Cold Process Soaps
We care about the health of our customer & our planet. For this reason, 'Soap Melodies' aims to be operating sustainably and ethically at every level.
What exactly is Soap?
'Soap' is made of 3 ingredients - Oils, Lye & Water!
When the fatty acids in Oils, combine with Lye (Sodium Hydroxide), they react to form 'Soap'. This reaction is known as 'Saponification'.
Pure soap contains saponified oils and nothing else! Once the oils are 'saponified' and Soap is made, there is no Lye/Sodium Hydroxide left in the soap (it has reacted with the oils and created soap).
'Soap Making' is an Art but at it's core, it is a Science! It is 'Chemistry'!! Soaps are made by various techniques - melt and pour, hot process and cold process.
We use the traditional 'Cold Process' method which produces a highly nourishing bar of soap.
Cold-processed soap is naturally saponified at room temperature without added detergents.
The absence of heat helps preserve the essential oils and ingredients, keeping their natural benefits intact. This traditional method results in a gentle, long-lasting bar of soap.
The by-product of cold process soap is naturally produced 'Glycerin' which stays in the soap & moisturizes your skin when you use it (commercial soaps lack glycerin in their soap because it is extracted and sold to the cosmetic industry).
Why Cold Process ?
There is a soap for every season and every skin type! The type of soap made depends on the type and quantity of oils used.
For example, a soap made with a high amount of 'Hard Oils' such as Coconut Oil lathers well and produces a long lasting, hard bar of soap with high cleansing ability which maybe good for humid summer weather but can be very drying to the skin. In contrast, a soap made with higher amount of 'Soft Oils' such as Rice Bran Oil can be conditioning to the skin and perfect for dry, winter skin but may not lather well or may produce a very soft bar of soap.
At 'Soap Melodies' we create nourishing soap recipes with the 'Right Balance' of different oils and plant based butters (cocoa, shea) to produce high cleansing, conditioning and nourishing bars of soap (please see the 'Ingredients' page to learn more).
Once the recipe is finalized, we combine the oils with Lye to start the 'Saponification' reaction. To this 'soap batter', we add our colorants, herbs, fruit or veggie purees, dried flower petals, milks, sugar or salt and fragrances to create a luxurious, aromatic soap bar.
These soaps are left to 'cure' for 4-6 weeks (water evaporates to harden the bars) before they are ready for our 'Shop'.