The cold process method is the traditional way of making soap.
It’s a slow, careful craft, one that preserves the character of natural ingredients and creates a bar that’s gentle on the skin.
This method allows us to work with botanicals in their purest form, keeping our soaps close to the earth and true to their origins.
How cold process soap is made
Cold process soapmaking is a balance of chemistry, timing and patience.
It’s a method that rewards care and precision, producing a bar that feels natural, nourishing and beautifully simple.
Our soap begins with a simple foundation: plant oils, butters and local beeswax gently melted together.
We heat this mixture until just melted — never more — so all natural properties remain intact.
Once we've blended our base ingredients with a lye solution, the mixture begins to thicken into a smooth batter. Before it's too thick to pour, we carefully add botanicals and essential oils.
Lye (sodium hydroxide) is essential to this process. It may sound intimidating, but when handled correctly, it’s completely safe, and more importantly, none of it remains in the finished, cured soap.
Once the batter is fully blended it's poured into moulds. This is where we add our finishing touches such as calendula petals, lavender buds or dried nettle. These botanicals settle gently into the soap as it begins to firm, adding texture, colour and a connection to the plants that inspired the recipe.
When it’s ready, the soap is unmoulded, cut by hand, stamped and set aside to cure.
Once the soap is cut and finished, it begins a slow transformation from fresh, soft slices into firm, long‑lasting soap. It takes around 4-6 weeks for a bar of soap to cure.
A well‑cured bar lasts longer, produces a creamier lather, and feels noticeably milder on the skin.
The history of cold process soap
Cold‑process soap has been made for thousands of years. Early soapmakers created simple bars by combining plant oils with alkaline solutions made from wood ash.
Today, cold process soap has seen a revival as people return to natural skincare, traditional methods, and botanical ingredients.
Small makers and artisan soap houses continue to preserve the craft, valuing the same qualities that made early soaps so cherished: purity, simplicity, and the gentle transformation of oils into something useful and beautiful.
Other types of soap making
Hot process soap
Hot process soap is made by cooking the oils and lye solution together, speeding up saponification and reducing the cure time.
It’s a practical method for a faster turnaround, but it offers less finesse and less clarity in colour compared to cold‑process.
Melt and pour soap
This method begins with a pre‑made soap base that is melted down, coloured, scented and poured into moulds.
It’s excellent for beginners and creative designs, but the maker has limited control over the pre-made base ingredients.
Melt and pour soap doesn't require any curing time.
Why we use the cold process method
The cold‑process method gives us complete control over every ingredient.
It allows botanicals to stay vibrant, natural and true to themselves, without the heat of hot‑process or the limitations of melt‑and‑pour.
Because cold‑process rewards patience, it aligns perfectly with our slow‑craft philosophy: small batches, careful formulation, hand‑finishing and a long, natural cure.