We're back!

Hello all! It's been a while since I've posted here. Due to some issues with our old name "STILL - Spirited Bath and Body Care", we've decided to go back to our old name Soap Distillery (removed the 'The'). To us, it just seems easier this way, and many of our customers declared that they liked the old name.

To camp on to the name change or name switch, we are also changing our product line to offer mostly all natural products. This means that most of our products will not longer contain artificial fragrance oils. Some products (like Elderflower Liqueur and Wheat Beer) that cannot be replicated in an all natural way will stay the same, as the fragrance oils we use are perfectly safe. However, for those who are seeking an all natural option will finally get it! This means that we will have many all natural soaps, body oils, and lip balms! They will not contain any artificial fragrance, preservatives, or surfactants. Our soaps will also be more naturally colored, even though we will continue to use nature identical oxides from time to time. Our super bubbly soap formula will remain the same.

Our new Elderflower Liqueur soap, colored with sweet scented bee pollen and topped with elderflowers.

For those who preferred our body wash options, we have already released a whipped soap, which contains super mild surfactants (sls free) that we've been testing for quite some time. This formula also contains shea butter and olive oil, to insure that the body wash will be moisturizing. This is quite uncommon for a regular "off the shelf" body wash. It also contains a paraben and formaldehyde donor free preservative. It's absolutely heavenly!

Pumpkin IPA whipped soap, topped with nutmeg. OH MAN.

PLUS, we will be in several shows this holiday season, so come check us out! The links are all on etsy, at the bottom left side of the page:

Our markets bring all the boys to the yard.

As always, our products will remain phthalate, sls, silicone, nitro musk, and dye free. Because why? Because you deserve the best. We spend countless hours perfecting our formulations to insure that you get a good product. Besides, why would we make something that we wouldn't even use? Now that's just silly.

Be on the lookout for new products and new branding to hit our etsy shop soon. Make sure to follow our facebook page for updates as well!

Shop on Etsy

Follow us on Facebook!

Thanks for holding on with us folks!

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'!