When Maddi and I Started Making Soap in Our Enola Home…

Hey friends! Stacie here (Momma Bear). People are always curious about how we actually make our products. At craft shows, I hear questions like:

“Do you really make this yourself?”
“What does ‘cold process’ mean?”
“How long does it take to make a batch?”
“Can I watch you make soap sometime?”

So let me take you behind the scenes of our Enola, PA home/workspace and tell you exactly how we create every batch of soap, lotion bars, body butters, and more.

Fair warning: Once you understand how much work goes into handmade soap, you’ll never look at a $1 drugstore bar the same way again!

Why Cold Process Soap? (It’s Not Just Marketing)

Before I walk you through our process, let me explain WHY we use the cold process method for the majority of our soapmaking. There are other ways to make soap, but cold process is the gold standard for quality.

What Is Cold Process Soap?

Cold process soap is made by combining oils/fats with lye (sodium hydroxide) and water. This triggers a chemical reaction called saponification - the oils and lye transform into soap + natural glycerin.

Here’s what makes it special:

Natural glycerin stays in the soap - Commercial soap companies remove glycerin to sell separately. We leave it in for your skin’s benefit!
No external heat needed - The reaction creates its own heat, preserving the beneficial properties of our oils and butters
Full control over ingredients - We choose every single ingredient that goes into our products
Better for your skin - Gentle, moisturizing, and actually good for you

The trade-off? It takes TIME. Cold process soap requires 4-6 weeks of curing before it’s ready to use. But trust me, it’s worth the wait.

Our Soap Making Process: Step by Step

Let me walk you through exactly how Maddi and I make a batch of soap in our Enola workspace.

Step 1: Recipe Planning & Ingredient Prep

What we do: Before we even start, I plan the recipe. How much olive oil? How much coconut? What essential oils? What additions (oatmeal, honey, goat’s milk)?

Why it matters: Every oil brings different properties. Olive oil = gentle and moisturizing. Coconut oil = lather and cleansing. Shea butter = deep moisture. The recipe determines how your soap will feel on your skin.

Stacie’s take: “After years of making soap, I can look at a recipe and know how it’ll turn out. But when I was starting? I tested EVERYTHING. I still test every new recipe on myself first before offering it to customers.”

Family note: Maddi helps me measure and prep all our ingredients. We work side-by-side, usually with music or movies playing, making it a real family production.

Step 2: Safety First - Working with Lye

What we do: We carefully measure lye and mix it with distilled water (or goat’s milk for milk soaps).

Why it matters: Lye is caustic and requires respect. We work in a well-ventilated area, never rushing this step.

The magic: Once lye mixes with water, it heats up to 200°F! This is the exothermic reaction that starts the soapmaking process.

Stacie’s take: “People worry about lye, and I get it. But here’s the truth: once saponification is complete and the soap cures, there’s NO lye left. It’s all transformed into soap.”

What customers don’t see: This step takes about 10-15 minutes, and We’re hyper-focused. Scott knows not to distract us during lye mixing!

Step 3: Melting & Blending Oils

What we do: While the lye solution cools, We measure and melt our oils and butters. Olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter - whatever the recipe calls for.

Why it matters: Different oils melt at different temperatures. Getting them to the right temperature (usually around 100-110°F) before mixing with lye ensures proper saponification.

Stacie’s take: “I use a digital thermometer for both my lye solution and my oils. Temperature matters! Too hot or too cold, and the soap won’t trace properly.”

What “trace” means: It’s when the soap mixture thickens to a pudding-like consistency. That’s when I know saponification is happening!

Step 4: The Mix - Where It All Comes Together

What we do: When both lye solution and oils reach the right temperature, we carefully combine them. Using a stick blender, we blend until the mixture reaches “trace.”

Why it matters: This is where oils + lye become SOAP. The mixture transforms before your eyes, going from two separate liquids to one unified, thickening mixture.

Stacie’s take: “This is my favorite part. Watching the chemistry happen in real-time never gets old. It’s like magic, except it’s science.”

Timing: Light trace takes 2-5 minutes. Heavy trace (for textured tops) takes longer. Experience teaches you exactly when to stop blending.

