Did You Know Edye's Organic Soap is Unique?

All real, naturally made soap must be made with lye (sodium hydroxide). We include lye on our ingredient list, as it is used to make our soap, yet our final product does not contain lye.  When you look at our ingredient list, you will notice lye is amongst water and a blend of organic oils, including: organic shea butter, organic extra virgin olive oil, organic coconut oil, organic castor oil, and organic essential oils. 

While we don’t include water in other Edye’s Naturals products, we include it in our soap, as it is necessary to add the lye to water, before adding it to the oils. When we combine all the ingredients it gets really, really hot and quickly starts turning to soap. The chemical reaction that occurs between the lye and oils is called saponification. In this process, the molecules of the lye and oils combine, and change into soap and glycerin. Saponification happens when an acid (in this case the fatty acids that make up the oils) and a base (the lye) react and form a salt (soap). 

In order to make sure that the chemical reaction is complete, a curing process takes place in which Edye lets the soap sit for six weeks. This ensures that there is no lye present in the finished soap. 

Have you ever wondered why soap is so good at cleaning?  Soap is about 90 percent oil, which makes it good at breaking down oil.  Soap molecules consist of a hydrocarbon chain that has a sodium or potassium atom at the end; the hydrocarbon part of the chain is hydrophobic (repels water) and the sodium or potassium end is hydrophilic (attracts water).  This is what gives soap its cleansing power.  When you wash, the hydrophobic ends attract dirt and form drops of oil surrounded by soap molecules, with the hydrophilic ends sticking out; when you rinse, the hydrophilic ends allow the drops of oil to be washed away. This is also why it is good for washing dishes. 

Edye’s Organic Soap is unique in that all of our oils are organic.  There are two methods that can be used to make soap, the hot process and the cold process.  Edye’s Naturals uses the cold process which is a gentler, slower method.  This helps to preserve the quality of the oils that we use, which could be lost in the heating process of the hot process. Cold processed soap is also regarded for having better lather.  Cold processed soap also results in a harder, smoother bar, which can last longer. 

All of our soap is made in small batches, so you know what you are getting is fresh.  To get the most cleansing power out of your soap (and shampoo) turn off the water while you are lathering. This gives the soap more of a chance to gather up oils and dirt, plus it is an environmentally friendly practice. Edye’s Organic Soap will cleanse your skin while also nourishing and moisturizing.