Cyber Monday Sale!

Yes, that's right, it's time for a SALE! From 12 midnight on 12/2/13 to 12 midnight on 12/3/13 everything in the shop is 20% off! Because you'll save more money using the coupon code SMALLBIZ, we are making our 3 packs unavailable during this time.

And that's not it! Our Fig Bitters soap is now available for pre-order! Check it out, and get all of your holiday shopping done!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/171388766/pre-order-fig-bitters-cold-process-soap?ref=shop_home_feat

Vegan vs. Vegan: Understanding Ingredients

It seems as if more and more, recently, the trend in bath and body products is to make plenty of vegan options, or have your whole line be vegan. Making a milk based soap can offer some incredible differences in the properties of the soap itself, as well as the benefits you get from it, but it's definitely possible to make a vegan version of that soap that has some similar benefits as well. And in terms of making lotions, body creams, etc, from a manufacturing standpoint it's much easier to not have to deal with milk than it is to include it. While most of the time The Soap Distillery will offer mainly vegan products (things that are vegan are clearly marked!), from time to time we will offer something a little different. We want to make sure that we are offering the best products that we can, in the highest quality possible. 

Now, let's say you, our fabulous potential customer (or current customer!), are on the hunt specifically for a vegan product. There are many manufacturers that offer vegan products using vegan ingredients, but all vegan ingredients are NOT created equal. Please, do not be swayed by "cruelty free" and "no animal by-products". While these are all great things to consider when purchasing a product that claims to be vegan, it's not the only thing to consider. We see this time and time again: a product is, by definition vegan, but the ingredients are, chemically speaking, proven to be bad for your skin and sometimes your overall health. This means that, even though anyone can have a reaction to anything, these ingredients are shown to be irritants or even worse, linked to cancer causing materials. So, how do you know which ingredients to avoid to limit your potential irritant response? Well, let's do a breakdown of some common "vegan" ingredients that skincare companies frequently use:

Parabens: Parabens are a part of a class of chemical compounds that are commonly used in preservatives for skincare products. While all chemicals are not bad, parabens are definitely on the list of ingredients to avoid. You may commonly see them listed as methylparaben, propylparaben, isobutylparaben, isopropylparaben, and benzylparaben. These chemicals, while mostly non sensitizing, have been linked to breast cancer cells as they can sometimes mimic estrogen. (read on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraben)

Formaldehyde donors (DMDM hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea, imidiazolidinyl urea, and quaternium 15): These compounds are also commonly used in preservatives. As a preservative, their efficacy is very good. However, they work by releasing formaldehyde into our cosmetics. Formaldehyde can naturally occur in the air we breathe and can be emitted from fruits and vegetables. So, why are they so terrible? It seems there isn’t a great way to find how much formaldehyde actually ends up in the product, or how much can end up in your body. I personally avoid them because of the uncertainty and they are also known carcinogens (http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/?objectid=03C9AF75-E1BF-FF40-DBA9EC0928DF8B15)

Lauryl/Laureth Sulfates: This should be an easy one! More and more consumers are aware of the irritation that can be caused by these chemical surfactants. These powders are commonly used in body washes, toothpaste, and dish detergents, as they are great for degreasing. The main issue with these sulfates is that the particle size is very tiny, and is easily absorbed by the skin which can cause irritation. Also, their strong cleaning ability can strip your skin of the moisture it really needs. Because they are penetrant enhancers, they can draw other irritants into the skin as well. (Read on: Why sulfates are bad https://www.google.com/search?q=why+sulfates+are+bad&oq=why+sulfates+are+bad&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.5037j0j7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8)

Cocamide DEA (and MEA): Another chemical surfactant, this ingredient is commonly used in body washes as it is a good foamer and an emulsifier. This ingredient has been linked as a possible carcinogen (read on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocamide_DEA)

Propylene Glycol: also known as 1,2-propanediol (which shouldn’t be confused with propanediol which is plant based [1 ,3-propanediol]) is a petro chemical that is relatively safe when used in combination with low irritation ingredients. It’s a solvent that is commonly used to maintain clarity in body wash, and add smoothness to body creams. While toxicity has been found to be low (but existent), this ingredient is also a penetrant enhancer and can assist in causing irritation from other ingredients.

