How we make our Handmade Soap at Country Rose Soap Company
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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 of soap with my own formula. I
was immediately “hooked” as the handmade soap process was intriguing
to me. Making my own soap 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 the
soap 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 in all of my soap. Coconut oil produces a rich
creamy lather and enhances soap hardness. Palm oil makes for a mild
soap with a long-lasting lather and also enhances the final hardness
of the soap.
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 of
soap. 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 of handmade soap 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
soaps 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 soap cutter. He was so proud of his
invention. (being an inventor at heart.) This soap cutter now allows
me to handcut my soap much quicker, accurately and uniformly.
Our Handmade Soap Process – “Cold-Process Method”
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