In today’s world of mass-produced skincare, there’s something truly special about using handmade soap crafted with care and natural ingredients. Not only do homemade soaps avoid harsh chemicals and preservatives, but they also offer a range of benefits that nourish your skin and connect you with nature’s simplest yet most powerful elements.

Earlier this summer, I decided to explore a topic that I used to cover in Chemistry class many years ago in the Chemical Reactions Unit—Saponification. Put simply, it’s the reaction that creates soap. Not to bore you with the chemistry, but soap is just potassium or sodium salts of long-chain fatty acids. During the reaction, the ester (in the fats & oils used) reacts with hydroxide (from lye—Sodium Hydroxide) to produce alcohol and soap. The results differ based on the types of fats & oils used.