Natural, eh?

Someone recently sent me a link to another natural body care company’s website to see what I thought of it.  People are confused by claims of how natural things are. Here are the ingredients for the night cream:

Water/Aqua/Eau, Dimethicone, Glycerine, Butylene Glycol, Pentylene Glycol, Rosa Centifolia Flower Water, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, C-12 C15 Alkyl 2-Hydroxy Propanate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Glycertl Stearate, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Steareth 2, Maltooligsyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Starch, Hydrolysate, Trehalose, Steareth 21, Caprylic/Capric/Myristic/Stearic Triglycerides, Squalene, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Lonicera Caprifolium (Honeysuckle) Flower Extract, Magnolia Obravata Bark Extract, Simmondsia Chinesis (Jojoba) Leaf Extract, Epilobiam Augustifolium Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Alayl Glutamine, Stearic acid, Polysorbate 60, Polysilicone-11, Bentonite, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum.

WOW!

The person who shared the link with me said…”people are getting more sophisticated and are starting to look at ingredients”….Great!  And Skin Deep is really helping us all get a handle on things…check out ingredients on their website…..

Meanwhile, we are alway’s reformulating our natural skin and body care line…to have less, not more fancy ingredients, and to keep it simple, natural and clean.

Happy May Day!

Linda Quiring

Founder

Is less Fragrance more?

Occasionally, we are asked, “Why don’t you use more fragrance in your products?” or some variation thereof.

Well, it’s tricky….like lots of things in this business. We know that a lot of sales are made by customers opening a tester to get a strong sense of the fragrance, a important part of any product purchasing decision.

So, it’s a good idea to have enough fragrance, or scent, to give people a good whiff of what’s inside…and if they like it….they will usually buy the product…based only on smell.

Problem is, with a level of fragrance high enough to pack a real punch on first smell, there needs to be a LOT of fragrance in the product. Then, when you put it on your skin, hair, or use it in the bath or shower….it is just TOO MUCH!

Many people say they can’t usually enter a soap shop because of the high fragrance levels. For some people, they may have slight or more serious allergies and it’s a real concern. For others, they just find a lot of perfumey smell really unpleasant. But they tell us, our shops are fine!

There are several reasons for this…..

firstly, we use 100% pure essential oils whenever we can. Don’t have that ‘perfumey’ smell, plus they have actual benefits to skin, hair, and feelings of well-being.

next, we only use ‘fragrance oils’ which are not available as essential oils, i.e. peach or mango.

third, when we do use ‘fragrance oils’ there is a great variation in price of those available….we use only the most expensive oils made from natural compounds.

We may sacrifice some sales, but in the long term, we receive overwhelming feedback that people like our philosophy on scents and fragrances, and like many things……. Less is More!

Happy Spring!

Linda

The Era of Big Box Retail Dominance Is Coming to an End!

Photo Credit http://installationspace.com/spaces/wp-content/gallery2/large/big_box.jpg

When reading this article today http://bloom.bg/H5QRN2 It got to thinking.  Big box starts with BIG. In north America we have become obsessed with everything BIG.

BIG businesses, BIG homes, BIG autos and BIG Debt  BIG waistlines. Having lost one of our key retail locations to one of the Bigs it is not lost on us this power of BIG. You can get steam rolled by things BIG.

At Saltspring Soapworks we understand and embrace the power and importance of small.  Small batches, made by a hand full of accountable caring humans, Small footprint, Small waste, The ability to make changes quickly and to engage customers and they're experience with what we do. We even have what we think now might be one of the world's smallest soap shops.

So enjoy Big if you must, but consider carefully  small now and then.  Small might just be there when you return.

Gary Quiring

President.

Plastic is the New Glass!

I’m back!  Sorry…spent quite a few weeks in the desert with no wi-fi!  Also, saw lots of nice body care on my visit to So. California! Noticed some other companies, mostly smaller ones, are morphing into glass, also.

