Major Ingredients Descriptions To help our customers learn more about what they are lathering on their skin or selling to their clients, our soapmaker has created a list of the major ingredients we use with a brief description of their benefits and uses.
Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Separated from the freshly crushed pumace of olives by only centripetal force, never chemical solvents, extra virgin olive oil is the highest recognized grade, free from defects and unrefined. It creates a soap which cleans gently and provides a soft moisturizing finish.
Organic Palm Oil - Extracted from the kernel of the fruit of the oil palm, this highly saturated oil is a blessing to soapmakers everywhere. It makes a bar which is hard and long lasting, yet dissolves easily onto the hand when rubbed during washing, even in cold water. For those concerned about palm oil sourcing please see our green details page.
Organic Coconut Oil - Derived from the dried flesh of the coconut, or 'copra', this oil when saponified produces a rich lather which rinses with little effort even in cold water, yet rinses away easily.
Essential Oils - The essential oils that we use are steam distilled, a process of forcing steam through a mass of the chosen plant material. The steam vaporizes certain volatile compounds from the plants and is then re-condensed into liquid. This liquid is collected and allowed to naturally separate into its two phases, the oil phase, which is the essential oil, and the water phase, which is called hydrosol. This steam-distilled essential oil contains many of the most aromatic and active compounds created by the plant, and vaporizes slowly to produce lovely, complex aromas that often have immediate, beneficial effects on our mood and thoughts, memories and emotions.
Organic Herbs and Spices - We use various organic herbs and spices, as well as grains like oatmeal, and seeds like apricot kernel, to add colors and features to our bars. Please see our scents section for descriptions of some of these offerings.
Vitamin E - This antioxidant, derived from GMO-free corn, is used as a natural preservative to prevent the rich natural oils we use from becoming oxidized. It is also beneficial to the skin because antioxidants can neutralize the free radicals which can cause skin damage.
Sodium Hydroxide - A strong base, similar to very strong baking soda, sodium hydroxide is created when electricity is passed through highly salty water. This substance is critical to soapmakers everywhere because it is what turns the oils into soap (saponification). When mixed with water it is known as lye. When the lye is mixed with the vegetable oils each sodium hydroxide molecule combines with an oil molecule to form a glycerin molecule and three soap molecules. The sodium hydroxide is used up in the reaction and the water evaporates during the curing process. Often soap labels will say "saponified oils" which means vegetable oils have been mixed with sodium hydroxide.
