Everything you ever wanted to know about
handmade natural soap and a little bit more.

We are proud to carry Ipswich Bay Soaps at Back To Nature Gifts.

All About Ipswich Bay Soap Company, in their own words.

"Ipswich Bay is a family owned and operated organic natural soap company located in historic Ipswich, Massachusetts. After growing up in the third oldest house in the country and then renovated and settled into a 250 year old farmhouse (The Old Cross Farm) I decided to take on a new but old adventure in my life. I decided on a very old profession, making handmade natural soap as it should be made with care and quality, in the old tradition. So now, this organic natural soap made with the finest ingredients, the utmost care is made in one of the oldest homes in America.....over 250 years old, made in the old way! In the oldest handmade natural soap factory in America.

Using a blend of pure olive oil combined with shea butter and coconut oil, Ipswich Bay Soap has created the ultimate moisturizing organic natural soap. These soaps have a creamy lather which leaves the skin feeling soft and supple, never tight. The handmade natural soaps are 100% natural containing dried herbs, natural oxides and ultramarines, pure essential oils and fragrances. These organic natural soaps are very lightly scented and are suitable for a variety of skin types. Ipswich Bay Soap bars are cut into generous, 4 oz. bars. There is an organic natural soap designed specifically for eczema (Ben's Bar) and another for acne (Tea Tree & Peppermint Scrub). Each batch is made by hand and cured for 4 weeks.

We add precise amounts of lye and water to our own special blend of olive oil, coconut oil, and shea butter. It is important to have both the lye mixture and the oils be at exactly the same temperature. Using a hand-held stick blender, the lye mixture is slowly added to the oil mixture. What makes our handmade natural soaps so special and so different from commercial soap is that they naturally contain glycerin. Glycerin is a natural byproduct of the cold process soap method. Commercial soap makers intentionally remove the glycerin from their soap and sell it as a separate product to the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. By removing the natural glycerin, commercial soap can be very drying.

After blending the mixture for about 10 minutes, the handmade natural soap begins to thicken. This stage is called "trace." At this point, dried herbs, seeds or oats can be added along with essential oils and fragrances. The mixture is then carefully poured into lined, wooden molds. The molds are covered and left to cure for 24 hours.

After 24 hours, the top layer of organic natural soap is skimmed off to remove any soda ash that may have formed. Then the mold is carefully inverted and the natural soap is removed. The long loaf of soap is slowly pressed through a specially designed soap cutter. Each loaf will yield about 24 bars of handmade natural soap. The bars are then left to cure for about 4 weeks. All natural handmade soap is wonderful for your skin, because it contains the natural glycerin which occurs in the organic natural soap making process. Most commercial soaps have their glycerin extracted and sold to other industries. This is why your skin feels dry and itchy after you use them. The glycerin in handmade organic natural soap leaves your skin silky soft!

Indulge yourself. Take a bath the old vintage way!"