We’ve been moving into glass for some time now, and have encountered a few problems.  Customer feedback is great! It tells us not to use glass in the bath or shower for shampoo, conditioner etc.  That makes sense.

We tried to go to PCR bottles… That’s post consumer recycled…supposed to be the next best thing to glass…but turns out the sample we received from a supplier came from England!  Not too environmentally correct to ship them so far to save the planet!!

Also checked the web for a wonderful Italian bath product I bought years ago.  They had a lot of customer feedback,also.  About 20 tweets said the same thing:

“We love your product…it’s wonderful…it’s fragrant…etc. etc…    and

“We hate your bottle!”  “Broke the jar on the edge of the tub!”  “Dropped the jar and broke it, etc, etc, etc…..

So, back to plastic for some things….and we’ll keep looking for that perfect plastic to use for our hair care, baby products and other things you want to toss around the bathroom and not break!

Starting work on our new skin care line…all natural and organic…and all in glass….day and night creams, toner, cleanser and scrubs can all happily exist together in the bathroom without much chance of breakage….what do you think?

Linda Quiring

Founder

New for Christmas!

Yes, we DO have something new for Christmas…….and the rest of the year also.

Two of our best-selling, most popular lines have been, since around the late ’70′s, Lavender and Rose.  We did them first with lovely watercolors by Carol Evans, in an Olde English style…they were vastly popular.  Years later, we re-introduced them with a more West Coast feel.  But recently, they were looking a little tired.

In the last two years, many new and exciting natural ingredients have become available and this led us to reformulate and repackage these items.

We believe these new products represent the Best in natural skin care.   The Lavender Fields line includes Handmade Soap, with a Body Souffle, Natural Bath Salts, Lavender Bath Gel, (yes, it’s back!) and refreshing Lavender Water.

Rose d’Amour is also about the best skin care we’ve ever developed! These skin care products for women are beautifully and softly scented, with Handmade Soap, Body Souffle, Bath Salts, a Bath Milk to die for, and toning  Rosewater.

With new, more eco-conscious glass packaging, lovely watercolors by Carol Evans, botanically-based cleansers, and high quality essential oils and scents, we feel these products have raised the bar on natural skin care.

Now, not only can you trust completely natural skin and body care, made always in small batches with the highest quality ingredients, but we believe for the first time, you can have the most natural products with a splendid look most suitable for gift-giving.

Come in today and sample these wonderful new indulgences, and while you choose a gift for someone else, treat yourself to something wonderful!

Happy Holidays,

Linda Quiring,

Founder

The Old Salty, Mouat’s

Had a visit with Mary Lou Bompas at the Old Salty today, downtown Ganges.  We chatted about our companies, which incidentally are both 1979 vintage!Old Salty now carries most of our Saltspring Soapworks product line, with more to come in spring.  I asked Mary Lou, after 32 years,  what she likes about her job….. Everything! she said.  “It’s the best of both worlds…..I treat it like it’s my own business,” she added…….and I’m backed by Mouat’s.”

I asked about her duties, and they include: buyer, merchandising and display, customer service, which I have to say she excels at,  and also, cleaning lady!

When asked the secret of their success and why they’ve lasted so long, she said there are a lot of good things that people mention often:  ‘That Old Salty continues to change with the times.’

That they have ‘an eclectic range,’  that there are’ so many different things!’   That there is such a ‘nice collection’ of items. That it’s a kind of ‘good, better, best’ place.  That they stock both imports and local items.   In fact, one sign reads, “Saltspring and Canadian artisans and treasures from around the world!” Hard to beat that!

She asked what I liked about Old Salty.  “Well,” I thought, “it’s just so interesting! It’s really colorful in here, with a really vibrant atmosphere, yet it is never junky or busy looking.  And, it changes all the time while still keeping it’s fun, fresh look.