Phthalates: Commonly found in fragrance oils, phthalates are known endocrine disruptors. Now what does that mean? It means that they interrupt the function of hormones, which can cause birth defects, decreased sperm count, early breast development, and other hormonal issues.

Ok, so that’s a short but very detailed list of some very common vegan products to avoid. When shopping for products, make sure that the company states that they are free of these products. If they do not list specific ingredients, feel free to ask what’s in it, or ask if they contain any of these nasties! The Soap Distillery currently does not use, or will ever use, any of these ingredients. We will continue to be 100% handmade, and we will continue to use raw ingredients and spend countless hours formulating our products. But, even if you decide not to buy our products, make sure you are making informed purchases with other Handmade companies. We want to treat your skin well, and we like other companies that feel the same way!

North Shore Distillery and Craft Fair Time!

Yes, you heard that correctly. It's time for two big things to happen. First off, were are more than excited to have two custom soaps ready for sale at North Shore Distillery's tasting room this season! That's right! We blended two custom soaps in the likeness of their Sol Chamomile Citrus Vodka and their Distiller's Gin No. 6. You'll only be able to buy the soaps their, so, I suppose that means a distillery tour is in your future! 

For those unfamiliar with North Shore Distillery, they are a small (but growing bigger and bigger every day) craft distiller just outside of Chicago. They have been making delicious spirits for the finest of cocktails or straight sippin' since 2004. Some say they were one of the first craft distillers in the area. Go check 'em out for more info!

North Shore Distillery

Now, for the SECOND bit of good news. Chicago, we will be coming to another craft fair for ya! We will be selling our soapy wares at the Red Door Animal Shelter Annual Winter Bazaar! On November 24th (this Sunday!!!) we'll be at the Warren Park Field House (6601 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL, 60645) and we'll have plenty of gifting ideas for you! We'll also have plenty of gifting ideas for you so come on and check us out! Proceeds from the show go directly back into the shelter. It's good for the animals! And we LOVE animals here at The Soap Distillery.

The Etsy shop is back open, AND we have a wholesale account!

Hey everyone! After taking a brief week hiadus after Renegade Craft Fair, we finally reopened the shop, with all new items (and some old ones too!). We now carry body washes, as well as body oils, and a newly reformulated AMAZING sugar scrub. Everything is base free (no melt and pour, no bases to customize) and 100% handmade by us. It's taken a lot of work to get this far, and we have no desire to stop making our products better and better! So, go take a look (and buy!) our new stuff, and feedback is especially welcomed so feel free to email us at thesoapdistillery (at) gmail (dot) com. Go check us out!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheSoapDistillery?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Plus, as an extra added bonus, you can now buy our soaps at our first retail location, Wiggly Bridge Distillery in York Beach, Maine! How fitting to add our soaps to a distillery guest shop :) So, if you are in the area, go check them out!

http://wigglybridgedistillery.com/

Base free! (NOT free base...you're looking at it backwards!)

Yes, it's finally happened: after months and months of testing out recipes, we've finally developed our own foaming cream base that we use for our sugar scrubs! Not that the pre-made base wasn't good (it was actually awesome and really easy to use) but we really liked the idea of being able to custom tailor this base and have it perform exactly the way we wanted it to. So, yes, our sugar scrubs are completely 100% HANDMADE now! We hated the idea of using a base for anything, and now we don't have to. It's much better this way. Raw materials are the best.

Plus, look how CREAMY and DREAMY THIS IS?

It's so thick the spoon just stands up!

Now, because we have spent ALOT of time on this, the full ingredients list will not be on the etsy website. If you have specific allergies and have questions about it, feel free to ask us. Once the scrub is added to the shop (after we re-open), we'll let you all know! In the meantime, you'll have to dream about this creamy goodness :)

It's almost time for Renegade Craft Fair!

