"Soap is a surfactant, which means that it helps water to wet things more evenly. Soap molecules have tails which attract dirt and pull it away from the surface that it is on. The soap then suspends the dirt in a lather until it can be washed away. Soap is made by combining an alkaline solution with animal fats or vegetable oils which are acidic. When mixed under the right circumstances, they neutralize to form a new compound which we call "soap". Saponification is the technical term for this reaction." (Handmade Soap by Tatyana Hill)
No. Lye is the alkaline solution used in making soap, but once that chemical reaction between the lye and the fatty acids in the oils and butters takes place, a completely different substance remains: SOAP! Really, what you end up with is "neat soap", water (which evaporates as you "cure" the bar), and a wonderful amount of natural glycerin, that essential ingredient that protects, moisturizes and softens your skin.
"Soap is made commercially in huge vats by a process called "continuous method", in which ingredients are continuously added to one end and removed from the other. During this process, the emollient glycerin that naturally exists in soap is removed and sold separately for its moisturizing qualities. Commercial soap is nearly always made from tallow (animal fat) and usually contains a variety of synthetic chemicals. Because of the lack of glycerin as well as the inclusion of poor-quality ingredients and additives, commercial soap can often irritate and dry the skin, or can cause an allergic reaction. Sadly, even many hand-made soap companies use synthetic fragrances, preservatives and colors in their products." (Handmade Soap by Tatyana Hill)
Apple Valley Natural Soap is carefully hand-crafted in small batches using the cold process method of soap making. We use only high quality botanical oils and butters as well as all natural herbs, milks, juices, essential oils and spices to scent and color our soaps. These ingredients not only impart sensational fragrances and beautiful, rustic colors, but also add their own exceptional nourishing qualities. Once you try an all natural soap, you will wonder why you ever used anything else on your skin!
We use fresh ingredients in our soap and add vitamin E oil and/or grapefruit seed extract and/or rosemary oil extract in all of our soap batches as these are natural and powerful preservatives. They should last a long time without going bad. My aunt had an old bar in her bathroom for almost two years...and it was still in great shape!
Soap is one of those things that actually gets better with time. This is why we cure our soaps for a full six weeks. We want our soap to go out to the customer as a hard, long lasting and mild bar. Your natural soap needs to breathe in order to prolong its life and maintain its hardness. If you plan to store your bar for a while, leave it exposed to air rather than in a tight wrapper which will prevent moisture from evaporating. You can leave your bars in their wrappers as they have both ends open to the air. Tip: if you store them on a closet shelf, they will add a nice scent to your closet!
Make sure you allow your all natural soap to dry out between uses. If they sit in a puddle of water, they will disintegrate. We sell a variety of affordable beech wood trays that will keep your bars dry and help them last a long time.
Our bars are hand cut and will naturally have a bit of variation in the weight. Most bars weigh approximately 4.5 ounces, although you might get one that weighs 4.25 ounces and another one that weighs over 5 ounces.
If you do a Google search you'll discover that we price our soap on the low end of the pricing spectrum. Not only that, compare our ingredients, and you will discover that we use a FAR greater percentage of expensive, high-end oils, butters, organic herbs and spices, clays, milks and essential oils than our competitors. Frankly, we are amazed at the cheap ingredients much of our competition uses and the high cost of their products. You can be confident that at Apple Valley Natural Soap, you are getting the highest quality soap for the most affordable pricing.
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