Handmade Soaps, Cold Process Vs. Melt and Pour Bases

Are They All Handmade Soaps?

I'm sure you've seen many businesses say their products are handmade, which technically they are BUT not all are made from scratch.

There is a difference.

Cold Process Soap Making: This is where "true soap" is created. Sodium hydroxide molecules bind with oil molecules during the saponification process and soap is created. Glycerin is the byproduct of this process. All cold process soaps contain "naturally retained glycerin." You also need accurate measurements of all ingredients. If you have too much lye, then your soap is lye heavy and unusable on skin. If not enough lye, your soap may not properly cure and you can have a big oily mess of goop.

Melt and Pour Bases: These have become VERY popular. Why go through the process of creating your own recipe, purchasing equipment to make soap, wait 4-6 weeks to use the soap, when all you have to do is order a base online, melt the soap, add a lil bit of this and a lil bit of that? These bases are easy to find, in fact you can purchase glycerin based soap at Michael's Art Store. So, are melt and pour soaps bad -- no, I'm not saying that at all. There's just a difference.

THE DIFFERENCE: Though you have the easiness of not having to create the actual soap itself with melt and pour, you are truly not in control of the core ingredients. Example, another company sells a Bamboo Charcoal soap with lavender essential oil. They purchased the soap base, added the charcoal and essential oil. The only control they had over the creation of the soap really lies in where they purchased the product from.

With cold process soap making, the artwork is in the recipe itself. You can custom tailor each recipe with a variety of vegetable oils. Each vegetable oil contains a specific mixture of fatty acids, some are better for acne, troubled skin, and some are more moisturizing, etc.

So, as a customer how can you tell? Most companies will not advertise that they purchase soap bases. They will tell you that the soap is Handmade. There is no strict definition of what "Handmade" means and no regulation.

How to Tell the Difference?

1. Look at the Ingredients: If they contain "Sorbitol," or "Sorbitan Oleate." These are key terms to indicate they are melt and pours.

2. Cold Process Soaps usually use the words, "Naturally Retained Glycerin" in their ingredient list. If not, and the soap just states glycerin, then I would look further at the ingredients.

3. Really look at it: Most glycerin melt and pour bases are translucent, even with added mica colors, you can still see through them a bit. Some goat's milk melt and pour bases look pretty close to cold process soaps. One similarity I noticed with melt and pours is that they have this plastic kind of look to them.

4. Just ask: Why not just ask the soapmaker, e-mail, call, etc. They have a responsibility to tell you the truth about purchasing their bases from somewhere else.

So after all the explaining, can you tell in the pic which is the cold process soap?

Less Is More - A Minimalist Approach to Bodycare

I'm a simple person. I'm a paper pad and pencil gal. I take 5 minute showers, cut my own hair, and wear 2 different kind of socks because one side of a pair quit. I have many of these quirks.

I'm a minimalist, meaning I continually ask myself, "Is that really necessary?"

So, here I am asking: Are all these body care products necessary? An average bath routine consists of at least 6 products: Body wash, shampoo, conditioner, facial cleanser, facial moisturizer, body lotion. There's a reason why women spend on average $471/year on body care products (Businesspundit.com) ...because of all this stuff . So, how do we spend less, use less, and save more:

Tips to Minimize your Bodycare Routine:

1 Bar of Cold Process Handmade Soap = Body wash + Facial Cleanser + Body Lotion

Go Handmade! Cold process soap makers create soap from scratch with sodium hydroxide (sorry peeps, no lye = no soap). Recipes are made with mild, cleansing, and moisturizing oils, plus during the soap making process, natural glycerin is created. These soaps are gentle enough to use as a body soap and facial soap. Added bonus: Naturally retained glycerin eliminates the need to moisturize your body with lotion.

1 Shampoo Bar = Shampoo + Conditioner

Go Solid! Shampoo Bars contain all the cleansing agents without stripping your natural oils. No need for conditioner. If you have hard water, the minerals from the water will stay in your hair -- simply use a vinegar rinse (2 teaspoons in 1 tall glass of water). Not up to the task? Just alternate, use the bar until you feel like you need a good rinsing, then go to your regular shampoo.


Jojoba Oil = Facial Moisturizer

Jojoba Oil (it's actually a liquid wax) contains properties similar to our skin's sebum. It makes a great moisturizer (even for sensitive skin), a little goes a long way, AND it's another all-in-one -- facial moisturizer, body lotion, and hair oil.

So...guessing that 1 bar of handmade soaps runs around $6 and lasts a month, $6x12 = $72
A shampoo bar should last you about 2 months, $7 x 6 = $42
1 Bottle of Jojoba Oil should last about 3-6 months, $5 x 2 = $10

Total spent a year = $124

Not bad...

Turmeric, Good for Skin

Too-ma-rik? Ter-mer-ick?

However you prefer to pronounce it, the benefits of turmeric (Curcuma longa) remain the same. Used for centuries in India, this Ayurvedic medicinal plant is famous for it's potent amount of curcumin, an anti-inflammatory ingredient found in the root and it's antiseptic properties.

A relative of the ginger plant and widely grown in Southeast Asia, it looks much like a pudgy ginger root from the outside, but once you cut into it, the shock of vibrant orange differentiates it from your average store bought ginger (Zingiber officinale). If you haven't heard about turmeric, most likely you have unknowingly tasted it. Used as one of the main ingredients in Indian curries, and as a coloring agent in mustard, turmeric probably crossed your lips or at least stained that new white shirt you wore to that picnic. ;-)

Found in body washes, shampoos, soaps, and makeup, turmeric has become increasingly popular in the body care industry. Used in beauty rituals for Indian, and Bengali weddings, brides are covered in turmeric paste to create a glow like no other. Also applied to cuts, skin infections, acne, and scars turmeric has been known as a useful beauty rescue aid.

So, where can you purchase this miraculous root? Try an Asian grocery store. Luckily, I live near quite a few; Pomona Supermarket on Holt, Market World and Ranch 99 in Rancho Cucamonga. For my organic Turmeric soap, I purchase certified organic turmeric powder through Mountain Rose Herbs.

Here is a great Turmeric beauty recipe:

Indian Bridal Glow Mask

1 cup of chickpea flour
3 tablespoons of powdered turmeric
Almond oil (enough to form a paste)

Directions: Mix ingredients into a paste. Apply to the face and body, and let it sit for a few minutes. Remove the mask by rubbing off mixture with your hands. This motion will exfoliate your skin. Cleanse off the rest of the mask. Can be applied once a week.

(provided by Shalina Vadhera, a celebrity makeup artist and writer of Passport to Beauty).

My note: Definitely try out Shalina's recipe, but if you don't have almond oil, you can also use a more common oil you have on hand -- organic olive, sunflower, coconut, or even sesame seed. Always perform a 24 hr. skin patch test to make sure you don't have allergies or skin sensitivities. I also have tried substituting chickpea flour with baking soda, pearl powder, grounded oatmeal, or finely grounded jasmine rice. Chickpea flour helps with inflammation, redness, and makes a great skin exfoliator. It may be drying for some skin types. If you have really light skin, you may want to tone down the amount of turmeric powder because it does give you a slight orange glow -- not a bad -- I stayed in the tanning salon too long - glow, just a tinge.

Remember: What works for one's skin may not work for another AND I am not a medical physician. I merely enjoy the wonders of ingredients used in beauty regimens across the world. It's a journey I continue to seek and love to share with rest of you. Enjoy!