Cold Process Soap and how to care for it

Cold process soap making is the original, traditional method of making soap by combining fat or oil (animal or plant based) with sodium hydroxide lye then blending in addition of essential oils and colorants as required. This treatment causes a chemical reaction called saponification which takes up to 48 hours. After Saponifacation, all of the Lye used to make the soap is gone and is no longer considered to be an ingredient. 

Cold process soap needs to cure for 4-6 weeks. That allows excess water to evaporate, which creates harder bars that last longer in the shower.  

How do you care for  your Cold Process Soap?

Dodge

Avoid leaving your bars in the direct stream of water. This will mean the bar is getting used up, only to go straight down the drain.

Ideally, you want to store your bars on a shower rack that’s far enough away from the shower head. You can place our bamboo soap rack on your shower shelf or a spot that’s far enough away from the stream, to drain excess water after usage.

Drain

If you’ve ever left a damp soap bar on a countertop before, you’ll know the slimy mess it can create. After your shower, allow the water to drain to avoid creating a swamp. Soap dishes are the obvious choice, but they’re not all created equally. Choose one that’s designed with drainage in mind. 

For quicker drainage you can hang up your soap bars in a mesh bag, such as our Soap Saver Bag.

Dry

In a steamy bathroom, you might find your bars never get dry when they’re sat out. We recommend giving them a break from the humidity in an airtight container or cupboard. I rotate my soaps about every three days, I test a lot of soap!! 

The most sustainable container is one you already own. To re-purpose an airtight container, you can chop our Soap Lift to the right size and put it inside so your bars stay dry.