Not All Soap Is Created Equal ⚖️
When you walk down the aisle at any store you’re likely seeing rows of mass-produced detergent bars, masquerading as soap. These commercial “beauty bars” are filled with synthetic detergents, harsh chemicals, and preservatives that can strip your skin of its natural oils.
You might be thinking, isn’t that what soap is supposed to do? Yes, all soap is meant to cleanse and remove dirt and excess oils from your skin, but here’s the difference. These commercial “beauty bars” are so harsh they strip away everything. Including the natural oils your skin needs to actually stay healthy and balance. This most often results in tight, dry and irritated skin that feels like it needs immediate moisturizing. True cold process soap, on the other hand, cleanses effectively while respecting your skin natural barrier. It removes what needs to go while leaving behind glycerin and gentle cleansing that keeps your skin feeling soft and nourished, not stripped bare.
What Makes Soap Real Soap?
Real soap is created through a fascinating chemical process called saponification. This is where fatty acids from oils and fats combine with an alkali (like sodium hydroxide) to create soap and glycerin. This chemistry allows us to take simple ingredients and transform them into something that cleanses and nourishes your skin.
There are three primary methods for making soap, each with its own benefits:
Cold Process Soap (natural saponification process with 6 weeks of curing time)
Hot Process Soap (uses external heat to speed up saponification)
Melt & Pour Soap (pre-made soap that you melt & pour into a mold)
Why We Are Passionate About Cold Process Soap 💕
We’re completely obsessed with cold process soap making, and once you understand why, you will be too. This isn’t some trendy new method we just discovered. People have been making soap this way for centuries because it simply works better. The slow, natural process gives us complete control over every ingredient that touches your skin, and that level of intentionality is something you just can’t get with mass production.
The Cold Process Method Explained 📚
Here’s how we create our cold process soaps at BLK Label Society:
The Oil Phase: We carefully select and measure our oils, whether that’s nourishing avocado oil, moisturizing shea butter, or cleansing coconut oil. Each oil brings unique properties to the final bar.
The Water Phase: We mix sodium hydroxide (lye) with water. I know, I know, lye sounds scary, but it’s completely transformed during saponification. There’s actually none left in the finished soap.
The Magic Happens: When we combine these phases at the right temperatures, saponification begins immediately. The mixture thickens, and this is when we can add our natural goodies like honey, herbs, or clays.
The Cure: This is where patience really pays off. Our soaps cure for about six weeks, allowing excess water to evaporate and the saponification process to fully complete. What you get is a harder, longer-lasting bar that produces that beautiful, creamy lather.
WATCH US MAKE OUR AVOCADO SOAP FROM SCRATCH 🫧🥑📺
What is “Cold”About the Process?
It’s called “cold process” because we don’t use external heat to force saponification. The chemical reaction generates its own heat naturally. This gentle approach preserves the good stuff in our carefully chosen ingredients. High heat can actually destroy some of those beneficial compounds we work so hard to include.
The Glycerin Game Changer
Here’s something most people don’t know: when saponification happens, you get two things: soap and glycerin. In our handmade cold process bars, all that natural glycerin stays right where it belongs. But commercial soap manufacturers? They actually extract and remove the glycerin to sell separately for use in lotions and other cosmetics. That’s a huge reason why store-bought bars leave your skin feeling so tight and dry. They’ve literally taken out the moisturizing part!
When you use our hair dit Erie cold process soap, that glycerin acts like a natural humectant, pulling moisture from the air to your skin. It’s one of the main reasons our soap feels so much gentler and more nourishing than anything you’ll find on store shelves.
We Care About Your Skin
At BLK LABEL SOCIETY, we are all about the cold process life because it gives us maximum creative freedom and ingredient preservation. This method also allows us to craft unique bars with incredible natural additives. For example:
Our Avocado Soaps are packed with healthy fats and vitamins. Carrot-Turmeric Infused Bars are rich in beta-carotene. Honey Soaps have a natural antibacterial properties. Charcoal soap for deep cleansing, and the list goes on. Check out our variety of handmade soaps.
Full Transparency, Always
We believe you should know exactly what’s going on your skin. That’s why we share our behind-the-scenes, so making process through videos and detailed ingredient list. No mystery ingredients, no insane chemical ingredient names that you cannot pronounce. Just honest, quality soapmaking.
Your Skin, Your Choice
One thing that makes us unique is our custom soap service. You can literally build your soap from scratch by choosing:
• Your preferred oil base
• Natural additives that work for your skin
• Fragrances that speak to you
This is especially perfect if you have sensitive skin or specific skin concerns. Why settle for mass-produced when you can have soap made specifically for you?
Making the Switch to Real Soap
If you’ve been using commercial detergent bars and are curious about making the switch to real soap, cold process is an excellent place to start. Your skin will thank you for the switch from harsh detergents to gentle, moisturizing soap that’s made with intention and care.
Ready to experience the difference that handcrafted, cold process soap can make for your skin? Check out our collection and see what centuries of soap making tradition can do for your daily routine.
Want to see our cold process soap making in action? Follow us on social media for behind-the-scenes videos and ingredient spotlights. Because at BLK LABEL SOCIETY, we believe skincare should be transparent, effective, and made with your skin in mind.
