Soap Making

We are increasingly more aware of our health these days. We consider the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the pollutant around us. AS we learn more we begin to make changes that help us lead a healthier and more productive life.

Have you stopped to consider you skin? It is the body's largest organ. It assimilates more water when you bathe or shower than when you drink. The skin is such a good absorber and transporter of chemicals to the bloodstream that many medicines are now given in "patch" form to be assimilated through the skin. What chemicals are in your soap, lotions, shampoos, make-up, hair coloring, and perfumes?

Chemically speaking, soap is made through a process known as saponification, which combines fat, lye, and water. Soap is made several different ways. For the soap maker at home, soap is made either in the cold process method or the cooked method. Both of these methods retain the glycerin and make equally good soap. The commercial soap industry adds to the cooked method by injecting steam into the soap mixture and after saponification takes place, salt is added which causes the soap to rise to the top of the glycerin to sink to the bottom. The glycerin is collected and then sold to commercial and pharmaceutical companies. Additional ingredients are then added to replace the soothing, moisturizing properties of glycerin. It is these additives which can be harmful to our health. Commercial soap manufacturers also use high pressure for instant reaction of the fat and lye and expose the soap to hydrogen to further harden it. This process makes it possible to produce reasonably high-quality soaps with lower grade fats and oils.

Handmade soaps, like those made and sold by NutriTech, use only pure natural ingredients such as pure olive, coconut and vegetable oil, distilled or rain water, lye and all fillers such as oatmeal, herbs, essential oils for fragrance and goats milk are pure, fresh, and natural. You will notice that handmade soap will feel earthy and will be much kinder to your skin than commercial soaps because the glycerin which remains in the soap is a natural emollient. If you would like to make your own soap at home, we have several wonderful books to choose from that will give you the step by step process. Or you can plan to attend one of our soap making workshops held quarterly at NutriTech. For the latest Upcoming Seminars, click here.