Yes! The reason why we've been so MIA (not the Paper Planes kind) over the past few weeks/months. It's almost time for Renegade Craft Fair! Yes, that's right. For all you Chicago peeps, you are going to get a chance to buy our products in person, and meet me, Danielle, the soap maker! Not only will we be introducing some new products, we will also have some good deals, and combo packs for ya. SO, come check us out! We'll be sitting pretty on Division Ave, in between Damen and Wolcott, and we'll be at booth #95. Don't you want to smell our awesome soaps in person?

Of course you do!

Now go and spread the word!

It's been a while!

Yes yes, I know it's been a while since I've updated this thing! But, it's not because we haven't been doing anything. Let's kick this post off with a couple of new products!

In about a week, we will be releasing TWO new soaps: Gin and Tequila. Let's start with Tequila:

Crushed sea salt on top? YES PLEASE.

Tequila is yet another in house blended scent, and this one is great for people who love clean, fresh, green fragrances. This one has notes of aloe, lily, bamboo grass, white musk and lime. I think that men and women with both love this fragrance! It's not sweet at all, just super clean. We also decided to add some goodies to the batch, including aloe juice, french green clay, cocoa butter, shea butter, and a topping of sea salt. 

We've been using some samples of this soap over the past week, and it feels amazing! It's got plenty of bubbles, and the french green clay gives it a nice slip. It's also a plus that the salt on top doesn't take anything away from the bubbles (salt has a tendency to do this, which is why salt bars don't have tons of bubbles). It's definitely one that will stay in the line for a while.

Ok, now let's talk Gin:

Juniper, juniper, and more juniper, but still balanced. Oh yes.

Now, I hate to be biased when it comes to our soaps, but, I can't hide it any longer...this is my absolute FAVORITE soap that we've ever made. PERIOD. It's another clean scent, but it's on the brighter side. No musky notes, no warm notes, just clean, bright, and natureous (yeah, we had to make up a word to describe this). It's inspired by the more piney, earthy gins, with notes of juniper (of course), clary sage, fir needle, and it's brightened up a bit with citrus. Seriously, I could eat this soap if it wasn't so bad for you (please don't do this...). The soap is the natural off white color, kind of a deep ivory, and topped with whole and crushed juniper berries. 

This particular soap is also laced with cocoa butter and shea butter, as well as macadamia nut oil and olive oil. Plus, don't forget the kaolin clay, which also gives this bar a nice slip. It. Is. Fantastic!

So that's it for the new soaps for now. We've got a couple more that we will be making this week and next week, but there's also this:

We will be in the Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago this Summer! The fair is the weekend of September 7th and 8th, and for those who like to sniff before they buy, this is a great chance for that! We will have soaps, scrubs, and a couple of new products, along with gift sets! Here's the website for more info. We've been SO busy preparing for this, and we can't wait to talk to you all in person!

http://www.renegadecraft.com/chicago-summer-home

The Time Has COME!

Ok we've kept you guys waiting long enough. Without further ado, here are...SUGAR SCRUBS! Our "On The Rocks" Sugar Scrubs are finally available for purchase through our Etsy page!

It's about time!

Not only are they a sugar scrub, but they also double as a body wash. Finally, a non oily scrub that also cleans! Pro tip: Want to switch up your shower routine? Put a scoop of your scrub on your bath poof and agitate your poof to get some bubbles!

As of right now, we only have three scents that we are offering in the scrub, and only in the smaller sizes. If the public demands more, guess what we'll give them? :) And keep in mind, this little 4oz jar gives you 6 OZ of product, so you get more bang for your buck. Here's the line up at the moment:

Bourbon: Newly reformulated! Now a little sweeter and spicier. This is our most popular scent! A classic, kept classy. Smoky vetiver wrapped in a blanket of vanilla with just a touch of spice are blended to create this all time favorite scent. With just a whisper of oak, this scent has a very sultry depth that is cherished by men and women a like.

