Edgewater Soaps
Hand Crafted.  Naturally Good.
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Frequently Asked Questions
As our business and our website grows and develops, we invite you to be part of the fun!  Below are some general FAQs based on questions we've been asked in the past.  But you may have questions that we haven't answered here, and that would be of interest to others. If you'd like to submit a question for inclusion on this page, please send it to faqs@edgewatersoaps.com. Include the initial of your first name and your full last name, or your full first name and the initial of your last name (as in "D. Smith" or "Diane S.") and the city and state where you live.

General & Customer Contributed FAQs  

Why handcrafted soap?

What does castor oil do for soap?


Is your soap made with lye?


What are essential oils?


Do you make castille soap?


Are there different soaps for different seasons?

    Why handcrafted soap?

Because handcrafted soaps retain all the moisturising glycerine that is naturally produced as oils are converted into soap. And each recipe is formulated so that some oil remains unreacted in the soap – as it cleans it also replaces some of the beneficial skin oil that washing removes, leaving your skin softer and healthier.

In soap making terms, formulating recipes with excess oil is called "superfatting."  
With bar soaps, the oil or butter that is used to superfat is added just before the soap is ready to pour into the mold.  As the saponification process is already well underway at this point, the idea is that the oil added last will be the predominant free oil in the finished product.  Our favorites for superfatting are shea butter, mango butter, evening primrose oil, avocado oil, and jojoba oil.  Each has wonderful skin care benefits.
    I notice that castor oil is in many of your soap formulas.  What does castor oil do for soaps? 
Castor oil (which many people think of only as a laxative) is terrific in soap.  Most handcrafted soap makers consider it indispensible.  Like olive oil, castor is very mild and humectant, meaning that it helps attract moisture to the skin.  Unlike olive oil, however, castor oil boosts a soap's latheriness.  Castor is also especially valuable in liquid or bar shampoo recipes, as it promotes shiny, lustrous hair texture. 
    When you say "handcrafted," do you mean soap made with lye, like in the olden days?
In a word, Yes!   And it's just like the soap we use today, too. 

What many people don’t realize is that every soap you buy in the grocery store (unless it's nothing more than a list of chemicals) starts off as fats or oils that have been transformed into soap using lye – or, by it’s chemical name, sodium hydroxide.  If you’ve got a bar of soap in your bathroom that’s still in it’s wrapper, go get it.  Yes, really!   It’s OK, we’ll wait.


Alright.  Now look at the list of ingredients.  Is sodium cocoate in the list?  Or sodium palmate?   Sodium tallowate?  Those are simply the chemical names for oils or fats that have been transformed into soap with lye.  The process is called “saponification,” from the Latin sapo, or soap.  Sodium cocoate is the chemical name for saponified coconut oil.  Sodium palmate is saponified palm oil.  Sodium tallowate is saponified animal fat. 
But because many people aren’t actually aware of this, I can understand when they’re a little leery.  Sodium hydroxide is a caustic chemical that must be used with care.  But it is neutralized and rendered completely harmless when combined with oils to make soap.  And unlike the old fashioned days, there’s no hit-and-miss here.  All oils and other additives are carefully measured to a 10th of an ounce, and sodium hydroxide (or potassium hydroxide for liquid soaps) is measured even more precisely in grams.  We want to make sure that whatever touches your skin is as safe and gentle as anything we would let touch our skin.
    What exactly are essential oils?
Essential oils are fragrant oils obtained directly from plant sources, extracted from the leaves, flowers, stems, roots, seeds, or bark of the plant, or the rind of the fruit, as in the case of citrus essential oils.  Some are relatively inexpensive because the oil is plentiful and easily extracted. Others, such as pure jasmine or rose essential oils, are prohibitively expensive (like $100 an ounce or more!) because a huge amount of plant material must be processed to produce even a small amount of oil.  
While natural essential oils are more expensive to use than synthetic fragrance oils, we use them whenever possible and practical because we prefer natural ingredients, and because essential oils contribute more than just scent to our products.  Tea tree oil, for example, is well known for its healing and antibacterial properties. Lavender and ylang ylang oils are known for their calming, relaxing qualities. 
    I've always liked castille soap.  Do you make that?
Yes.  Almost.  That is, we make an "almost castille" soap with 80 percent olive oil and the remainder a combination of palm kernel, castor, and jojoba oils.  It's our baby soap, and it has no additives for scent or color.  It's available by special order.  Extremely mild and safe for all skin types.

But you should know that almost all of what's marketed as castille soap is not true castille.  True castille is made only with olive oil.  But olive oil alone produces a soap with a creamy lather and few bubbles.  We like castille with a little more life to it, so we add small amounts of palm kernel and castor oil.  All the benefits of castille, but with just a bit more body and sudsiness.
Fans of castille soap have loved our Sensitive Skin Formula.  It's just as mild but produces sudsier lather so it can be used effectively as a hand, facial, bath, and shower soap.  It has no color or scent additives, and we substitute babassu oil for the coconut oil we would normally use to create an extra gentle, non-sensitizing, and especially emollient soap.  If we still had problems with eczema, this is the only soap we would ever use.  And it's good for all skin types.   
    Are there different soaps for different seasons?
    Submitted by S. Lulkin, Chicago, IL
Yes.  During harsh winter weather, the dryness of the air can suck the moisture out of anyone's skin, and soaps formulated to be moisturizing are the best choices for most people.  Our suggestions include the Lavender Oatmilk, Rosemary Lemon, Sensitive Skin Formula, Luxury Bar, Herbal Spice, and Fresh Cucumber soaps. 

In summer, however, especially when my skin feels hot and sticky, my favorite for whole body use is the Soothing Skin Refresher bar.  It's formulated for oilier skin types, and even though I have drier skin, its gently astringent, skin toning qualities leave me feeling wonderully fresh and clean and dry.  
And for summer facial use, I love the Deep Cleansing Bar.  Sun and heat stimulates the production of skin oil, and my face can get very oily, despite my tendency toward dry skin.  Using this soap 3 or 4 times a week helps keep my skin clear and free of blemishes.


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