There are three main types of soap making. Melt and Pour soaping involves melting a premade base. In Hot Process soaping, you cook the ingredients all the way through the process, adding heat to speed the reaction. In Cold Process soaping, you do not add extra heat to the reaction; you let the heat generated by the chemistry drive the process.

Cold Process soap is made by combining fatty acids and sodium hydroxide together. Fatty acids can be almost any oil – from beef tallow to olive oil to hemp oil. There is a certain proportion of sodium hydroxide and water to fatty acids that forms a chemical reaction called “saponification.” During saponification, the oils and sodium hydroxide mix and become soap – the process takes approximately six weeks to fully complete.  Cold process soap is known for its hard, long lasting quality. Depending on the oils used, the bar can have great lather (coconut oil has excellent lathering properties), be incredibly mild (olive oil is renowned for its gentle qualities) or be very moisturizing (with the addition of oils, such as shea and cocoa butter or hemp oil).

All the QEDman Specialty Soap Bars are handmade by the cold process method and in small batches with natural, sustainable, and sometimes organic ingredients. If a soap has color it is from the natural essential oils, spices or clays used in the formulation; coloring is not added.  To ensure the long life of your soap, store the bar in a cool place, out of direct sunlight until you’re ready to use it. In your shower, store the bar away from the direct water stream, and out of any standing water.