The craft of making soap by hand has been rediscovered and refined beyond the lye soap my grandmother made a few decades ago. We still use lye — all soap requires lye to facilitate the saponification (the making of soap) process. But today's soapmakers have access to well-tested formulas and techniques; a large variety of vegetable oils; the availability of plant-based essential oils for fragrance and aromatherapy benefits, and other additives such as grains, herbs and natural colorants. A blend of both science and art, this is natural soap in its true and most pure form. Grandmother would be very proud!