This is a great question that is discussed extensively within the soap-making world. There is no black-and-white answer, and both have pros and cons, so here we will look at these so you can make an informed choice or decide if you are happy to use both. What are fragrance oils?In a nutshell, fragrance oils are synthetically produced in a laboratory and can have numerous different component ingredients. This does not mean they are a bad thing. Far from it - providing you ensure your fragrance oils are high quality and suitable for cold process soap making, they will be very safe to use and ..read more

When you want to make your first loaf of soap, the raft of online recipes can be a little overwhelming. It is like knowing whether to start your baking journey with cookies, cupcakes or a lemon drizzle cake. I like to take things back to basics, with a simple recipe and ingredients that are relatively cheap and easy to get hold of. There are not many kinds of butter or oils that you can use on their own to make soap; only coconut or olive oil fits the bill. Olive oil is lovely but needs a long cure time. Coconut oil, however, is brilliant, readily available and gives a beautiful hard bar of ..read more

Making your own cold process soap from scratch may seem daunting at first. Visions of laboratories, bubbling pans and science equipment spring to mind, but the reality is very different. Soap making is a science but getting started is easier than you might think. You may have dabbled with melt and pour but are keen on the freedom to experiment a little more, or maybe you want to choose exactly what goes into your skin care products. Either way, take a look at our ‘Getting Started’ checklist. Basic Equipment  At the very bare minimum, you will need the following: 2 x 1-litre kitchen gr ..read more

Whilst many of us dabble in making our own balms, body butters, scrubs and more, diving into the world of soap making can often seem a little more complicated and overwhelming. With good reason, there is melt and pour soap making, cold process soap making, and hot process soap making; you may also have read about milling and rebatching. That is a lot to take on when starting, so this is about demystifying the process and helping you decide which method is right for you. Before we get into the different methods, let us take a very quick whistle-stop tour of what soap is and how it is made. In a ..read more