“What’s the most fun part,” I asked.  “It’s the interesting people,” said Mary Lou. “It’s really all about the people,” and I don’t think I’ve met a more ‘people person’ in retail than Mary Lou.  After 32 years with one company, what enthusiasm!

“Any thoughts on retiring?” I asked.  “Retire??!!”  I’m too young!”

She added that the job really suited her lifestyle;  4 days work per week, time off, traveling for buying trips, and lot’s of responsibility, she said, which she finds challenging.

So, drop in at The Old Salty and say hi to Mary Lou, check out their lovely display of our products and visit one of the most fun shops on our island!

Got any great Old Salty stories?

Bye for now,

Linda Quiring

Surfing, Sea Soap and Seasonal Suds.

Fresh back from  the left coast surfing the wonderful shore break on South Chesterman’s Beach, Tofino. The weather, waves and friends, old and new made it another best trip ever!
Used our Salish Sea soap while there, in the cool pacific waters, great for washing hands,  body and smelly wetsuit, in Salt water. Now we are back on our home island, Salt Spring , preparing for ten new products to be announced soon, as well as gearing up for our seasonal and Christmas soaps, craft shows, and our always super fun Christmas windows in our shops. We are having a fun and busy fall and we hope yours is too!

Hope to hear from you soon,

Gary Quiring

President, Soapmaker and Surfer

GLASS Packaging, eh!

Last year in the winter, we visited Palm Desert, CA where my favorite body care shop is…favorite next to ours, of course.  The Body Deli has great natural products…and as we were starting the process of converting many of our products to glass….I asked them if they get negative feedback about having things in plastic.

Their answer was, they too had started the process of converting their line to glass….confirming my strong feeling that glass is the way to go in future.  Some things, like shampoo, that we use in the shower, are probably better in plastic.  We don’t want to drop a glass bottle of our hair care in a tiled shower stall.

A recent issue of Canadian Packaging magazine had a big spread on the idea of using more glass, mostly in food products, but I feel the same reasons for keeping food in glass apply to keeping  body care products in glass whenever possible.  Following is a quote from June 2011:

” People love glass, and for good reason.  Chefs know it protects flavor and freshness.  Moms know glass is healthy.  safe packaging.  Environmentalists know it’s 100% recyclable, forever.  And CEOs know glass says quality.  Honest, pure, iconic glass.  What’s not to love?”   GlassIsLife.com

Glad to know we are ahead of the curve, and on the right track!  Look for our new line of 100% natural French Lavender and Damask Rose products before Christmas, newly formulated, and available in “honest, pure, iconic Glass.”  As they say, “What’s not to love?”

Linda Quiring

Founder

More Paraben-free Toiletries….Yippee!

The prestigious Four Seasons hotel chain has just announced that they are “switching to paraben-free toiletries”…part of the “Four Seasons chain’s broader effort to use more natural products in its spas.”

I’m so glad to hear it!  Of course,  Saltspring Soapworks has been doing this forever, or almost.    We’ve talked a lot about preservatives and parabens in the past……it’s something everyone who might be interested in what they put in, and on, their bodies wants to know!

Luckily, we can say that most of our products have never had added preservatives….our body oils, body scrubs and our famous Body Gelato are made up fresh in small batches so they aren’t sitting around on shelves for any length of time.   Our handmade soaps don’t need preservatives either…..and with the products, like lotions, that do need then….we  use natural preservatives that are highly-rated on websites that carry that info…such as Skin Deep.

We recently updated our line of natural hair and body care products for hotels and resorts:  our wonderful Rosemary Mint Shampoo and Conditioner, Body Lotion and Body Wash, and an actual handmade soap….. and of course   NO PARABENS!!

I’m glad the Four Seasons has finally caught up with us and other natural body care makers.  Even better, their spokeswoman Sorya Gaulin goes on to say:  “by the end of this year…the plan is for all Four Seasons hotels to offer an organic chemical-free option in their spas.”

Good Work,  Four Seasons!

Bye for now,

Linda

Pop Up Shop!

