What we're made of!

Saddle Soap

There are generally two processes of making soap: Cold process and hot process. While cold process is much more easier to control, you cannot choose which oils become soap and which are left over. This is why I use hot process so that I can ensure my soap is strictly made of tallow and coconut oil, not mink. This means the mink and lanolin are NOT converted into soap, leaving the best ingredients to benefit your leather.

Ingredients

Tallow Soap (Sodium Tallowate)
Coconut Soap (Sodium Cocoate)
Mink Oil
Lanolin
Carnauba Wax
Beeswax
Vitamin E
Citric Acid Soap (Sodium Citrate)
Essential Oils

Tallow Soap

Tallow soap is created from the saponification of Tallow fats with lye (sodium hydroxide). Because of the high amounts of saturated fat in tallow, it makes for an excellent, long lasting soap. Making soap from mink oil has no known benefits, unlike the oil by itself.

coconut oil soap

I use organic virgin coconut oil to make my soap. Coconut oil soap is created from the saponification of coconut fats with lye (sodium hydroxide) to create Sodium Cocoate. Coconut oil contains a high amount of saturated fats like Tallow, but helps to create more suds.

Citric Acid
-As soap-

Citric Acid is a natural extract mostly found in citrus fruits. It's function in soap is commonly associated with bringing down the pH levels, however this is not the case. It serves as a chelator, which binds to metal ions, preventing soap scum and rancidity. Very little citric acid is added during the soap making process to provide this benefit.

Mink Oil

I use 100% pure mink oil that is not rendered using chemicals.

Mink oil is an oil extracted from the belly fat of the mink. It is said that mink fat benefits can date back to fur-trapping Indians who would have their hands softened by the belly fat!

There's a few characteristics that make mink oil special to leather and skin care. One stems from a rare Omega-7 fatty acid, palmitoleic acid, shown to aid in the absorption rate of the oil, especially in human skin!

Mink oil is compromised of over 70% unsaturated fatty acids, yet has a comparable shelf life rating to its animal fat counterparts and other highly saturated fat heavy oils and butters. This fact alone is why mink oil is especially great, because it remains fluid in extremely cold temperatures, penetrates deeply into leather or living tissues while remaining oxidatively stable. These characteristics are usually counterintuitive to one another, however, mink oil remains the anomaly in the oil world!

Lanolin

I use anhydrous lanolin that is left in its natural, waxy form. This form of lanolin is the best for waterproofing leather, while at the same time providing it with strong lubricating properties.

Lanolin is secreted from sheep skin glands to naturally waterproof and moisturize their wool, and is harvested from freshly cut wool. I personally buy mine from a small, family farm here in the USA.

Beeswax

I use pure organic beeswax that isn't treated, filtered or extracted with any chemicals whatsoever! From USA bees and farm!

Beeswax acts as a safe, natural and strong barrier to help waterproof a leather surface and provide some abrasive protection!

The amount of wax leftover from soap is debatable and difficult to measure. Relying on it alone to protect your leather is not recommended

Carnauba Wax

I use organic pure carnauba wax, the strongest natural wax known on Earth and found on a special palm tree found only in brazil. It has a high melting point at 172°F, unlike beeswax at 145 °F.

It provides not only a stronger barrier on leather, but it makes for a better shine too!

Despite it's strong chemical composition, carnauba needs to be blended with beeswax to prevent it from being too brittle.

Vitamin E

I add additional pure Vitamin E (also naturally occuring in Mink oil) Alpha-tocopherol for added oxidative protection of the soap AND your leather.

Vitamin E is an important natural antioxidant that helps improve shelf-life and oxidation of natural oils. (For better understanding of oxidation damage of leather, visit here).

This is often where big companies use cheaper petroleum-based products instead to save money!

Essential Oils

I use 3 pure essential oils to make my scent: Sweet orange, Siberian Fir and Virginia Cedarwood using perfume-makers ratios to balance them!

The scent smells like fresh cut wood with a slight hint of sweet orange!

Some essential oils have health claims, like cedarwood to be fungicidal, although I can't substantiate these claims as of yet to be true or effective in leather care or in general.

Glycerin?

Glycerin is naturally formed during the soap making process, but often found advertised in many saddle soaps on the market. Glycerin is a humectant, a fancy way of saying that it attracts moisture. While it does create a barrier on leather that can keep moisture and oil sealed in, I refrain from adding more because leather doesn't need to attract moisture like human skin, this can arguably cause mold growth over an extended period of time. Unfortunately there's not a lot of info on the benefits of glycerin on leather(from scientific studies), but until I can find proof that it is better than worse, I will avoid adding extra to my leather soap.

Takeaway Notes

The amount of wax and oils leftover from soap is debatable and difficult to measure. Relying on it alone to protect and nourish your leather is not recommended. I write a lot about soap on my leather care page, and it's highly recommended to check out. Soap should be completely washed off your leather after application and should only be used in applications where your leather is dirty and can't be completely brushed off. (Application directions here) However, leather care is nothing to be anxious about, not much can destroy or damage leather beyond repair overnight! So if you have questions, please visit the contact page and ask away!

Thanks for reading, you're awesome!