with the damp soap bar, using several fragrances during a single cleansing treatment, to be of particular delight.
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