Photographer John Cameron recently did a superb job with his image of our new pop-up shop in Ganges.  It looks grand and actually, sort of immense while it is in fact probably the smallest soap shop in the world!

As many of our loyal customers and locals know…..we had to move when our home of 15 years was torn down to make way for a big-box kind of store.  200 locals protested, of course, this being Saltspring Island…..but down came our shop and three others in almost the last old buildings in town to house small shops like ours.  Kind of sad to see the bubbles, new age, sushi and music shops disappear……

What to do until we move into larger quarters when the new bldg is finished? Well, Gary came up with a grand idea!  We would rent a small space on the edgy edge of town and try and lure locals and tourists alike to our new out-of-the-way spot.

It really did POP UP!  Gary designed the shop and signage, I offered some advice on paint colors, Bill brought his tool box and built shelving and painted, Amber hired charming and friendly Natasha to take care of the shop, trained her….and presto!  We had opening day 3 weeks from start to finish.  It cost $500…..this compared to the six months and 5 figures it cost us to open a shop out-of-town some years ago.

So, how’s it doing??? Well, happy to say, the bubbles are back….and blowing over town just like the old days…….and the feedback has been amazing…..and really, really interesting…..

Stay tuned for some fascinating news about the retail scene on Saltspring in general, and Saltspring  Soapworks in particular!

Have fun in the sun!

Linda

My Three Favorites!

When the warm weather arrives…and I’m gardening, walking, cycling in shorts….my legs get sunburned and really dry.  The only thing that will get rid of the dry-looking skin fast….is my Number One Favorite product in the summer …….our Sugar Scrub!

I go through jars of it…luckily I have lots…..and instead of the shower, I use it in the tub when I get in…and give my legs and feet a good scrub…then I soak in the oils and enjoy the lovely scent for awhile.  It’s the only thing I’ve ever found besides a harsh pumice or something….that instantly takes care of this problem.

Number Two Favorite product….year round….has to be our Baby Shampoo and Body Wash…I use it in the tub for bubbles!  Lots of them!  And I love the perfectly 100% essential oil of Lavender that really relaxes and sometimes, puts me to sleep!  And the suds are 100% natural…..for so many years I couldn’t use shower gels or bath bubbles because of the harsh detergents….but that never happens no matter how long I soak with the Baby Wash…if it’s good enough for babies…it’s good enough for me!

Number Three Favorite product would have to be my old perennial favorite….Seaweed Scrub Soap……sometimes, I enjoy another one for awhile…and occasionally actually buy a bar of soap to try something new….but I always go back to the Seaweed…it has everything!  Nice lather…a little bit of scrub and a clean fresh scent from 100% essential oils.

Well, sometimes the 3 favorites change..but right now…..and for the last couple of years…these have been my own personal favorites….Try them if you haven’t yet…you’re in for a TREAT!

Linda

HELP! I’m Going Crazy! Or Cosmetic ingredients revealed.

and it’s my own fault.

For decades, I’ve been trying to educate people about the benefits of handmade soap and body care. I’ve told this story before…but my first experience with handmade soap was an epiphany. Mostly because I’d made it myself.

When I began growing herbs, it quicky led to making salves, potpourri; the usual ’70′s hippy thing. Then, I needed a soap base for an herbal shampoo and found a recipe in Organic Gardening for castile soap.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, it made enough soap for years. Oh yeah, the herbal shampoo quickly turned brown and smelled bad. Forgot to keep it in the fridge.

But with all this soap in shoeboxes under the bed, we began to use it everyday. And.. what a miracle! Handmade soap did not burn my skin… make it itchy…or dry…or anything….just nice and clean and moist.

So began my journey into soapmaking….then a day cream, a night cream, a lemony beeswax hand cream. I was off and running. As my experimental soaps piled up, I began giving them away and the rest, as they say, is herstory.

