Process Explained
SOAP MAKING PROCESS EXPLAINED
At Dublin Soap, the process of making our WILDCRAFTED handmade soap cubes consists of several different phases which actually take place over a course of minimum of 14 weeks. Our soap cubes are made completely from scratch by hand using the cold process method of soap making.
How do we make our soap cubes?
1. Foraging
The process of making our WILDCRAFTED soap cubes starts in the Irish countryside, when we take nature walks outside Dublin city, in the Wicklow Mountains and beyond. The plants are ethically harvested during the seasons from April until October. During those months we travel around Ireland collecting wild botanical ingredients which are letter used in our soap recipes. We often talk to the local people who share their knowledge with us and some even direct us to those special places where the plants grow. As an example, our Seaweeds come from Achill Island, our Wild Purple Heather and the Bog Peat from an area around Blacksod, Co. Mayo, our Wild Mint from Mullingar and our Damsons from Clerihan, Co. Tipperary.
2. Distilling
If we have enough fresh plant material we extract the precious components via steam distillation. The steam distillation of aromatic herbs, flowers and seaweeds results in a production of hydrosols. Hydrosols are flower, herbal or algae essential waters which we use in our soap cubes production.
3. Drying
Most of the harvested wild plants are dried in an airy, dark place for about a week. Afterwards, they are stored in glass jars protected from sunlight so as to hold the colour and scent of the fresh plants.
4. Infusing
a) Oil infusions
Some dry plants and seaweeds are soaked in olive oil and kept in a dark, cool and dry place for 4-6 weeks. Oil infusions is a process of transferring the therapeutic components and scents of plants into a carrier oil.
b) Tea infusions
Tea infusions is a process of steeping dry seaweeds, plants, fruits and berries in hot water. It takes 15 minutes to several hours. The purpose of tea infusions is to extract the therapeutic nutrients and antioxidants from the plant material.
5. Powdering
A portion of the dry plants are being crushed or made into a powder with the intention to add texture, speckles or colour intensity to the soap cubes. These crashed and powdered plants help exfoliate dead cells and improve skin's circulation during daily wash. They play an important function as they help to convey nourishment into your skin and transport waste from it, keeping your skin nourished and detoxified.
6. Saponification and Moulding
Our handmade cold process method of making soap cubes starts with combining organic, virgin vegetable oils, raw organic butters, lye, spring water, wild botanical ingredients, clays, essential oils, and various other natural ingredients. Soap comes from a chemical reaction between fats, lye and water. This process is called saponification. Only gentle heat is applied during this process preserving the benefits of the natural ingredients. We retain all the glycerine which is a naturally occurring by-product during the saponification process. Glycerine is one of the things that makes our handmade soap cubes so amazing. It adds cleansing properties and attracts moisture to the skin so it stays hydrated. It is an emollient, a substance which helps to sooth and soften the skin. Towards the end of this process the melted soap mixture is poured into a mould and set aside until it is cool and solid.
7. Unmoulding, Cutting, Stamping
24-48 hours later, the block of soap is taken out of the mould, cut into smaller blocks and subsequently into cubes. The soap cubes are stamped on the same day or a day after with our Dublin Soap logo.
8. Curing
Our stamped soap cubes are placed on trays and left to cure for 2-9 months. Due to water evaporation and crystallisation process the soap cubes continue to lose weight. The weight of each soap cube goes down from over 140g to slightly over 130g before they are offered for sale. However, this is compensated with the increase of glycerine concentration and consequently more voluminous lather. Soaps that are allowed to fully crystallise become harder and longer lasting. Naturally created glycerine acts as humectant and as emollient hence it aids in skin hydration, improves cutaneous elasticity and epidermal barrier repair.
9. Labelling + Packaging
Labelling process starts with printing out both, the soap cubes and gift boxes labels. The soap cubes are packaged in Jute Bags with a hang tag, Paulownia Wooden Boxes or are 'Nacked' - wrapped in a tissue paper.
10. Packing
Printing your address and packing the soaps is the last job before they are shipped.
11. Shipping
Dublin Soap goods are shipped with the Standard and Registered Post services from An Post. See shipping policy page.