Technique

Besides high quality ingredients, the other secret behind Ancient Elements soaps is the soapmaking technique. Our handmade soaps benefit from the attention to detail that can be achieved by hand mixing small batches one at a time. A few of the most important elements of our soapmaking process are detailed below.

Ancient Elements utilizes the Cold Process soapmaking technique. In the cold process technique oils are blended with controlled amounts of lye at low temperatures and allowed to react naturally with constant stirring. A major benefit of this process is that natural glycerin, a moisturizer and a component of virtually all soapmaking oils, is retained in the soap. Most commercial soaps, on the other hand, have been cooked and have had the valuable glycerin removed and sold to other outlets such as cosmetics companies or cigarette manufacturers. Soaps boasting of ninety-something or higher purity are merely putting a happy face on the fact that they have stripped the soap of one of its most valuable moisturizers. Other commercial soaps have no glycerin to begin with as they are merely synthetic detergent bars using free fatty acids rather than whole oils.

Ancient Elements superfats each batch to promote mildness. Absolutely all true soap is made by reacting an alkali such as lye with a fat source. As indicated in the listing of ingredients, we use only natural vegetable oils as a fat source. Check the labels of many commercial soaps and you will find that tallow or tallowate (beef fat) and lard or lardate (pig fat) are often the major component. Regardless of what fat source is used though, it is important that the balance between the alkali, in our case lye, and the oils be carefully controlled. If excess lye is present, the soap will be caustic and can burn the skin. To avoid this, Ancient Elements calculates the exact amount of each ingredient required for perfect balance, and then adds an extra percentage of oil to serve as both a safety margin and to provide additional skin conditioning. Including a small percentage of extra oil is called superfatting.

Ancient Elements cures each batch for several weeks to produce a harder, longer lasting bar. Once the soap has been removed from the mold and sliced into bars, it is allowed to cure for several weeks. Curing accomplishes two important tasks. First it allows saponification, the reaction between the oils and the alkali, to proceed to completion. Second, curing allows the bars to air dry. As water evaporates from the freshly cut bars, the soap becomes harder and longer lasting. Bars sold with too little cure time would be soft and would dissolve too quickly during use. As elsewhere, good things often take time.

Ancient Elements shrink-wraps each bar to protect the bars prior to sale and to seal in their natural goodness. Once the curing time is complete, continued exposure to the air becomes a detriment. If left exposed, the volatile essential oils will eventually dissipate leaving the bar with a weaker scent. This is fine if the bar is being used as an air freshener in a linen drawer or in the bathroom, but is not desirable if the bar is merely sitting in a box awaiting purchase. Keeping the bar sealed in shrink-wrap helps to retain the wonderful aroma until use. The shrink-wrap also helps keep the bar free of dust, lint, and finger oils during shipping and handling.

Ancient Elements provides an informative, yet decorative label. We are proud of our ingredients and our finished product. We therefore provide a listing of the ingredients and full information on how to contact us. Additionally, we try to make each label attractive and eye catching. Just because our soaps are handmade is no excuse for them to be anything less than beautiful. This has led to one small problem. Many people use the soaps as decoration. While we are flattered that the soaps are seen as pretty enough to serve as decorations, we would hope that they eventually find use as the luxury soaps they have been crafted to be. Please consider using them fresh, best if used within a year. Don't worry, we will always be happy to make more.