You won’t regret making the switch to cold process soap. Actually, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner! Before we jump into the 16 benefits, I’ll explain what cold process soap is and why it’s different from store bought “soaps”.
What is Cold Process Soap?
Cold Process soap is a traditional, handcrafted soap made by mixing fats/oils with sodium hydroxide (lye) at room temperature. When fats/oils are mixed with lye it triggers saponification. Saponification is the chemical reaction between a fat or oil (triglycerides) and a strong alkali (like sodium hydroxide Lye) to produce soap and glycerin. This is a reaction at the molecular level.
Every oil used in soap making has a saponification value (SAP), but this is an average value and can vary from batch to batch of the same oil. Remember oils and fats are a product of farming and different soil conditions, sun, water amounts, can change the finished product. Because of this soap makers add a buffer to their soap called a superfat-they add extra oils/fats to ensure all the lye is used up. This results in left over oils/fats in the bar that add to the slip (the lubricating feel) of the soap and its moisturizing abilities. Just to clarify a soap can’t moisturize your skin like a lotion can, but it can prevent your skin from drying out, that’s what I mean by moisturizer.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let's jump into the benefits of using cold process soap!
16 Benefits of Cold Process Soap
1) All Natural Clean Ingredients
Cold processed soap is made using natural oils, Fats & butters, water, and sodium hydroxide (Lye). Lye might sound scary, but it reacts on a molecular level with the oils, fats, and butters in the recipe to create soap. There’s no lye in the finished bar. Common ingredients in cold processed soap include Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Grass Fed Beef Tallow, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Castor oil, and more. These are combined to formulate nourishing recipes that are PH balanced to benefit your skin. Cold process soap is free from synthetic preservatives and detergents, making it a better choice for skin health.
2. 2) Environmentally Friendly
When soap makers make cold processed soap, no harmful chemicals are released into our waterways. The ingredients are clean and natural and they break down so there’s no harmful side effects to making this soap.
3) Rich in Glycerin
Cold process soap contains glycerin, a natural by-product of soap making that is removed from store bought “soap” bars. Glycerin acts as a powerful humectant. That means glycerin draws moisture from the air and attracts it to the skin, making handmade soap moisturizing compared to commercial soaps. Having glycerin in a soap bar is beneficial to the skin because of its humectant properties.
4) Long lasting
Cold Process soap gets better over time. It cured for 4-6 weeks before it’s made available for sale. During this cure time the soap gets harder as the water evaporates and then its suitable enough for sale. But the older the soap gets the harder it gets and the longer it lasts. So if you buy multiple bars at a time and store the bars you aren’t using, they will continue to harden as they wait. It’s like a good wine, it ages well but it does have a limit to how long it can sit. Because cold process soap has superfat (see #7) the soap won’t keep forever. Most soap makers advise to use their soap within two years because the free-floating oils in the soap run the risk of going rancid.
5) Therapeutic Benefits
The therapeutic benefits of cold process soap will vary from bar to bar based on the recipe. There are two main benefits, aromatherapy, and skin benefits. At Hen Valley Soap we only use essential oils in our soaps, some soap makers use fragrance oils which are synthetic fragrances. All the essential oils we use have aromatherapy benefits, and they vary by oil: soothing, calming, awakening, centering, grounding, your shower experience can vary depending on the essential oil in your soap. While essential oils can also add skin benefits like anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, soothing, the different oils and butters left over in the superfat also add skin nourishing benefits. '
6) Support Small Business
Cold process soap is a small business affair! Your soap maker could still be making their soap in their kitchen (like I do) or they could have upgraded to a workshop. Whatever the soap making spaces size this is a small business. There’s no CEO, it’s a small operation with one or a few employees. You’re supporting someone’s dream and their hard work.
7) Superfat
Superfat is a % of oils, butters, and fats that do not go through the saponification process and are left over in the soap. These oils ensure the soap leaves a little something behind rather than stripping the moisture out of your skin. This is something store bought “soaps” liquid or solid do not have. I keep emphasising “soap” when talking about store bought soaps because they aren’t real soap anymore. They are made with synthetic detergents and can be very stripping on the skin.
8) Individual Expression
With cold process soap the sky is the limit! You don’t have to stick to one soap maker, you can explore and find different soaps that compliment your style and decor. You have a huge variety at your fingertips!
9) Low Waste
Cold process soap packaging is very minimal. In some cases the bars are wrapped in plastic, this helps the bars retain their scent longer, especially when using essential oils because the cent does fade over time. The creation process of cold process soap leaves empty containers that are recyclable.
10) Plastic Free
Chances are if you’re thinking of making the switch to cold process soap you’re currently using plastic pump bottles with liquid soap in them. You’re also using a plastic shower puff to apply that runny soap. With cold process soap you get a wood soap dish to preserve your soap and you can apply it directly to the skin. Or you can use a sisal (natural fibre) soap saver bag, a loofah (which is a veggie originally), or a washcloth that you probably already own. The entire process of using cold process soap is plastic free. It’s healthier for you, our waterways, and the planet.
11) Locally Sourced Ingredients
When I make grass fed beef tallow soap, the suet (that I turn into tallow) is local to me. My olive oil, coconut oil, distilled water and Lye are all purchased locally. The only thing I can’t source locally because I‘m in a small town is shea butter, cocoa butter, and castor oil. All my soap making supplies were sourced locally by shopping or thrifting. The only thing I had to ship in were some of my molds and my soap cutter. My local economy benefits because I shop local to make my products.
12) Vegan Recipes
Cold process soap is vegan friendly unless the recipe has added honey or is made using tallow. You don’t need to be vegan to appreciate the skin benefits of simple ingredients that are cleansing and nourishing. Vegan is a smaller footprint on our planet.
13) Fragrance Free Options
Fragrance free options in a world of synthetic fragrances are so hard to find! This is sensitive skin, young skin, and aging skin friendly. It’s nice to give our senses a break in this over stimulated world. The sensory break of no added fragrance lets you appreciate the raw organic smell of the ingredients in your soap.
14) Smaller Carbon Footprint
Cold process soap is locally made and locally sold. The ingredients don’t travel as much, as previously mentioned, for a basic soap recipe, everything can be bought at the grocery store and hardware store. Any travelling a cold process soap does to get to you is minimal compared to the carbon footprint of a large-scale manufacturer who has to source raw ingredients, have them shipped to their making facility, then shipped to distributors, then shipped to stores.
15) Handmade in Small Batches
A lot of care, focus and concentration goes into making soap. Soap can have a mind of its own so recipes have to be followed precisely and a soap maker must be in-the-moment to react to any unexpected changes in the soap batter. This is handmade with the help of an emersion blender. There’s a lot of care and none of the process is automated. Quality control is instant because if something doesn’t work out the batch gets scrapped because we want what’s best for your skin and ours.
16) Artisanal Beauty
You get something unique! No soap bottle or store-bought detergent bar comes close to the beauty of a cold process soap bar. Cold Process soap is art for the hands and body. I’ve had a customer tell me that she didn’t think she could use them [my soap] because they are so pretty. But life’s too short not to use the pretty soap!
Conclusion
I hope this blog post has convinced you to try cold process soap. There are SOOOOOO many benefits and the cost to try is so minimal. At Hen Valley soap I’ve got the soap for you and the tools you’ll need to make your soap last longer, like our slotted bamboo soap dish and sisal soap saver bags. What are you waiting for? Give Cold Process Soap a try!
Best Wishes
Nancy