White Whiskey: Also newly reformulated! Another great unisex scent. White Whiskey is has been growing in popularity on the cocktail scene for the past year or so. It's typically a mildly aged whiskey, that has notes of an aged whiskey that's much lighter in flavor/color and has a greener note to it. It usually has the blendibility of vodka, with the flavor of a very mild aged liquor. This is no different. Green tea, may chang and a hint of balsamic (woody) vanilla give this blend a bit of sweetness as well as a green note

NEW SCENT! It's not even available in a soap yet :)
Elderflower Liqueur: A new scent! Elderflower liqueur has the ability to make even the blandest cocktail slightly more upscale. The flower petals themselves do not carry much scent, as the essential oil doesn't heavily reside in them, but the scent that it does carry is a very mild honeyed citrus fragrance, with a hint of white floral. This custom blend of fragrances, just like the others, is something that you won't find anywhere else. We blended honey, along with tangerine, white flowers, and just a touch of immortelle to take this fragrance to the next level. While this scrub does not actually contain honey, the fragrance may have traces of honey in it so it is not vegan.

As usual, this product is paraben, phthalate, sulfate, -cones, and harsh detergent free. So, go show how much you love us, and get some! Any feedback from buyers is greatly appreciated through Etsy feedback. Here's the link! https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheSoapDistillery

We haven't gone anywhere...I swear!

So, what's all this then?

So, things have been getting pretty chaotic around here lately. We've been busy busy busy with testing formulations, and there's been lots of ups and downs. Formulating new products can be a very rewarding experience, but I'll tell you, it's been a frustrating and difficult one as well. Choosing the right balance between raw materials is far more difficult than people assume it would be,  and making sure you are keeping temperatures consistent and following the process correctly can be trying! But, when it comes down to bringing our customers a good product, it's freaking worth it. So, aside from new fragrance blending, here's what we've been up to:

 Body cream: I'm debating on whether I want to offer a body cream or a lotion in the future, but it doesn't hurt to test out the waters! Look how creamy this is...it came out so well! It's thick, creamy, and loaded with shea butter, macadamia oil, as well as aloe, green tea extract, and beta glucan. I've been using it a bit, and it absorbs surprisingly quickly for how thick it is. This would be amazing in the winter. And I love that it looks like frosting...

YUM. (even thought it's not edible)

Body washes: So here's the sad bit: I originally posted a sneaky photo of a body wash that we made, and it came out, again, awesome, and after being tested for a while it was ready to sell. However, dude to human error, I must have written something down incorrectly, or missed something, because I can't recreate the recipe to save my life! So, back to the drawing board. Not really a big deal, because now we get to play around a little more with some new materials. Aloe has been a favorite, as well as glycerin. Just saying. I've used the creamy one in the middle and the clear one on the side several times myself, and my testers will be getting some samples of these soon. We'll also be getting the new recipes challenge tested once we decide on one or two we like the best, all for your safety!

Which would you prefer? Creamy or clear?

 New soaps: We're not called The Soap Distillery for nothing! While we've been messing around with some non soap bar products, we've also been improving our soap recipe (can you believe it gets BETTER?) and blending some new scents. This recipe has loads of cocoa butter, shea butter and macadamia nut oil. It's similar to the recipe that we use for The Hair of the Dog and White Whiskey soaps, but improved! This one in particular is Gin, and as you may have seen in the last post, we've been working to re-blend some old favorites, as well, to make them even better than they already are.

This Gin fragrance has strong notes of juniper (of course), fir, sage, honeysuckle, and bergamot. It's an earthy, but sweet, blend inspired by one of my favorite gins.

Creamy cleansing goodness.

Now, our sugar scrub is just about ready to go. So, if you care about your skin at all, you'll try it out! :) Perhaps it's release will be the next post...

See, we told you we haven't been sitting around doing nothin'!

New scents, new stuffs!

Blending some new scents, and re-blending some old scents. We've got lots of new stuff in the works! We are currently working on releasing some new products, and giving some old products a fresh new start. Here's a little sneak peek at the scents we blended yesterday:

We'll test these out and see how they change (if at all) in soap. Keep your fingers crossed! They all smell sooooo good on their own. Maybe we'll have to make some perfumes as well...

