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Why Bar Soap?

Natural bar soap is making a comeback and I couldn’t be happier about this trend. Yes, because I make soap, but also because I know how great it is for your skin when made with the purpose of not only cleansing but nourishing your skin. I started making soap in 2013 and fell down a deep rabbit hole of experimentation, reading, youtube videos, trial and error, the endless possibilities of pigment and oil combinations and reactions of ingredients to each other in the process. I really wanted to know how good soap could be and all it could be effectively used for, so I rolled my sleeves up (okay they stayed down and I had really big gloves on because lye water is crazy hot).

I didn’t start with organic oils, just what we normally bought on a grocery run. I honestly didn’t think it mattered. After running out of the cheaper stuff and having that itch to make a batch of soap, I tried some high oleic fancy pants olive oil we bought from a local shop in my soap just to see if there was a difference and I was actually very surprised by how different the bar felt and how much nicer it hardened. It smelt nicer, it looked nicer, it just… felt nicer. Much like the raw oils themselves, think about what you would actually want to put on your skin – probably not olive pomace or canola oil, but extra virgin olive oil, shea butter or virgin coconut oil. What would you want to eat? I use food grade oils in all my skincare as I know what I put on my skin gets absorbed and why not use ingredients that have been harvested and processed in a way that they still retain natural vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, all the good stuff. When you make bar soap, you can choose a superfat (residual oil molecules that don’t bond with the lye to form salt crystals) that will ensure the good fats in the bar are still present to moisturize as it cleanses. And your skin knows the difference when you use a good bar of natural soap, they are not all created equal.

Natural bar soap retains glycerin. It is a humectant that attracts water molecules and retains them. It is such a valuable product, it is often removed from commercial bar soaps to make them harder and so they can add it to lotions and sell it as a standalone product. When you use bar soap that has the glycerin removed, it dries out your skin and then you need to buy the lotion to moisturize it. I am not going to say I never have to use cream, but generally just on my face, hands and feet which get more wear and tear and exposure to the elements. I have been using my bar soap for 7 years for face, body, and shampoo and very rarely do I feel dry enough to require a full body lotion rub, which used to be a large part of my after shower routine and I would constantly be changing the type of lotion I would buy. When I do moisturize these days, I use products without added water (which requires added preservatives) but choose a facial oil or a body butter with just the skin nourishing oils that won’t just evaporate.

Bar soap does not require preservatives either. It has a long shelf life (years!) and remains effective and even gets better the longer it cures. You can use a wood soap dish or a soap saver bag to ensure you get the longest life out of your bars. The soap saver bag is especially nice for when you get down to the last little bits of the bar and you can add them to the bag and use every last bit of it effectively.

For all these reasons and more, I choose natural bar soap for face, hair and body and I haven’t had to purchase any bottled skin cleansers for a long time, which reduces my plastic consumption & waste by quite a bit over the years. Thanks for following my journey as a maker and I hope to help you embrace a more thoughtful, and community based approach to skincare and connect you with artfully crafted products for your homes. Take care out there and I hope 2021 has better things in store for all of us!

Rebecca

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Love Your Skin Naturally

As the air continues to get colder and our furnace kicks in more often, I have already noticed my skin feeling more dry. It has been years since I bought a water based lotion, and for this newsletter I wanted to share with you why: balms and butters. No filler water content that just evaporates anyway, no need for harsh preservatives as they are oil, butter and beeswax based. No artificial fragrances, only essential oils which smell amazing and help nourish skin.

The bare face and body butter is a heavy hitter with a light touch. Unscented, for all ages, this butter is my go to for my daughter after winter baths since she was born, I slather it on before bed for my own dry patches, and as an extra layer of facial moisturizer a couple times a week before bed after the daily use of my facial oil.

Our versatile and all natural balms are the bomb. They come in four scents and each has a unique botanical infusion to soften and soothe skin naturally. All of them can be used for lips, hands, and body. Anywhere you would normally use a lotion, you can use the balm! You just don’t need as much because these are pure organic and local oil based with Manitoba beeswax to keep it firm until it melts on your skin and add an extra layer of protection and moisturizing goodness. These balms make great cuticle cream, balm for dry or cracked hands and heels, intensive moisture for lips, chapped noses, I even rub some on Clio’s cheeks before going outside in the winter to protect from wind burn and the elements and sometimes a little on my cheeks too too to give a healthy sheen. It is so good! Did I mention there are two sizes of balms available in eco friendly laser cut birch boxes made here in Winnipeg? I order them from a local small business and then I assemble each one and pour the balms I make into them. And the artwork on top? That is also mine, based on a drawing of a microcellular root cross cut. These boxes are a pure labour of love from design, to the finished product. I hope you love them as much as I do!

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Liquid Soap Bastille Paste

Psst. We have one of two new exciting soap pastes to share with you. They both officially launch next Monday, September 14th with a 25% off sale all week til Friday, so mark your calendars! Here is a sneak peek at the hand and body paste made with organic and local oils that has just been added to the shop:

This jar of all natural, versatile, and concentrated Bastille soap paste is unscented, great for sensitive skin and for all ages! Made from mainly organic olive oil to keep your skin soft, it also has organic coconut oil, organic sunflower oil, Manitoba hempseed oil, and organic castor oil to give it a nice balance of lathering, cleansing and moisturizing properties. Available in 4oz or 8oz jar, which diluted will give you roughly 1/2L or 1L of liquid soap, or more if you are using with a foaming pump and using a thinner dilution. You will get at a couple fills of a standard soap pump with the 4 oz and about four refills with the 8 oz. You can also use this soap in its concentrated paste form for the more dirty jobs like gardening, painting, or any greasy jobs that require a stronger clean!

You can use this paste in a couple ways:

For daily use: Dilute 1:4 with water (or 1:6-1:8 if using a foaming pump). Use boiling water for quick dissolution or let sit overnight if using cold or room temperature water. Fill a soap pump bottle to use for hand soap and for face and body wash in the shower too! Use distilled water for best results and longest shelf life!

For a deeper cleaning of grease, dirt: For the gardeners, mechanics, painters and makers out there who need a more concentrated cleaner – just swipe some of the paste directly onto a nailbrush or washcloth to lather and use for hands and body.

Love your skin naturally with our soap & skin care and embrace living creatively with our original artwork!

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Peppermint Pumice Soap

Are your feet sandal ready? We can help with that. This refreshing, natural bar soap has ground pumice for exfoliating feet, hands and anywhere you need a good scrub to help take off dead skin and keep skin feeling smooth. This makes a great buffer before shaving or sugaring legs, a nice alternative to a pumice stone or scraper which can trigger you skin to just regrow calluses in well worn areas if you are too rough.

For more info including full ingredients and pricing visit the listing in our online shop!