information about ingredients i commonly use in my soap. all ingredients are vegetable derived
i will not teach you how to use soap, i will not give out my sources
Every single one of Lydia's soap recipes are made from scratch, perfected over years of experimentation!
Every single one of Lydia's soap recipes are made from scratch, perfected over years of experimentation!
PACKAGING
CURE PERIOD
All of the monster soaps are cured for about 3 months in a temperature-controlled closet before being sold. This cure period allows for the bars to harden, scents to mature, and colors to shift to give you the most pleasant-to-use bar possible.
FRAGRANCE
Most of the monster soap line leans into earthy, mysterious scents that make you think of Autumn, really complimenting the rest of Lydia's artistic style.
SALT & SODIUM LACTATE - Used to make a bar harder
OILS
All oils used in Lydia's monster soaps are high quality.
OTHER INGREDIENTS:
- LYE - This is what turns fats into soap! You cannot make true soap without it, as the addition of lye is what creates the chemical reaction of fats into soap. Though it must be listed in the ingredient list, no lye remains in the final product.
- SALT - Used to harden bars. In the case of soleseife bars like Siren Song, it also gives a silky feel!
- WATER - Part of the base chemicals to make soap. I only used distilled water.
- BEER - Used as a natural colorant and to boost bubbles. As of 2022, I use only my own in-studio brewed amber ale!
- PUMPKIN & OTHER PUREES - Used as a natural colorant and for how they make the final soap feel, all organic.
- COCONUT MILK - Used for a silky feel, organic.
- MICA - Not considered by the FDA as a 'natural' ingredient, but is a skin-safe, colorful mineral mined from the Earth. See Colorant section for more info.
- ACTIVATED CHARCOAL - A skin-safe charcoal that is used as a natural colorant.
- CLAYS - Used as a natural colorant and the silky feel they give. Kaolin is also used to naturally help scents last.
- ALLSPICE, ALMOND MEAL, TEA LEAVES, ETC - Used as a skin exfoliant, a natural colorant, and/or for visuals.
- PINE TAR - Created from the sap of pine, this is a traditional soap ingredient used as both a colorant and natural fragrance. It smells similar to a campfire.
- "FRAGRANCE" - The fragrance oils I use are high quality, mixed from a combination of synthetic and essential oils. They are skin safe and do not contain harmful ingredients like formaldehyde.
- HONEY & BEESWAX - As of 2022, I use honey/wax sourced only from local, small bee keepers & farmers based in the Georgia mountains.
ANIMAL PRODUCTS:
All ingredients I use are vege-based unless otherwise mentioned. You can check to see if a specific soap you're considering is fully vegetarian or not by checking the description.
- HONEY & BEESWAX - I use honey/wax sourced from local, small bee keepers & farmers in the Georgia mountains.
- LARD - Used as an oil replacement for those sensitive to coconut oil & to harken to traditional soap recipes. At this moment, I cannot get this ingredient locally.
NO WASTE GUARENTEE
All soap scraps are saved and reconstituted into label name! This soap half made of scrap, half new ingredients.
Soaps that have failed majorly in some way can almost always be recycled, thankfully. These are never thrown away and are instead either saved for personal use, scraped to recycle into new soap, or if they're not too bad, sold as scratch & dent at discount!
Soaps that have failed majorly in some way can almost always be recycled, thankfully. These are never thrown away and are instead either saved for personal use, scraped to recycle into new soap, or if they're not too bad, sold as scratch & dent at discount!