What's the difference?

So, here’s a question I get all the time as a soap maker. People wonder why they should use homemade soap in the first place. We've already covered the “it’s too beautiful to use” problem, but why even buy it over commercial “soap” in the first place?

You’d think this question would infuriate a soap maker. However, once upon a time, many of us were in this same spot. We didn't know why we should buy, let alone make, soap. I know I personally grew up on liquid soaps that we made purely with artificial surfectants, and that was the only thing I knew.  When someone said “soap bar”, I thought of all those commercial soaps that exist on the market these days, and didn't know that they weren't actually soap. They looked pure to me. But what are we really using? When I found out, this is what drove me to buy REAL soap, and it was my crafty spirit that forced me to make it. Well, let me share some info with you.

Here’s the long and short of it. And for the sake of time, we’ll only talk about soap bars today, and save shower gels/liquid soaps and lotions/body creams for another post, okay? Okay. Well, here’s the skinny: Real soap is made with oils that are carefully chosen, not because they are cheap, but because of the different properties they have. Now, we can’t talk about healing skin issues, curing diseases, or treating specific afflictions because, well, the FDA doesn't like that. But what we can talk about is how nice these oils make your skin feel. When handmade soap is made, the most basic form is mixing water and oils with an alkali and it turns it into soap. However, if you only use enough alkali to turn 94% of the oils into soap, and leave 6% of the oils untouched, that left over oil is what prevents your skin from drying out. It doesn't leave your skin feeling oily, just soft and clean. And the glycerin, which is a natural byproduct of soap, stays in the soap and draws moisture to the skin.

No. I don't want you on me.

So what do commercial “soap” manufacturers do? Well typically if they are making an actual soap, they do not leave these excess oils in the soap because taking them out prolongs the shelf life. That means this soap can last for years and years sitting on the shelf in a warehouse somewhere. They also manufacture out the glycerin so that moisture is not drawn to it. Then, they add artificial surfectants as lather and foam boosters. These chemicals, most commonly sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLS, SLES) are the same chemicals we use in floor cleaners, dish washing powders, degreasers, and other powerful cleaners, and can be extremely irritating to the skin. It’s also commonly used in toothpaste, and if enough is ingested, it can cause some, well, unwanted digestive issues…Since the free oils and glycerin is taken out, and irritating chemicals are used, they tend to add cheap waxes to give you the illusion of being moisturized. But, who are they kidding? They aren't fooling anyone. Not anymore!

I mean, if Tyler Durden says it's ok...

So what sounds better to you: Handmade soap made with real ingredients, or a pressed bar of floor cleaner? Yep, that’s what we thought. And this is why we do what we do!

(please note, no organized fighting clubs take place in or around our soap making studio, unfortunately)

The Violet Hour

If you love high quality, beautifully crafted cocktails and you live in Chicago, you've probably heard of The Violet Hour. Well, since it's one of my favorite places to go, I thought there would be no better way than to honor them than to create a soap inspired by their cocktail, "Juliet and Romeo". Made with four simple ingredients (Beefeater, Mint, Cucumber, Rose Water) this cocktail is everything you didn't even know you wanted in a refreshing drink. And thanks to its creator, The Violet Hour partner Toby Maloney, we were given the green light to turn this into a soap.

OH. JOY.

Every time I smell this soap, I want to take a bite out of it! But, alas, I know it won't taste like the delicious cocktail it was inspired by.

This soap is simple, just like it's counterpart. We didn't want to make the design too complicated, but we also didn't want the soap to be too simple. The drink itself appears to be a very pale green (it's difficult to see the exact color in the darker atmosphere) with a couple of drops of deep magenta at the top. The soap, has a similar design, with an added dark green component added to compliment the cucumber. We also added french green clay to the soap to also give it a pale green appearance and stuck a dried pink rose bud on the top. The fragrance is a simple but delicate blend of cucumber, rose, rosewood, juniper berry, and bergamot.

