Have you ever wondered how your humble bar of natural soap was made?

We make all our soap (and our other skin and hair care products) ourselves from scratch, from plant-based ingredients. 

We use the traditional "cold process" method for our soap. Here's an outline of the process we follow from initial idea to final product:

-after brainstorming, research and discussion we come up with an idea for a new variety. This is often influenced by requests from you.
- we try out some essential oil blends until we get a scent that we both love.
- we work out the recipe / quantities / percentages needed
- Haluk makes a test batch of the new soap. It's a bit like baking. All the ingredients need to be measured out carefully and temperatures have to be accurate. Plant oils/butters are melted down and mixed together. A Lye (sodium hydroxide) solution is added and when the lye meets the oils a reaction occurs that starts the saponification process. Molecules from the lye buddy up with molecules from the oils and by the end of the process there is no lye left -just beautiful soap! At different points in the process flowers, roots, leaves, seeds, clays and essential oils may be added for colour, texture and scent as well as for their beneficial properties.
- He pours it into handmade wooden moulds, wraps it in blankets to keep it warm and puts it in an insulated box or cupboard. 
- 48 hours later he unmoulds the soap, trims it, cuts it into logs and puts it in a warm room to finish curing.

- after a minimum of 4 weeks it is the moment of truth! Beautiful soap....usually! Again, it's a bit like baking and sometimes it goes wrong! We feel it, smell it, use it, give it to family and friends to try.
- if we're happy with it, we send all the information off to a chartered chemist to be safety assessed. If not, it's back to the drawing board to work out why and we start again.
- Once we have been sent our safety certificate we can make a larger batch of soap which we will sell when it's ready.
It's a long process but it's worth it! The final product is a thing of beauty and it is very satisfying slicing through freshly cured soap, seeing the inner colour for the first time and releasing the wonderful scent.

Our Soaps

We make our soaps from  a blend of pure plant oils to create a smooth, creamy lather which leaves your skin feeling fresh, clean and soft. All our soaps contain Unrefined Organic Shea Butter, which has exceptional moisturising and skin healing properties, and some of our soaps are further enriched with Organic Argan oil,  Organic Hemp oil, Organic Cocoa Butter or Organic Castor oil to leave your skin feeling extra soft, nourished and happy. Many of our other ingredients are organic too. In fact, about 70% of each bar (excluding water) is made from certified organic ingredients. We never use artificial colours or fragrances, petro-chemicals, synthetic foaming agents & detergents, or preservatives. Instead we add herbs, spices, clays and essential oils to create beautiful colours, textures and scents. Our gorgeous fragrances are created by blending essential oils, which not only smell great  but also have their own therapeutic properties.
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For our base soap we use a blend of Organic Coconut oil, Extra Virgin Olive oil, Unrefined Organic Shea Butter and Fair Trade Organic Palm oil. It is important to us that the sourcing of our ingredients does not contribute negatively to natural habitats, local communities and wildlife and we want to support those who are producing crops & oils in a responsible way. This is why we choose organic and fair trade ingredients where possible. This applies to the sourcing of our palm oil and we are proud to be a Brand Partner of Palm Done Right - a movement proving that palm oil can be grown for good. The oil is certified Organic, Fair trade and Sustainable at the highest level which means it is not mixed with non sustainable oil and is fully traceable back to the growers in Ecuador.   The farmers and producers are treated and paid fairly for their oil, communities are supported and empowered and the environment and the wildlife are protected by the use of organic farming practices and a No Deforestation policy. See the PDR Promise here.
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Our creams

Our creams are 100% Organic and are sold in glass jars. We whip unrefined Organic Shea Butter with  Organic Avocado oil, Hemp oil or Argan oil and add pure essential oils to nourish and moisturise your skin and leave you feeling and smelling gorgeous! They contain no chemicals, preservatives or water  - just pure plant goodness. Our Extra Sensitive variety contains no essential oils and is suitable for very sensitive skins and those suffering from skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis.
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We haven't quite finished this page so please come back later for more info on our oils and shampoo bars!

 From the Herb Garden