How We Make Handmade Soap - Country Rose Soap

How we make our Handmade Soap at Country Rose Soap Company ...

Our History of Handmade Soap

In 1994 I started making my own handmade soap as commercial soap always gave me a rash, left my skin dry and itchy with bouts of eczema.

Back then there was very little information or recipes for making handmade soap. My husband still laughs at how proud I was when I finally produced a tiny perfect block with my own formula. I was immediately “hooked” as the handmade soap process was intriguing to me. Making my own from scratch with quality natural ingredients was very important and rewarding for me. I still use this “cold process” method producing small batches of handmade soap although on a slightly larger scale.

It’s a terrific feeling – washing your face for the first time with handmade soap you have made yourself. Kind and gentle, richly lathered, handmade soap cleanses without drying, leaving sensitive and allergy-prone skin feeling wonderfully moisturized, luxuriously soft and smooth, and beautifully scented.

What is Soap?

Soap is water, lye and fats (oils). When a lye and water solution is mixed with fats the chemical reaction called “saponification” takes place – the reaction of hydrogen, oxygen, sodium and fatty acid molecules. The end result is made up of about 3 parts soap and 1 part glycerin. Properly made handmade soap has no lye left in it but cannot be made without it. Our ancestors made up a weak lye solution from wood ash to produce their handmade soap.

Glycerin – a rich emollient prized for its ability to moisturize the skin is retained in handmade soap but is extracted in commercial soap as a valuable by-product, leaving the hard, drying bars of soap sold commercially.

Handmade soap on the other hand is rich, moisturizing, soothes and softens the skin. I have spent years perfecting my various formulas utilizing added natural emollients such as jojoba oil, shea butter, our own organic infused herbal oils, cocoa butter, castor oil and goatsmilk along with olive oil, coconut and palm oils. Olive oil makes the gentlest, mildest handmade soap and I use this wonderful oil in abundance. Coconut oil produces a rich creamy lather and enhances hardness. Palm oil makes for a mild soap with a long-lasting lather and also enhances the final hardness.

Not all handmade soaps are created equal. The percentages of oils used are extremely important to produce a mild and gentle soap. I have never scrimped on the more expensive ingredients to increase my bottom line as the quality of my handmade soap is of utmost importance to me along with using only all natural ingredients. The maximum amount of true essential oils is used – never do I use synthetic fragrances even though the cost of the essential oils can be quite exorbitant. I also use my own rosewater, organic herbs and flowers all grown in our own organic gardens.

How Country Rose Soap Company Was Born

Once I mastered producing small blocks of handmade soap I spent months experimenting with my own formulas to create larger slabs. Not only did my family and I enjoy the rich moisturizing qualities of these bars but now my friends and relatives wanted some too. Thus, Country Rose Soap Co was born taking its name from our 150 shrub rose collection.

Through months of trial and error, and experimentation I finally was able to produce quantities large enough to take me to the next level of marketing my handmade soap. My background is in Design and Merchandising and I knew that not only did my soap have to perform well but they also had to be visually appealing. This has been my greatest challenge – creating unique bars with a visual appeal using only natural ingredients. It has also been the most fun.

I have been an avid organic gardener for over 30 years and what better way to enhance my rich handmade soaps with the beneficial use of our own organic herbs and flowers. Not only do they colour the them naturally but they add beneficial qualities as well.

Once cutting my soaps individually by hand became too time consuming, not to mention the fact that it was wearing out my arm, my father built me a wooden cutter. He was so proud of his invention. (being an inventor at heart.) This cutter now allows me to handcut my soap much quicker, accurately and uniformly.

Our Handmade Soap Process – “Cold-Process Method”

	Measuring: All of our handmade soap is made in 32 lb batches. The first step is measuring all ingredients accurately – this is crucial. The fats are melted in a large pot and the lye mixed with water in another container. Once the two have reached the desired temperature the water solution is mixed with the fats and oils.
	Stirring: This mixture is then hand-stirred until “tracing” occurs. (Turns into a thick, viscous mixture.) At this point herbs and clays are thoroughly incorporated in along with true essential oils and various emollients such as jojoba oil, shea butter, etc.
	Pouring: Many of my handmade soaps are poured into separate bowls at this point to produce various colours and textures. The main colour is then poured into my wooden mold with the remainder swirled in, added in layers or made into various chunks of soap.
	Cutting: Once the soap mixture has been poured into the mold it sits for another 48 hours to complete the saponification process. After the 48 hours are up I then pull the 32 lb. slab out of the mold and cut it into separate blocks or loaves. These loaves are then cut into individual bars before being stacked onto shelves in my curing room for a minimum of 4 weeks.
	Curing: The curing time is imperative as it makes for a mild and gentle hard bar of soap and because handmade soap retains its natural occurring glycerin they can be used right down to a fine sliver without cracking or drying like commercial soaps do.
	Packaging: These hardened bars of handmade soap are now ready to be packaged and either sold individually or packaged up into gift baskets, etc. The entire process takes over 1 month but the end result produces handmade soap that lathers richly, moisturizes as well as cleanses, leaving your skin feeling clean, soft and supple. They are full of character, natural goodness and beneficial ingredients such as true essential oils and our own organic herbs and flowers. If you have never tried handmade soap you are in for a real treat. We hope you enjoy using them as much as I enjoy making them.