We are so excited  and honored to be able to bring this soap to you! It's currently on the curing rack, and will be available for sale at the beginning of April 2013.

Kinda lazy, but only a little bit...

Ok, so we haven't been posting as much lately, but it doesn't mean we haven't been doing anything...I swear! We just listed (finally) our Spiced Rum soap on Etsy and we're also working on developing a sugar scrub and a body lotion. I'm hoping it will all be ready in a few months, but we'll keep you all updated. Go check out our new listings!

New stuffs!

We just added a few new soaps to the Etsy store! Soaps include Bloody Mary, Mimosa, and Corpse Reviver 2, as we all know that the second variation is the best :) Here are some pics of the newbies:

Bloody Mary, sprinkled with tomato powder and black pepper

Mimosa, made with honey and calendula petals. I love when I can use gold mica on something.

Bloody Mary again. The carrot juice and tomato powder made the soap real yellow orange.

Corpse Reviver. This one really comes alive in the shower!

 Here's some more information about them:

Bloody Mary has a very herbal scent. It's main notes include cedarwood, eucalyptus, lilac, rosemary, hawaiian ginger, lemon, and melissa. It's yum.

Mimosa ended up being a very oriental scented soap, with notes of patchouli, white musk, ylang ylang, ginger, orange, honey, and plum. Plus the soap has honey in it. It feels awesome!

Corpse Reviver 2 is such a brightly scented soap. It's a real eye opener will be sophisticated as well. Scent notes include juniper berry, orange, lemon, white grape, and anise. This soap scent truly blooms when the water hits it.

That about sums it up. Go check out our etsy shop for more info!

http//www.etsy.com/shop/thesoapdistillery

Tweetin' Fool!

Hey guys! Did I forget to mention we are on Twitter now? Yeah! Follow us! We're trying to get on top of this social media thing. I've been spending too much time making soap and not enough time sharing the things that make me excited about making soap/the soap that I make. So, get some twitter, dudes!

https://twitter.com/SoapDistillery

Yo Ho Ho and a Soap Named Spiced Rum!

Let's just get right to it. Spiced Rum. Yeah, it's a soap now. We've been working on some new stuff, and Spiced Rum has squeezed it's way into the line!

Time for a terrible cell phone pic!

This soap has been in formulation for a while, but I feel as if we've finally created the perfect spicy sent. Inspired by carribean spices and sugar cane, this soap will be spicy enough for a man, and sweet enough for a woman. It's kinda like the sweet and sour chicken of soap...minus the whole sour bit and adding a spicy bit. Maybe. I'm reaching for this one I think. It's more like the sweet chili sauce of soap. Yeah, that's it!

This soap has it all. It's centered around notes of brown sugar, clove, coriander, and bay, with a little patchouli for a deep woody note, topped off with a hint of citrus. Just a hint. Can you tell we're excited about this one?

I just HAD to add gold mica to this.

This soap is currently on the curing rack, and will be ready for sale by February 25th. It will be added to our etsy shop. Get ready!

There's Milk and Cheese in My Soap!

You may be seeing a rise of soap's made with cow's milk or goat's milk at your local health food store and in several online shops. Even The Soap Distillery has soaps made with goat's cheese (which gives the soap many of the same benefits of goat's milk). But, what's the deal? Why buy soap with milk or cheese in it? Is it a marketing scam, or does it actually do something? Why can't I just drink my milk? Why would I want to shower with it, too?

It's looks so creamy...creamy enough to bathe in!

Well, I'll tell you something. I've used bars of soap that have milk in them, and I've also used soaps that don't have milk in them. There is a noticeable difference between two bars of soap that share the same ingredients except for the milk. In the soap with the milk, the lather bubbles up much more (most likely because of the sugars in the dairy product) and the bubbles quickly come together in a small, tight, and thick manner, hence creating an amazingly creamy lather. It's much different from a salt bar, though. The lather is not lotion-like and stiff like a salt bar, but still smooth and creamy, much like milk itself. The bar has more slip to it, and generally just feels better. Now, this isn't to stay that a non-milk bar can't be amazing, because it definitely can. However, as mentioned before, I'm only comparing two soap bars that have the same ingredients, except one is made with milk and the other with water.