Step 5: Adding the Good Stuff

What we do: Once we reach trace, this is when I add:

Essential oils or fragrance oils
Natural colorants (clays, micas, plant powders)
Special additions (oatmeal, coffee grounds, activated charcoal, honey)

Why it matters: Adding these AFTER trace means they don’t interfere with saponification. Plus, essential oils keep their scent better when not exposed to lye for too long.

Stacie’s take: “This is where personality comes in! A basic soap recipe becomes Lavender Goat Milk, or Activated Charcoal Tea Tree, or Oatmeal Honey based on what I add here.”

Step 6: Into the Molds

What we do: I pour the soap mixture into silicone molds.

Why it matters: The mold shape determines the final bar shape. We use a mix of loaf molds (cut into bars later) and individual bar molds.

Stacie’s take: “I have a collection of molds now - some practical, some fun. Every soaper eventually becomes a mold hoarder!”

What happens next: The soap goes through “gel phase” - it heats up from the inside as saponification continues. Sometimes I insulate the molds with towels to encourage full gel. Other times, I want partial gel for certain effects.

Timing: Soap stays in the mold for 12-48 hours, depending on the recipe.

Step 7: Unmolding & Cutting

What we do: After 24-48 hours, the soap is firm enough to unmold. If it’s a loaf, we cut it into individual bars using a soap cutter.

Why it matters: Cutting too early = mushy bars. Cutting too late = crumbly bars. There’s a sweet spot!

Stacie’s take: “I hand-cut every bar. Some soapers use fancy multi-bar cutters, but I like the control of cutting one at a time.”

Quality check: This is when I inspect each bar. Any cosmetic imperfections? Any issues? I trim and bevel the edges for a nice finished look.

What you might not know: Not every bar is perfect. Sometimes we keep “ugly soap” for our family or offer it as “rustic cut” at a discount. Waste nothing!

Step 8: The Wait - Curing Time

What we do: Freshly cut bars go onto Papa Bear’s custom-built curing racks in our curing room.

Why it matters: This is the HARDEST part for us - waiting! Soap needs 4-6 weeks to cure properly. During this time:

Excess water evaporates
Bars get harder and longer-lasting
The pH drops to skin-safe levels
The soap becomes milder and gentler

Stacie’s take: “When people ask ‘why does handmade soap cost more?’, I point to this. Four to six WEEKS of curing time means I can’t sell it right away. That’s commitment to quality over quick profit.”

The curing room: Temperature-controlled, good airflow, away from direct sunlight.

Step 9: Final Quality Check & Packaging

What we do: After curing, every bar gets a final inspection:

Does it look good?
Does it smell right?
Is it the right hardness?
Any issues?

Why it matters: I personally check every bar before it goes to a customer. If it doesn’t meet my standards, it doesn’t leave our home.

Stacie’s take: “My standard is simple: Would I give this to my grandson? If the answer is no, it doesn’t get sold.”

Packaging: We wrap bars in simple, eco-friendly packaging. Each gets a label with ingredients and scent. We keep packaging minimal - you’re paying for quality soap, not fancy boxes.

How We Make Other Products

Lotion Bars & Body Butters

The process: Much simpler than cold process soap!

Melt: Cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil, beeswax
Cool slightly: Let it cool just a bit
Add scent: Essential oils or fragrance oils
Pour or whip: For lotion bars, pour into molds. For body butters, cool and whip with a mixer until fluffy!
Package: Fill tins or jars

Why it’s different: No lye, no curing time! But it still requires careful temperature control and quality ingredients.

Stacie’s take: “Body butters are my stress relief. There’s something therapeutic about whipping up a fluffy batch of coconut-lavender body butter!”

Tattoo Luv (Our Professional Line)

The process: Similar to lotion bars but with specific ratios for tattoo use.

What makes it special: We formulated this WITH tattoo artists (shoutout to Mike Mavretic!). It needed to:

Glide smoothly during tattooing
Not wipe away stencils
Not clog tubes
Double as aftercare

The result: A carefully balanced blend of shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, and natural ingredients that does both jobs beautifully.

Stacie’s take: “Tattoo Luv is our ‘fancy’ product. It took months of testing and artist feedback to get it right.”

