We see soap of all sorts, sizes, shapes, bottles, scents at every store, Saturday market and online but…what is soap?

Natural soap is made from oils and a mixture of lye and water. Yep, you read that right! Soap is made from oil!! Almost sounds counter productive doesn’t it? Not to worry. That’s where the lye comes in. When created in perfect balance the lye is completely used up in the process of curing and leaves nothing but smooth, lathery, clean soap. The oils go through a process of saponification which changes liquid oils into solid bars of soap. That process takes 4-6 weeks! Good soap can’t be rushed or hurried.

There are many different oils to choose from and each has it’s own unique qualities. My main soap recipe uses three oils.

Olive oil which is known to be gentle on all skin types and moisturizing. Olive oil was used in ancient Greece as a way to clean and moisturize their skin. They would apply the oil and then scrape it off of their skin. Leaving them clean and moisturized.

Rice bran oil offers high vitamin E which is great for its anti aging properties and similarity to olive oil. Women in Japan have been using it on their skin to keep the wrinkles away for ages.

Coconut oil is revered in many countries but in soap is a great cleanser, naturally anti-bacterial and offers a wonderful creamy lather that just can’t be beat.

These are the three oils I use in my soap, and now you know a little bit of why. So what makes my soap different than what you might find on grocery store shelves? Well, one look at the back of the bottle or box of soap will reveal a large difference. Most “soaps” at the grocery stores are actually detergents. They bear little similarity to natural soap in both process and ingredients. They are filled with long unpronounceable chemicals and many preservatives. Natural soap doesn’t need any preservatives.

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