 Lancaster County Soapworks, Etc.2839 Hossler Road Manheim, PA 17545 Phone 717-653-5666 FAX 717-653-5411 email Maryanne
What
exactly is Handmade Soap?
 Our process is similar to the
soap that
was made on the farm each fall to carry the family through the year
with a few important differences.We use all vegetable oils and are fortunate that our ingredients are available to us in a purer form than was available years ago and so our measurements and formulas are quite accurate. The resulting soap is much gentler than Grandma's was. So there will be some extra oils remaining unsaponified, we always err on the side of gentleness and this results in what is called a "super-fatted soap" which is why our soap doesn't leave skin feeling dried out. Also adding to the moisturizing effect is glycerin which is a serendipitous by-product of the process. We try to use natural ingredients whenever possible and although we sometimes incorporate herbs and oils traditionally thought to have special healing properties, there is no proof that these properties carry through the saponification process. They certainly don't do the soap any harm!  Our
handmade soaps are also called "Lye Soap" or "Cold process
soap". What many people call "Lye Soap" is simply soap made
with lye. NO
true
soap can be made without lye or another strong base being involved in
its manufacture. The process is correctly called saponification and involves mixing fats (acid) with lye (base) to form soap (a salt). Bring back anything from high school chemistry class? When soap is made properly, there is no lye left in the soap, however, any "true" soap will be slightly alkaline. "Cold process" simply means that we melt our all vegetable oils, mix in the lye and add no further heat. There are many processes and this is the one we have chosen.  Our
soaps are cured for a period of time after they are made to finish the
job of saponification and to allow the excess water used in their
manufacture to evaporate. To extend the life of our soaps, they should be stored on a draining soap dish after use so they can dry between uses.
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