Making or buying handmade cold process soap has become very popular in the past few years. Some people, however, are still afraid to try it. They remember the harsh, greasy lye soap their grandma used to make. When they think homemade soap, they think lye.

Unfortunately, grandma did not have access to the calculators, quality oils, and other tools we have today.

Modern soap making is very precise. It takes an exact amount of oils and lye to produce the chemical reaction that makes soap. When slightly more oils are added than is needed, all of the lye is used up in the soap making process, yet there are some oils left over. This is called superfatting. It is very common today to superfat soap at around 5%

Grandma probably only had access to certain animal fats instead of the large selection of vegetable oils we see today. Different oils add different qualities to soap. Coconut oil, for instance, is used to enhance lather while palm oil is used to create a hard bar. Olive oil is a great conditioner and is used extensively in handmade soap. As a matter of fact, there is a soap called castile that is made only with olive oil.

In order to make the best bar possible, soap makers strive to come up with the perfect combination of oils.
Soap should be hard and have decent lather, but most importantly, it must be kind to your skin. Handmade soap that has been properly made is not drying. Some people have been able to stop using moisturizers after switching to handmade soap.

A lot of people today are looking for a more natural lifestyle. They want to clean their house with earth friendly products. They are tired of the daily assault of chemicals in their environment.

They want to live a more simple and healthy lifestyle like grandma did. One way to achieve this is to use handmade soap and other natural body products.