I have decided to change the way I am selling my soaps for customer ease of ordering. Most bars will sell for $9 and are generally 4 -5 oz bars. Specialized bars my sometimes be priced a little higher depending on ingredients added to the soap or method of preparing.

I will list the bars that are currently available and those I am working on; keep an eye on this page and my What’s new page. I’m trying some new methods of pouring, coloring and scenting my soaps. Some customers have requested more highly scented bars so I purchased some sample vials and am not sure I like using fragrance oils versus essential oils. The fragrance oil scents do seem to stay with the soap longer though.. I am using some mica colorants for some of the brighter colors but primarily use plant powders to color the soap. I decided to lighten up a little on my stance with the soaps as they are a wash off product. I would love to learn any of my customers thoughts on this subject.

Bars that are Currently Curing : (these bars will be ready the 3rd week of August)

Exfoliation bars – These bars will be available as a set also.

Gardener’s/Mechanic’s bars with super fine pumice

Ginger Turmeric with jojoba beads

Sweet Orange and Grapefruit with ground orange & grapefruit peel

Coffee Latté with super fine coffee grounds.

Currently Available:

Summer Garden – 2 layers with French green clay and a small amount of fresh fragrance oil (4.5 oz) –

Lavender Peppermint rounds with ground almonds

Rainbow Bars – swirling colors of the rainbow with heart or dove embeds

Oatmeal Stout – a big bubble soap with real stout, Tussah silk, and light stout frangance oil

Montana Forest bars (the ones with the bear and tree imbeds), Tussah silk, scented with cedar and balsam fir essential oils (EOs) only 1 bar left!

Zodiac Sign bars – hibiscus, lavender and lemon, essential oils with Tussah silk – all 12 Zodiac signs are currently available; These bars make great gifts but individual signs must be ordered in advance.

Flower Molds – peppermint, lavender, sweet orange with French Green Clay and Tussah silk

Rugged – 3 layers; turmeric, activated charcoal, Tussah silk, and kaolin clay; scented with undertones of leather (fragrance oil)

Pup & Hound dog shampoo bars – specially formulated for the ph of dog’s skin, no scents added (large round bar $9; small paw bar $3.5)

Coming Soon:

Remake of Ginger, Lime Neroli with jojoba beads

Harvest soaps; cucumber, carrot, tomato, etc.

Soap Making Information

As I have previously stated, I do not like using chemicals in my products. I am frequently asked if I use lye (sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide) in my soaps. The short answer is that soap must be made using lye. You can use a melt and pour soap base in which the saponification process has been done for you in a factory somewhere. I have used these products and they work fine, I just prefer to have more flexibility in what I am using in my soaps.

Most soaps, shampoos, body washes and dish soap that you have used are made of chemicals to produce a detergent and this is what most of us are used to. If the label doesn’t say soap somewhere, it is probably a detergent. Even those “Beauty Bars” are most likely a detergent if the word soap isn’t included somewhere on the product label.

The chemical process of saponification is made by adding lye to oils at very specific rates and temperatures. Thank heavens there are soap calculating apps I can use so that I don’t have to do the math myself. When lye and oils are cooked together the lye will break apart the oil’s molecules and bond with them, creating a new compound – SOAP! This is the process of saponification. No other substances can be used in place of lye in the saponification process. I use food grade lye when making my soaps as that seems like an extra precaution worth the cost. Lye is extremely caustic so I protect myself with appropriate clothing, eye protection and rubber gloves. I think I like playing the part of a scientist when making my soaps.

I pour my soap batter into individual molds or loaf molds and then they process for up to 48 hours. Most of the lye has been used up by making the soap batter. After sitting for 2 days to firm in the molds, the remaining lye is used up. I then remove the soap from the molds, cut the bars and let them cure for 4-6 weeks. This process ensures that there is no remaining lye and creates a harder bar of soap that will last longer for you. I check the ph of my bars as the last step prior to packaging.