Our Soaps
How We Make Our Soaps:
Every bar is made by hand in our own kitchen, in small batches, with a short list of ingredients we can name and explain. We start with grass-fed beef tallow, which gives our soap a hard, long-lasting bar and a creamy lather that’s gentle on skin. Coconut oil adds cleansing power and fluffy bubbles, olive oil brings mildness and conditioning, castor oil helps create a silky, stable lather, and shea butter adds extra moisture and a smooth, nourishing feel. We blend these oils and butters, then combine them with lye to begin the soapmaking process. For color, we use iron oxide, a mineral pigment that gives our bars their natural earthy tones. For scent, we add essential oils rather than synthetic fragrances. Each batch is poured into molds by hand, made into bars, and cured for several weeks until it’s firm, mild, and ready to use.
What Is Lye?
Lye, also known as sodium hydroxide, is the ingredient that turns oils and fats into soap. Every true soap, from the oldest traditional bars to the ones on store shelves, is made with it. When lye is mixed with oils, they go through a chemical reaction called saponification, which transforms them into soap and glycerin, a natural moisturizer that stays in the bar. We carefully measure each recipe so the lye is fully used up during saponification, and we include extra oils and butters in every batch so the finished bar is gentle and moisturizing. Raw lye is caustic and must be handled with great care, but once soap has cured, no active lye remains, leaving a mild bar that’s safe for your skin.
