For several months I've been the featured artist at The Wild Ivy Gift Shop. It's a wonderful shop nestled in Kuna. Owner, Kim Barton, does an incredible job of offering truly unique gifts and accessories. I highly recommend a trip out there if you haven't been. She will be featuring a new artist soon so I'm posting the original article here:
Susanne Schlador, Soap Artist, weighs in on the benefits of handmade soap
Lavande de Bois grew out of my personal obsession with lavender. Ever since I discovered my love of gardening I’ve grown lavender. I love the relaxing herbaceous aroma! After getting my kids off to school full time, I started researching product options for creating a business that revolved around my passion for lavender.
Soap making just kind of found me. I was signed up to go to a four day “boot camp” on making all natural body care products and the night before I was to leave I came down with a severe flu and was unable to travel. The instructor offered to allow me to attend the next “boot camp” which happened to be a soap class. I sat in the class thinking, “Why am I here I don’t even use soap?” I had been an avid shower gel user for years. But the soaps I brought home from the class were far superior to anything I had ever used. And they smelled great too! Soon I was experimenting with my own recipes. I haven’t used anything else since.
How are handcrafted soaps different than the commercially available alternatives? A big factor is ingredients. Large scale soap manufacturers have turned toward the most economical ingredients which often are synthetic. Also, commercial manufacturers tend to remove the glycerin, a natural by-product of the soapmaking process, to add to other products or sell. Glycerin is a humectant which means that it attracts and retains moisture on the skin. Another factor is method. Commercial producers typically heat the ingredients to high temperatures to force the chemical reaction of saponification to occur. I use the cold process method which allows me to combine the lye mixture with the oil mixture at around 110 degrees. At which point I’m able to add essential oils and additives that add skin softening properties to the soap. The saponification occurs over a longer period of time while the soap is laying in the mold for several days. I believe this process yields a gentler, richer soap with assorted benefits for your skin depending upon the additives of each unique recipe.
One thing I love about making soap is being able to blend the goodness of nature with bathing ritual to revitalize mind and body. I consider bathing the singular moment of my day that is for me. Having survived the early years of parenting when no moment is your own, I’ve come to appreciate the ritual of bathing. My soaps are replete with aroma that is uplifting and inspiring, ingredients that soothe and moisturize, and I love to make soap that is artistic. I call it the multisensory approach to bathing even if I don’t have a lot of time for it. I have a firm commitment to using only the finest natural raw ingredients. I use organically grown ingredients whenever feasible. I don’t ever use synthetic fragrances for one very good reason: I’m allergic to the synthetic component of fragrance. In fact, I have quite a few allergies, and I make only what smells good, feels good, and looks good.
Technique and artistry combine to create one-of-a-kind works of handcraftsmanship and quality. Each step in the soap making process involves the soapmaker. Each bar of soap is handmade, hand cut, hand trimmed, hand beveled, and packaged. No two soaps will ever be exact replicas, yet the goodness in the quality and aroma of the soap will be the same bar after bar. The inherent variations in this process enhance the individual beauty of my exclusive soaps.
I personally invite you to experience the all natural goodness of Lavande de Bois handcrafted soaps. Stop by the Wild Ivy to discover the naturally good soap that will nurture a unique you.
Please utilize my website as a resource for product information and as always I invite you to contact me with questions.
Click here for an Independent review of my Mint Chocolate Chip Handcrafted Soap
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