Handcrafting Soap
The Truth About Handcrafted Soap
Also known as “handmade soap” or “homemade soap,” handcrafted soap is a blend of both science and art. By combining the botanical knowledge of over 150 years with the artistic creativity of the soapmaker, each bar is safe, luxurious, and unique. Handcrafted soap is soap in its true and purest form.
Handcrafted soap can be made from scratch using the hot or cold process methods or from buying a pre-made soap base. The Handmade Soap & Cosmetics Guild, which Soap Orchard is a member of, requires any soap product made from a pre-made base, must have at least 50% of the soapmaking process done by hand for the finished product to be considered handmade. At Soap Orchard our soap bar process is 100% handmade!
True soaps are the result of a chemical reaction between vegetable or animal fats, water and lye. (Soap Orchard Handcrafted Soaps use no animal fats whatsoever!) When combined, a chemical reaction occurs which transforms the fats, water and lye into soap and glycerin with no lye remaining in the soap. This reaction is known as “saponification,” which literally means “the making of soap!”
Most handcrafted soapmakers use food-quality, natural ingredients, starting with a variety of vegetable oils, such as olive, palm, coconut, or they may use purified tallow or lard. At Soap Orchard, we are animal-free, and we use seven different fruit, nut, or vegetable oils in our base and specialized oils, nut butter, and seed extracts to bring the best quality to each recipe.
We add fruit juice, puree, essential oils, or plant extracts directly into our batches, along with various botanicals to increase the soap's quality, scent, texture, and naturopathic benefits. For color or texture, we often use cosmetic grade pigments or dyes, botanicals, herbs, spices, or other natural ingredients. For those with sensitive skin, we make a "simple soap" bar with no additives or scents.
Besides all the wonderful ingredients that may be in handcrafted soap, perhaps the most significant advantage of handcrafted soap is in the soapmaker. As a soapmaker, I make sure to invest care and attention to detail into every batch and bar. When you use a bar of our handcrafted soap, you can enjoy the reassurance it is made with the care and personal touch.
Soap Orchard soaps are handcrafted in small batches using natural, plant-derived ingredients and high-quality oils which produce a rich, luxurious lather. They are gently cleansing without stripping moisture from your skin. Unlike most commercial detergent bars that contain animal fats, harsh chemicals, and detergents, the glycerin is preserved in a bar of handcrafted soap. Glycerin - which is a by-product of the natural soap making process, is a natural humectant, attracting moisture to the skin. Our handcrafted soap is soap in its most real, purest, and most natural form.
Glycerin is a natural by-product of the saponification process. It is a humectant, which means that it attracts and retains moisture on your skin. It is like a natural skin lotion already inside the soap. Most commercial soap manufacturers remove the glycerin from the soap, process it, and then sell it to other industries where it is used in pharmaceuticals, foods, cosmetics and other products. With handcrafted soaps, the glycerin remains in the soap resulting in a mild, pure soap that gently cleanses without being harsh, irritating, or drying.
At Soap Orchard, we love what we do and the creative artistry that is involved in handcrafting soaps that are different and unique, offering you the customer a variety of soaps that are not only natural but functional and beautiful as well.
We hope you love them as much as we do!
