In Seattle, we call it "Liquid Sunshine"

It's another dreary, wet day in Seattle.  As I sit here wondering whether the rain will let up long enough to allow a quick walk to the grocery store, a question I am asked very frequently (you might even say it is one of my most Frequently Asked Questions!) comes to mind:

"Is your soap really made out of rainwater?"  In a word, yes!  It is free and plentiful (in Seattle, anyway), and makes great soap because it does not contain the minerals that contaminate ground water.  I purify it to make it drinking quality and use it in the soapmaking process.

What else is in the soap, you ask?  The main ingredients are pure vegetable oils.  I use a combination of oils from olives, coconuts, and palm fruits to create a mild soap that is long-lasting with a rich lather.  I never use detergents or animal fats, which can make a bar harsh on the skin.  My other ingredients include natural ingredients for color or scrub, and my own blends of essential oils and skin-safe fragrances.  I do not use parabens or other similar preservatives.

What about glycerin?  Glycerin is a natural product of the soapmaking process, and occurs in Seattle Rainwater Soaps in large amounts.  You will not see it on the ingredient list because it is not an added ingredient.  I don't have to add it - it's already there!  Many of the so-called "glycerin soaps" you see in the commercial marketplace are not true soaps at all.  They are detergent bars with glycerin added to temper the drying effects of the lather-enhancers.

It's a dangerous job, but somebody's gotta do it.

Does your soap contain lye?  No.  This is a little more complicated to answer, since I do use lye to make the soap, but it is not present in the finished product.  Think of it this way - the chemical formula for water is H2O, which means that each molecule of water has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.  You may know that hydrogen gas is very flammable, and quite dangerous on its own.  But when combined with the right amount of oxygen it creates the very water we use to bathe, nourish our bodies, and make soap!
Lye in soapmaking is the same.  When oil is combined with lye, it saponifies, or undergoes a chemical reaction turning it into soap.  Just like the hydrogen-oxygen-water story, it takes just the right amount of oil and lye to make a wonderfully mild soap.  Your great-grandma didn't have pure, standardized lye like I do (in fact, she may have made her own out of wood ash), or pure oils with known saponification values, and she certainly didn't have a digital scale to measure it, so you may have heard stories about handmade soaps being harsh.  That is no longer the case, as my customers can attest.

That wraps it up for now.  Thanks for reading; I hope you learned a little something about Seattle Rainwater Soaps!  Hmmm... now, I wonder if I can make it to the grocery store without getting drenched.