Why Handmade Takes So Long (And Why It’s Worth It)

Let me break down the ACTUAL time investment for one batch of cold process soap:

Planning & ingredient prep: 30 minutes
Mixing & pouring: 1-2 hours
Curing: 4-6 WEEKS
Cutting & finishing: 1 hour
Quality check & packaging: 30 minutes

Total active time: About 3-4 hours Total calendar time: 4-6 WEEKS

Compare this to mass-produced soap: Made in hours, on shelves in days, contains synthetic detergents and removed glycerin.

Our way takes longer. But you get:

Real soap (not detergent)
Natural glycerin (moisture for your skin)
Quality ingredients (no shortcuts)
Personal attention (every bar inspected)
Small batch freshness (made recently, not sitting in warehouses)

What Makes Our Process Different from Big Companies

Big Soap Companies:

Mass production (thousands of bars per hour)
Synthetic detergents (not real soap)
Glycerin removed and sold separately
Artificial fragrances and harsh chemicals
Months in warehouses before reaching stores
Quality control is automated sampling

Momma Bears Creations:

Small batch (30-50 bars per batch)
True cold process soap
Natural glycerin retained
Natural ingredients and real essential oils
Made fresh, sold within weeks of curing
Every bar personally inspected by Stacie

The result? You get soap that’s genuinely better for your skin, made by people who actually care.

Behind the Scenes: Our Workspace

Where we work: Mostly in our Enola home home and dedicated workspace. It’s not a fancy factory - it’s real family space.

What it looks like:

Home counter becomes mixing station
Papa Bear’s custom curing racks in the dedicated curing room
Shelves of oils, butters, essential oils, and supplies
Molds stacked everywhere (I told you soapers hoard molds!)
Digital scale, thermometers, stick blender - our essential tools

Who you might see: Stacie mixing soap, Maddi measuring oils, Scott building something to solve a workspace problem, and sometimes our grandson watching Grandma work!

What you won’t see: Fancy machinery, automated systems, or factory production lines. Just two women making quality products by hand, one batch at a time.

Common Questions About Our Process

“Can I watch you make soap?”

Not during production (lye safety!), but I LOVE talking about the process at craft shows! Come visit us at East Pennsboro Pumpkinfest or Carlisle Creative Vibes and ask me anything.

“How many bars can you make in a day?”

One batch (30-50 bars depending on recipe) takes about 3-4 hours active time. I can make 2-3 batches in a heavy production day, but that’s exhausting! Usually we do 1-2 batches and call it good.

“Do you ever mess up a batch?”

YES! Sometimes recipes don’t trace right, colors turn weird, scents don’t smell how I expected. When that happens, I either rebatch it or use it as “family soap.” I’m honest about imperfections.

“What’s the hardest part of soapmaking?”

The waiting! I hate waiting 6 weeks to see how a new recipe turned out. But that patience = quality.

The Heart of Our Process: Why We Do What We Do

Here’s the truth: We could cut corners. We could use cheaper ingredients. We could skip the 6-week cure and sell soap earlier. We could automate more.

But we don’t.

Because when Maddi started this journey, it was about spending time with her son and making something meaningful.

When I (Stacie) make each batch, I think about the families who’ll use our products. The moms washing their babies. The people with sensitive skin who struggle to find gentle soap. The tattoo artists trusting our product on their clients.

Every batch matters. Every bar matters.

That’s why we do it the slow way. The quality way. The handmade way.

Experience the Difference

Ready to try products made with genuine care and time?

Visit in person: Carlisle Creative Vibes (152 N Hanover St, Carlisle, PA 17013)
Shop online: Momma Bears at Carlisle Creative Vibes
Find us at events: Follow Facebook for craft show updates

Want to learn more about our ingredients? Check out our Ingredients page to see exactly what goes into our products and why.

Have questions about our process? Message us on Facebook or visit our Contact page. We LOVE talking about soapmaking!

— Stacie, Maddi & Scott (Momma Bears Creations, Enola, PA)

P.S. - Yes, our house sometimes smells like soap. And yes, Papa Bear has gotten used to navigating around curing racks and molds. It’s all part of the family business charm!