S. H. Brothers Soap is hand-crafted in small batches by retired Brothers of the Sacred Heart at our retirement home in Pascoag, Rhode Island. Employing a hot, soap-making process, the various solid and liquid oils are melted, mixed and cooked. The liquid soap is poured into cooling trays constructed for this purpose and allowed to harden for two days. The solidified soap is then removed from the trays and cut into individual bars that weigh approximately 5 ozs. Each bar is then stamped with the Brothers’ logo, then the edges of the bars are trimmed – just a bit – to prevent the bars’ rough edges from damaging even the most delicate skin. After curing for six to eight weeks, each bar of soap, now weighing a little more than 4 oz. is ready to be placed into a handmade exfoliating bag with a S.H. Brothers Soap Co. tag attached, a symbol of our finest quality. The only thing left is to ship each hand-crafted to those who wish to support us in this venture.
The Brothers of the Sacred Heart wish to thank the Benedictine monks of St. Joseph Abbey near New Orleans, LA, for teaching us the soap-making business. We honor their generosity and support by naming our unscented, extra-soft formula bars “Benedictus,” in honor of their patron, St. Benedict of Nursia.
Step 1: Brothers carefully measure ingredients for the recipe of S.H. Brothers’ Soap.
Step 2: The ingredients are placed in crockpots where they are melted and mixed.
Step 3: Some ingredients, like distilled water, are made onsite.
Step 4: The saponified oils, now liquid soap, are poured into forms where they stay for a couple of days to solidify.
Step 5: After hardening, sheets of soap are cut into individual bars.
Step 6: Bars of soap are stacked after being cut to they can begin to cure.
Step 7: The eight edges on each bar are shaved by Brothers and volunteers to ensure that even the most fragile and tender skin is not harmed by using Brothers’ soap.
Step 8: While each bar will ultimately weigh 4 – 5 ozs., the Brothers also fill handmade exfoliating bags with a similar amount of soap shavings that can be similarly used. Nothing is wasted.
Step 9: Before the soap gets too hard, each bar is stamped with the Brothers’ distinctive sign cross.
Step 10: Soap cures for six-to-eight weeks or so on shelves in the basement of the Brothers’ retirement residence.
Step 11: Volunteers assist the Brothers in packaging the soap that has been ordered and purchased.
Step 12: Brothers place bars of soap in exfoliating bags during assembly line packaging sessions.
Step 13: Brothers and volunteers put scent tags on each exfoliating bag containing soap or soap shavings.
Step 14: The packaged soap is ready for shipment.