Soap Making

Starting at my kitchen table Rose Valley Naturals has grown from my effort to provide the soothing effects of natural soap beyond my friends and neighbors. Rose Valley Naturals soaps are painstakingly handcrafted in small, quality controlled batches to produce a rich and long-lasting true soap that lifts dirt and oils and leaves the skin healthy and glowing.

ROSE VALLEY NATURALS makes soap the traditional way by combining fats or oils with lye and using water as a catalyst to initiate a chemical reaction (called saponification) that turns the fat into soap. Fats and oils can be derived from animals and plants. Lye was originally obtained from wood ashes and is now produced commercially. ROSE VALLEY NATURALS uses no animal fats! Instead, we use a unique blend of coconut, palm, olive, canola, and soy oils. Each oil brings its unique quality to the soap. Olive oil is good for the skin and produces fine, silky bubbles; coconut oil produces big, fluffy bubbles.

ROSE VALLEY NATURALS produces hand-crafted soaps using the cold-process method. Rather than using artificial heat, which would quicken the process but also destroys many of the valuable properties of the ingredients, we slowly combine the lye and oils, adding distilled water from here in central Pennsylvania. This mixture produces a physical reaction that generates the heat and drives the saponification process. The warm mixture is poured into insulated wooden molds to prolong the cooling process so the soap cures naturally. Using this cold-process method saponification takes several days to complete but produces a superior, long-lasting soap. Many commercial soap makers use artificial heat to separate glycerin from the soap mixture. The glycerin is then sold separately, often for use in skin lotions. However, removing glycerin significantly reduces the quality of the soap.

To create specialty soaps ROSE VALLEY NATURALS incorporates additional ingredients into the basic mixture. Scenting oils are often added; either essential or fragrance oils. Essential oils are made by distilling the oil out of a plant as is done with lavender and patchouli. Fragrance oils are made by steeping a natural ingredient in alcohol as is done with vanilla. Oatmeal or red clay can be added to provide an abrasive element; coffee grounds are added to make a soap that neutralizes odors on the hands; Vitamin E and grapefruit seed extract are added to all soaps. ROSE VALLEY NATURALS offers you the opportunity to create signature scents that is unique. You can customize the ingredients to meet your skin care needs. Just contact us for details.

ROSE VALLEY NATURALS soap is available in loaves or individually wrapped bars. Wholesale, retail and custom orders are welcome. We also offer specialty soaps and packaging for wedding favors, party gifts, or fund raisers.