10/05/2026
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS WHEN WE MAKE SOAP?
Have you ever wondered how oils and butters become a beautiful bar of soap? It’s actually pretty amazing!
At Cattail Creek Soap Co, we make our soaps using the traditional cold process method. That means we start with carefully selected oils and butters, add a solution of sodium hydroxide (lye), and let chemistry do its thing.
So, what is saponification?
Saponification is the chemical reaction that turns fats and oils into soap.
Oils and butters contain fatty acids. When they are combined with sodium hydroxide, a chemical reaction takes place. The result is:
✨ Soap — the cleansing salts of fatty acids
✨ Glycerin — a natural byproduct that remains in the finished bar
Once saponification has taken place, the sodium hydroxide has been consumed in the reaction. This is why properly formulated and cured cold process soap doesn’t contain free lye.
Why do we love natural cold process soap?
Cold process soap allows us to control exactly what goes into our bars. Depending on the recipe, we can use beautiful ingredients such as shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, colloidal oatmeal, kaolin clay, coconut milk, natural exfoliants, botanicals and other skin-loving ingredients.
Because we don’t remove the naturally occurring glycerin created during the soapmaking process, it’s retained in the bar.
And because every batch is made by hand, we can create unique combinations of oils, butters, scents, colors and specialty ingredients that you simply don’t get from mass-produced soap.
Our bars are made, poured, cut, and cured by hand.
Cold process soap also requires patience. After the soap is made, it needs time to cure—typically several weeks—so excess water evaporates and the bar becomes harder, longer-lasting, and ready for your shower.
So when you purchase a bar of handmade soap from Cattail Creek Soap Co, you’re not just buying something that cleans.
You’re getting a little piece of old-fashioned craftsmanship + modern soapmaking chemistry, made in small batches with care.
From oils and butters → to saponification → to a beautifully cured bar of handmade soap.
That’s the magic behind every bar we make.
Cattail Creek Soap Co. — Handmade with care, one batch at a time.
https://cattailcreeksoapco.com