For the purposes of this short post, I'll be talking about goat's milk/cheese. Aside from the visual and tactile experience, what else does it give? Oh boy...this is the best part! Not only does it feel better, but the milk makes your skin actually FEEL better. When I dried my skin off, I could notice how softer my skin felt. Why is this? Well, one thing that allows this to happen is the extra fat that's in milk and cheese. Soap bars need to be made with some type of fat and lye to be soap. The extra fat that does not get turned into soap moisturizes your skin, and helps to prevent that tight, dry feeling skin that needs moisture can get. The addition of goat's milk makes this happen. Now, what else?

Creamy, moisturizing Pink Lady goat's cheese soap. Just in time for Valentine's Day! From The Soap Distillery

Aside from the addition of extra fat, goat's milk is loaded with vitamins, specifically vitamin A, which helps to repair your skin. Studies that have been made about the benefits of vitamin A show this to be true, but of course, without getting a specific soap tested by the FDA, we can't say how effective it would be for each person. I can say that many people with skin issues tend to like to use unscented or mildly scented goat's milk soaps because of what they offer the skin. Between vitamin A and lactic acid, goat's milk is the way to go.

The best way for you to know for sure is to try a soap with goat's milk/cheese! Don't just take my word for it :)

Art in Soap: Is it too beautiful to use?

Here at The Soap Distillery, we know that we are not the only soap making business out there, and we respect and admire other amazing soapers that participate in the craft. Lately, a few soapy friends (including ourselves) have been hearing from potential customers that their soaps were too beautiful to use. While we put a lot of time and effort into making an aesthetically pleasing bar of soap to present to you all, that's just one part of it. We also take time into researching and testing out the use of different oils and scents to create a work of art that also feels great and serves its purpose. Please, don't shy away from the beauty that can be a bar of soap. We make them so you can buy them! This is a post that I wrote in one of my groups that really displays my thoughts. I encourage other soapers to share this if they wish, and if you are one of their customers or potential customers, I implore to you to please understand: These pieces of art are not meant to hang on a wall or sit on a shelf somewhere. Your favorite soapers create unique works of art, and each one is completely different than the last. Your experience while you use these soaps is a part of what we want to bring to you so don't be afraid to integrate yourselves with the work! Here's the post:



"It seems that more and more soapers are hearing the words "your soap is too beautiful to use" these days. This reminds me of one of my favorite art installations, and I thought it would be good for me to share my thoughts about it with you all. This is going to be a long post!

There's a piece in the permanent collection at the Art Institute of Chicago by the late Felix Gonzalez Torrez called "Placebo". I won't get into the fine details of the piece, but essentially it's a pile of candy (thousands of pieces) that sits in the corner of one of the rooms. The candies are wrapped in metallic plastic, and it's very beautiful under the gallery lights. The purpose is that gallery visitors are supposed to take pieces of candy so that the sculpture gets smaller and smaller. The candy is replenished every so often. We become apart of the artwork itself, and contribute to it's memory. Many people don't want to take candy because, well, it's art. Why should we take it? Art is meant to be viewed and not used, right? But this is not what the artist has intended.

Your soaps, beautiful in their simplicity, beautiful in their intricate design, and beautiful in the olfactory experience that they give us, are art in themselves. The user, our customers, become apart of the art that we make for them. Whenever you are feeling down about the beauty that you create, just remember that you too have your gallery spectators that feel bad about taking a piece of candy. However, for every one of them, you have bunches of customers who become apart of the experience that is your artwork, and they come back for more when it's time to replenish the piece. Keep up the amazing work everyone, and I can't wait to see what you all create in the new year!"

Now go, masses! Go support your favorite soaper! We certainly don't make soap just to be looked at. The beauty is meant to draw you in, and quality in product and service will keep you coming back for more. Have a great year friends!