{"id":8531,"date":"2021-10-15T07:10:42","date_gmt":"2021-10-15T05:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavande-bio.fr\/cold-saponification\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T21:49:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T19:49:49","slug":"cold-saponification","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavande-bio.fr\/en\/cold-saponification\/","title":{"rendered":"Cold process soap: how it is made and why to choose it"},"content":{"rendered":"

A cold process soap is a soap made slowly, without heating the mixture, then left to dry for several weeks. An artisanal method, the opposite of industrial soap. Here is how it is made, why it is different, and how we chose our soaps.<\/p>\n

What is cold saponification?<\/h2>\n

To make soap, you need two ingredients: vegetable oils and lye (sodium hydroxide). Mixed together, they react and turn into soap: this is saponification. With the cold process, the mixture is not heated. The reaction happens slowly, at low temperature.<\/p>\n

During drying, the lye is entirely transformed: none is left in the finished soap. The reaction also naturally produces glycerine, which stays in the soap.<\/p>\n

How it is made<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Weighing and mixing<\/strong>: the soap maker carefully weighs the oils and the lye, then mixes them.<\/li>\n
  2. The “trace”<\/strong>: the mixture thickens to the consistency of a cream. This shows the reaction has started.<\/li>\n
  3. The scent<\/strong>: the essential oil, true lavender or lavandin, is added at this stage.<\/li>\n
  4. Moulding<\/strong>: the paste is poured into moulds, then unmoulded and cut a few days later.<\/li>\n
  5. Drying, or “curing”<\/strong>: the soaps dry in the open air for 10 weeks.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"Cold
    Our organic true lavender soap, made by cold process<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Why 10 weeks of drying?<\/h2>\n

    Many artisanal soaps dry for 4 to 6 weeks. Ours dry for 10 weeks. This gives the reaction time to finish completely and the water time to evaporate: the soap becomes harder, melts more slowly and lasts longer in the shower.<\/p>\n

    Cold process or industrial soap: the differences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    <\/th>\nCold process<\/th>\nIndustrial soap<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Making<\/td>\nAt low temperature, by hand<\/td>\nHeated, continuous production<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Glycerine<\/td>\nKept in the soap<\/td>\nOften partly removed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Drying<\/td>\n10 weeks for our soaps<\/td>\nA few hours to a few days<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Ingredients<\/td>\nOrganic vegetable oils, essential oil<\/td>\nSometimes animal fats, synthetic fragrances<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Our cold process soaps<\/h2>\n

    Our soaps are made by a partner artisan soap maker who shares our philosophy: organic and quality first.<\/p>\n