Meet The Soap

I can talk about soap, my philosophy, the process, and the additives all day long. Welcome to my soap box!

And a big thanks to Shawn Scanlan for the logo! I met him on my travels to Belize. He sings in churches, and he's beyond talented.


THE SOAP
My soaps are mostly made from raw goat's milk from our family farm. Currently there are 2 does, 4 kids, and 2 billys. I added the option of coconut milk soaps after many customers had described their need for a vegan soap (due to allergies or personal beliefs). 

I formulated the recipe from scratch, and it produces a slightly soft bar with a 5% superfat and high cleansing properties. The goat's milk within the soap provides extra fat for softness, lactic acid, and a rich, honey-like colour. On occasion, I provide the addition of beeswax sources from local apiaries.

No soapmaker can make any medical or cosmetic claims about the soap we make. Soap is simply soap, and it cleans. Additional ingredients may or may not have fantastic properties, and I like to include ingredients with known skin benefits. I make no claims other than my soap cleans.



PHILOSOPHY
I believe in the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, meaning beauty that is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. My soap is perfectly imperfect, and I prefer it that way. It is still beautiful, thoughtfully designed, and serves a purpose.

The vast majority of the products we consume, wash off, wear, and use in our homes are made with unknown ingredients, additives, and plastics. We can all slowly migrate towards locally made products, with simple and understandable ingredients. I personally make my purchases from Canadian artisans and growers wherever possible, and I am very fortunate to live in an area where that is possible for my eggs, meat, dairy, vegetables, and trinkets for my home.

My handcrafted soaps are coloured with botanicals and clays, and are scented with essential oils. They are made without artificial fragrances, micas (natural or synthetic), oxides, glitters (biodegradable or not), titanium dioxide, or palm oil.

I do not use any plastic in the packaging, and instead opt for a "naked bar", where the soap is wrapped in a simple part-linen paper cigar band which outlines the ingredients, where to find us, and our mailing address. The soaps are packaged in as many recyclable materials as possible for shipping.


PROCESS
I take the raw goat's milk from our farm (or coconut milk, from outside sources), and I freeze it in manageable sized cubes. I then weigh sodium hydroxide (lye) and mix it with the weighed out goat's milk, and allow it to melt the frozen milk and then cool. From there, I weigh out the oils and/or butters and/or salts and blend with a stick blender until it reaches the desired trace, depending on the desired effect. After that, I separate the batches and add in the colourants and/or essential oils and complete a final quick blend. I pour the batter(s) into my custom molds, and finish them off with the desired top.

For everyone who asks: the fancy tops are made with my base soap batter, and done with piping tips.

After approximately 12 hours, I remove the loaves from their molds, cut the loaves into bars, and allow to cure for 4-6 weeks, depending on the recipe.


ADDITIVES
In line with my philosophy of keeping the soap as simple as possible, simplicity is important to me. I made the decision from day 1 to utilize what nature gives us as much as possible. The only ingredient in my soap that isn't provided by nature is sodium hydroxide, as potassium hydroxide (wood ash) does not create a solidified bar. My hope is to create beautiful soaps that are effective and useful; a less wasteful alternative to body wash.

I use many botanicals and clays in my soaps. A sampling of additives in my studio: aloe vera, beet root, carrot, kaolin clay, bentonite clay, French green clay, Brazillian clay, alkanet root, organic turmeric, sumac, annatto seed, spirulina, indigo, activated charcoal, hibiscus, organic earl grey tea, organic speamint leaves, dead sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, epsom salts, citric acid, calendula petals, lavender buds, butterfly pea flower, and rose petals. I am always on the hunt for new and organic ingredients.

All ingredients are outlined in the individual listings. If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch.