Handmade soap usually means soap made from scratch in small batches: oils or fats mixed with lye (sodium hydroxide) and water, poured into molds, cut into bars and left to cure. The chemical reaction between the oil and the lye, called saponification, turns them into soap and glycerin. Once it's finished, there's no lye left in a properly made bar.

Cold process, hot process, melt and pour

Cold process is the classic method. The soap is mixed at low temperature, poured, and then cured for about four to six weeks so the water evaporates and the bar hardens. Olive oil soap is usually made this way.

Hot process cooks the batter so it finishes saponifying faster. The bars look more rustic.

Melt and pour starts with a ready-made soap base that gets melted, scented and molded. It's easy to make at home, but strictly speaking the soap itself wasn't made by hand.

How it differs from supermarket soap

Most mass-market bars are either soap with the glycerin removed and sold separately, or synthetic detergent bars ("beauty bars") that aren't technically soap. Handmade soap keeps its glycerin, which is why many people find it less drying. It also varies a bit from bar to bar, and it softens faster if it sits in water, so keep it on a draining dish.

Is it better?

For a lot of people it's simply nicer to use. That said, it's still soap: alkaline, and not great on hair. If you have very sensitive skin, a fragrance-free bar is the safer choice.

Where ours comes from

Our olive oil soaps are made in Ayvacık, Çanakkale, in Turkey. There's more about that in why Ayvacık soap is different. For guest bathrooms, see our guest soaps.