About Soaping
For many years prior to making soap, Barb bought hand crafted soaps. Finding the product(s) much more nourishing and cleansing than commercially purchased soaps, it was additionally nice knowing there were no detergents or other “secret” ingredients.
Barb is fascinated with the whole transformation/alchemy of the creation of soap, and was quite interested in trying the whole basic process of making it from hard wood ash. However, she gave up on this concept recognizing how imprecise the approach is.
Now she has finally taken up the challenge of making her own soap. Once she discovered she could purchase many excellent ingredients locally, to support the local economy in the process, she dove in and tried it.
Today she is hooked into the creativity of and joy in creating soap.
Inspired by Nature
Barb makes most of her soaps using the cold process method. All soaps are created from using lye, either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, as well as a combination of fats, to create soap and glycerin. She is very ethically minded, so is very careful about her ingredients.
She uses organic ingredients and even the palm oil she gets is ordered from places that are ethical and sustainable. It is part of her philosophy of providing a good product made with caring and consciousness that will be passed on to you, the customer.
I am aware that there are many people avoiding animal products these days.
I reflected deeply whether or not to use animal products. Since most of my soaps don’t use animal products, I decided over time that those animals were already butchered and as long as I was only supporting the industry that does things in a good way, I could live with that.
In fact, it honours the lives of those relatives who are no longer alive. It also respects the history of the soaps. I get my lard at Lost Savanna Farm, which is 100% organic and I know that they treat their four legged relatives very well. For the tallow, I get it from Guenther Brothers locally, avoiding the cost of shipping. I know that this tallow is non-GMO and grass fed; and while it cannot be guaranteed to be “organic” I know that many of the farmers locally are.
I do find that the soaps are hard and long-lasting, and because they are made from animals, they resemble our own skin more. As such they can be very nourishing and moisturizing for our skin. Hopefully this can allay any concerns regarding using animal products for soap making.
Barb’s soaps are likely not perfect and often have simple colours or swirls. She does not proclaim to be an artisan, as many other soap makers do, but her soaps come from honest ingredients, ethics and caring that you will hopefully really enjoy and use everyday.
Her basic recipe includes coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter and then some micas (colorant) and scents such as Forest After the Rain, English Rain, Gardenia, Grapefruit, Green Apple, Lavender, Orange, Euphoria, Nag Champa, Neroli, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Peppermint. Also Neem and eucalyptus soap with coconut oil and organic ethical palm oil.
She often has some that are unscented and uncoloured. Aimed at the many people who are now sensitive to scents and wish their soaps to be simple with pure ingredients.
Other options include shaving soap bars that are great for traveling and can come in a travel container. These bars are made from avocado butter, rice bran oil, coconut oil, castor oil, organic ethical palm oil and rosemary and cedar essential oils.
Homemade
