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About
Shannon's Soaps
What ever happened to the concept of value? You know - where you spend your hard-earned money and get something that's worth it in return? Well that's exactly what got me started. I tried to find soap that wouldn't irritate my husband's sensitive skin and found that many “soaps” weren't actually soap at all – many are “body bars” or “deodorant bars” that use synthetic cleansers to clean your skin. The end result was Shannon's Soaps™ – actual soap made by traditional methods with quality ingredients. I've added other bath and body products, like hand made lotions, bath salts, and bath bombs, all made with a focus on mild skin care.
How
Lye Soap Is Made
What is Lye Soap? The name "lye soap" is actually a bit misleading. The finished product (if you know what you're doing) actually does not contain lye, but the soap making process uses lye to chemically transform fats into soap. The end result is a soap that cleans naturally, needing no synthetic cleansing agents. Is Lye Soap Harsh? You might be wondering: “If lye is dangerous, isn't soap made using it harsh?” The short answer is no. As mentioned above, lye soap is made from a chemical reaction that involves lye and fats. Careful calculations and measuring ensure that when the reaction is finished, only soap (and no lye) remains.
More
About It
My soaps are made using traditional, yet modern cold process techniques. The basic method is still the same as our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used: lye + fats = soap. Unlike generations past, however, we have access to fats and oils that they never did. They made their soaps with the animal fats that they had cheap, easy access to: tallow from beef or venison, lard from pork. Since we have moved away from our agrarian roots, those fats are harder to come by, though at least one of my soaps, the Oatmeal-Mint, does contain tallow. Tallow, in combination with others, makes a very lovely lye soap. In addition to no longer being agrarian, we have moved away from using animal fats for other reasons, philosophical or otherwise. With the exception of the tallow, my soaps are made from vegetable oils, fats, and butters. Fats, oils, and butters are all composed chemically of fatty acids, of which there are several varieties, with their own properties. I choose oils for my soaps much the same way I choose which oils I cook and bake with. Palm and coconut oils are two of the most prominent oils in my lye soaps for different reasons. Palm oil is high in palmitic acid, which when reacted with lye, forms sodium palmitate, which makes for a hard bar with stable lather. It also is high in oleic acid, which is conditioning. Coconut oil is high in lauric acid (sodium laurate after the lye reaction), which gives a hard bar with cleansing, fluffy lather. The other oils I use: olive, castor, sunflower, and to a lesser degree, shea butter, cocoa butter, and macadamia nut oils, are chosen for similar reasons. Some provide more conditioning, where others provide better cleaning. It's the mix of oils I use that makes the soap so nice. I could use more expensive, fancier-sounding oils, but those are better in lotions than soap. Why ruin a perfectly lovely oil by reacting it with lye? It's much better to slather it on your body in a lotion!
About
Shannon or Why I'm Not Afraid of Lye
I graduated in 1997 with a degree in Chemistry with a minor in Biology from John Carroll University, in beautiful University Heights, Ohio. It was there I learned to have a healthy caution around dangerous chemicals, but not to be afraid of them. A healthy caution meant that one followed safety regulations, like wearing gloves and goggles, or working in a safety hood. It meant that one was careful so one did not have to strip and shower in front of everyone after one knocked over a beaker of a carcinogen or teratogen. It meant washing one's hands both BEFORE and after using the restroom. And it often included walking out of the science building after a four-hour lab on a Friday evening still wearing one's goggles, because, well, they were so darn comfortable. I worked for a while in a transplant immunology lab after graduation, but then decided I would rather be a teacher. A couple years later, I earned a teaching certificate in English from Cleveland State and worked as a seventh grade teacher, teaching science and English (and doing other things, like coaching our writing team, or moderating Yearbook and producing it digitally) for seven years. I have been a stay-at-home mom for the last five years, with all the work that that entails! My wonderful daughter loves sneaking bath bombs out of my work area. I also enjoy cooking and baking, and make a fabulous cheesecake. I also have a small reef tank in my living room, with two clownfish, one of whom -- Big Momma -- turned eight recently. My corals are growing well, but so is the algae, of which there is more than I'd normally like. Big Momma, and her little buddy, have big teeth. Now that I'm busy making and selling handmade bath and body products, the algae situation isn't likely to improve (Who has the time?), but I'm happy to dust off my lab coat, don my goggles and rubber gloves, mix up some lye, and make wonderful soap for my friends, family, and you.
Contact
Me
If you have questions about lye soap or any of my other bath and body products, use the form below. I'd love to hear any feedback you have as well. Be sure to connect with Shannon's Soaps on Facebook! |
©2012
Shannon's Soaps
