Lye Soap

Our pioneer forebearers made soap by leeching water through fireplace ashes to obtain a lye-water solution, and rendered animal fat to saponify with the lye. I have seen this demonstrated at the Museum of Appalachia’s annual Fall Homecoming, at which we exhibit pottery making and sell our pottery and soaps. Occasionally fire-ash soap makers would get more lye than they expected or would add too little fat, and the result would be a harsh, caustic soap that was hard on the skin. And of course if they didn’t have enough lye to saponify all the fat, the soap would come out mushy.

Also, any fat can be used for soap making, including animal fat. In Vicksburg, Mississippi, during the Federal siege of the town, residents used Chinaberries and fire ashes to make soap; we found their recipe in a book. Rendered beef fat and lard are traditional ingredients of the old-style soap. Homesteaders who needed soap and had fat left over from processing animals for food could not afford to throw away that fat; instead, they used it to make a valuable commodity—soap. And of course different fats have different saponification values; that is, they require, ounce for ounce, different amounts of lye to saponify them. Because of the inexactness of making soap this traditional way, lye soap was a little bit hit or miss, and it developed a somewhat negative reputation

The reality of soap making is that all soap is made with lye or some other caustic chemical. The only difference between the traditionally hand-crafted lye soaps and the commercial soap many people prefer is that the commercial product is made scientifically and empirically. Chemists formulated the recipe for the commercial product and devised the processes by which that soap is made. Quality control measures are employed after manufacture, so that soap that is not at an acceptable pH, or is too hard or too soft, is not packaged and sold. Most of the soap you buy in the store is made with animal fat, usually beef or pork. And if the label reads, Bath Bar, then it’s not soap at all, but detergent.

Cold Process Soaps. The soaps we make and sell are made very much the traditional way, except that we do it scientifically: We mix lye with water, which is then mixed with oils. We add essential oils and colorants late in the process, then pour the mixture into a wooden mold to set up. Then we age the soap until its pH is just right for gently cleaning your skin. We never label and sell any soap that has not been tested for proper consistency and pH.

What really sets our soap apart from others is its quality. We use consistently formulated and carefully measured ingredients of only the highest quality: premium oils such as olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter and shea butter (called butter because they are normally not liquid at room temperature). Unlike commercial soaps, there is no animal fat in ours. To enhance the soap's skin soothing properties, just before the soap "traces" we add vitamin E, which is an antioxidant. The vitamin E protects the soap from oxidation, and transfers its antioxidant effects to your skin when you wash with our soap. Instead of the fragrances used in most commercial soaps, we use almost exclusively the more expensive but much nicer essential oils. In some of our soaps we add exfoliants like ground oatmeal, for a gentle scouring and freshening of your skin. We often top our soap with flower petals, and/or use a multi-color marbling effect as we make our soaps. The effect of all the things we do as we make our soaps is that they engage many of your senses. Visual appeal, good feel, and wonderful scents combine to create an experience that is way beyond simply washing. We age the soap for about a month, until our pH tests show that the soap is fully matured and in the gentle-to-the-skin range. When we started making soap, we made it our goal to make the best soap anyone can buy. And if the reactions of our customers are a reliable indicator, we consistently reach that goal.

The soaps shown on the Cold Process Soaps page are soaps we make regularly and they are usually in stock. They are varieties that our customers want. Our bars are large enough that some people cut them in half with a sharp knife. We make 24 bars of soap out of eight pounds of ingredients, so the soaps average a third of a pound (Because we hand cut the soap there is a very slight variation in size.).

Customization. We make soap because we like to, and also because we believe people want personalized service and personalized products. A hand made soap of high quality is something many people appreciate in our mass-production economy. It is something that they can use as a reference point in staying grounded in their traditional values. For this reason, we are happy to respond to our customers’ requests for customized products.

Accordingly, we are glad to make our soaps in any color or scent you desire. Please realize soap must mature at least 30 days before it can be shipped. Also, if you want soap of an unusual color or scent, we will need a minimum order of ten bars—the minimum amount of soap sold out of a small batch that will recover our costs. We can make soap in almost any color, and can add exfoliants like oatmeal, or scouring substances like ground pumice (which we usually do not use). We can also make the soap in almost any scent. Click here for a list of essential oil and fragrance scents. If you don’t see the scent you want, that does not mean we cannot do it for you; we may simply have to find the scent you want or create it by blending different essential oils. Our chai tea soap, for example, is made from a blend of essential oils. We looked at the ingredients in chai tea, then systematically worked out the proportions of the chai ingredients’ essential oils until we got the chai scent right.

We make it a point to be always learning about soap making. As we have learned, we have incorporated our new learning into what we do--that is the only way we can be sure we are still making the highest quality soap available. So please check back with us from time to time to see what we have learned. And please, if you have something you want to teach us about soap making, don't hesitate to contact us. Oh, one more thing: Enjoy your soap!"