Now we might be biased here, but to say that we’re obsessed with the art of soap-making would be a serious understatement. That being said, we never tire of going in-depth with everything that goes into the making of a Senteurs d’Orient soap. This week, we’re taking you to our headquarters in Lebanon to give a behind-the-scenes peek into our production process. Scroll down for exclusive photos of our team in action.
Step 1: Mixing ingredients
We hand-mix the main ingredients - hydrating Shea butter, Glycerin, fragrance and pure essential oils - to create the soap base.
![](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0881/8916/files/01-1_grande.jpg?2593576977896717419)
![](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0881/8916/files/01-2_grande.jpg?2593576977896717419)
![](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0881/8916/files/01-3_grande.jpeg?2593576977896717419)
Step 2: Extrusion
The soap base goes into a plodder, a machine which refines the soap base into a uniform texture and shape.
![](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0881/8916/files/02_grande.jpeg?2593576977896717419)
Step 3: Roll-mill
Then, we put the soap base into the roll-mill to homogenize the ingredients in the soap base.
![](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0881/8916/files/03_grande.jpeg?2593576977896717419)
Step 4: Extrusion (yes, again!)
We refine the soap base multiple times by running it through the plodder once again. The finished product goes out in the form of a long rectangular block.
![](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0881/8916/files/04_grande.jpeg?2593576977896717419)
Step 5: Hydraulic Cutting Machine
It sounds a lot scarier than it actually is - the next step in the milling process involves a machine where we can manually cut the desired length from the soap paste into desired sizes.
![](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0881/8916/files/05_grande.jpeg?2593576977896717419)
Step 6: Semi-automatic Soap Press
The last step of making the soap is to use the semi-manual machine to engrave each soap- individually with our brand filigree.
![](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0881/8916/files/06_grande.jpeg?2593576977896717419)
Step 7: Drying
We let our soaps dry for ten days. (Don’t they look beautiful?)
![](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0881/8916/files/soap-drying_grande.jpg?10529091582444321907)
Step 8: Packaging
The very final step of our craftsmanship process is to individually handwrap each soap with our origami-inspired paper and technique. Voilà!
![](http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0881/8916/files/08_grande.jpeg?2593576977896717419)