Why Handmade Soaps Need Time to Cure

Mar 21, 2025

Why Handmade Soaps Need Time to Cure
By Hilary Bergamini

The short answer? It's all about quality — for your skin, and for the bar itself.

Handmade soap is packed with glycerin, a natural by-product of the soapmaking process that most commercial soaps strip away. Glycerin is an incredible moisturizer — it’s what's known as an emollient, meaning it draws moisture from the air and helps your skin retain hydration throughout the day. This is one of the biggest reasons handmade soap feels so nourishing and gentle compared to the bars you’ll find on most store shelves.

Commercial soaps are often stripped of their glycerin so it can be used in other skincare products like lotions and moisturizers. What’s left behind is a bar that’s loaded with salts, sulphates, and synthetic drying agents. These ingredients not only dehydrate your skin — they also allow the soap to harden quickly, meaning there’s little or no curing time needed.

But at THE BAR ABOVE®, we don’t rush it.

Our handmade soaps are made without those harsh additives, which means they need time to naturally cure. Curing allows the water content in the bar to slowly evaporate, resulting in a harder, longer-lasting soap that produces a better lather and holds up in your shower.

So while it may take a little patience, it’s worth the wait.

You're getting a better bubble, a bar that lasts longer, and that all-important double-dose of moisture — all thanks to the naturally retained glycerin and a little bit of time.

Your skin will thank you.

With love,
Hilary
THE BAR ABOVE®

Back to Raising The Bar

My favorite night cream

I use the tallow face cream as my nightly moisturizer, and it makes my skin feel incredibly soft and hydrated. It’s become an essential part of my evening routine!

The best!

It’s the kind of luxury you never knew you needed, until you try it. Now, I can’t imagine going without it! Leaves your skin feeling unbelievably soft, like a baby’s. Absolutely obsessed!

Sugar Poppy is the best.

After a sudden, unexplained, onset of eczema last year, I tried everything to reduce the itchy, red patches but nothing worked. After using Sugar Daddy (now Sugar Poppy) two to three times per week for a few weeks, my skin feels so much better. It’s been a game changer for me. Thanks TBA!

Sugar Mama

I love this scrub! It smells so fresh with hints of lemongrass and is so easy to apply. I really like the texture of it- it is very airy and lightweight and is not greasy or soupy like a lot of other scrubs. It is easy to scoop out of the container and rub onto to my skin. It exfoliates and leaves my skin feeling super moisturized due to the tallow in the product. So happy to have found this product!

Holy grail status

After ten years of searching for a body lotion that actually helped my eczema instead of making it worse, I finally found Balm Sunday. Everything else I tried—especially the stuff full of preservatives or even some derm-recommended products—either irritated my skin more or just didn’t do anything. Most lotions were thin, runny, or had that waxy, artificial feel. You can tell when it’s fake.

I’ve been using Balm Sunday every day after my shower for over a year now, and it has completely cleared up my eczema. On top of that, it’s evened out my skin tone—areas that used to be dry and patchy from eczema now tan evenly again. This is hands down my holy grail. I’ll never use anything else.

Why Handmade Soaps Need Time to Cure

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