But, with each bar sold or given away, I had to explain why handmade soap was better. In 1979 most people were kind of afraid of it. They’d heard about ‘Grandma’s Lye Soap.’

Fast-forward to 2011…..we’ve gone beyond ‘natural’ and are heading for ‘organic.’ And people are becoming more educated about ingredients in their body care products. Maybe too far? O.K. Out with the parabens, the propylene glycol and so on. No tallow based soaps. No sodium lauryl sulphate. That was easy. We never used most of these things anyway.

But hey….now people are wanting NO preservatives…..and have read that certain essential oils are bad. That glycerine is bad. Strangely enough, I find that people who ask if we use sodium lauryl sulphate are surprised to find they are brushing their teeth with it. That there might be sodium hydroxide in their white bread.

There are countless websites touting some ingredients, while vilifying others. Many of these websites are in direct conflict with each other. Who to trust?

Well, us. Still handmake soap in small batches. Consult regularly with a natural cosmetic chemist on new ingredients to get through some of the marketing hype out there. Don’t use preservatives in many products…and those that need it….have minimal amounts of a naturally-based one. Only pure food-grade vegetable oils in our soaps and body care. Plus, we are so small, quick, and versatile that we can change ingredients on a dime…and often do. We don’t need to meet with the Board of Directors!

Also going back to some of the formulas I used 30 years ago…like our Baby Bottom Balm.

So, keep in touch for more old, new products…

Linda Quiring
Founder

CUTE BABY! Baby Product ingredients.

I love these articles! A picture of the cutest baby…………followed by an article on how dangerous baby care products are. You wouldn’t use these things on your dog……why use them on Baby?

Probably because it’s difficult to know EXACTLY what you’re using. It’s even hard for us….and we do this for a living. Recently we spoke with a supplier about a natural surfactant for our amenity shampoo. The ingredient sounded awful…try Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate……..but turns out it is OK’d as a food additive by the FDA…. a fatty acid of coconut.

Some other things sound O.K. ..but in fact are horrible. Websites that give ratings about ingredients vary wildly in their reports….Who To Trust?!! Well, us for one. We spend a huge amount of time researching new ingredients…..and our products continue to improve.

Recently, we reformulated our baby line….. it is 100% natural and organic…although it was pretty good before. It has organic herbal extracts of Rose Hip, Burdock Root, Korean Ginseng, Calendula, and other botanical ingredients.

Compare that with” several of the top selling children’s bath products which claim they are gentle and safe.” According to an article in Vista Mag #74….these products are contaminated with cancer-causing chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane. ” In addition, ” carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, endocrine disruptors, plasticizers, degreasers and surfactants are all industrial chemicals found by US researchers in personal care products.” UGH!

What to do? Don’t use anything which has the nice soft baby powder smell….a chemically-made fragrance. Try our line, with only Essential Oils of Lavendin, Patchouli and Ylang Ylang to make our signature baby scent.

Check out our handmade natural all-vegetable Baby Soap…..and check the ingredients on our labels. You won’t find anything you don’t want to use on your baby, yourself, or your dog.

Incidentally, also check out our Pet Line. More and more peeople are using the shampoo and conditioner…..better than all the big commercial drugstore brands for humans!

Linda Quiring

Founder
Saltspring Soapworks

EARTH-FRIENDLY SOAPS!

Reading Vista Magazine http://www.vistamagonline.com/ again…..Hey! Our Favorite Thing! Good Soap! Seems like a no-brainer…but it’s as difficult to find a good soap as it is to find a good loaf of white bread (try True Grain in Cowichan Bay)http://www.truegrain.ca/.

“Much of what goes down our drains winds up in the environment,” reminds Michail Bloch in his article. So…how about dumping those fragrances and chemicals that harm the environment? Most of all, the “antibacterial” products that are ubiquitous today.

Bloch says, “antibacterial soaps contain MIT (methylisothiazolinone), (want to use this?????). Studies have shown it is allergenic, cytotoxic and linked to nerve cell death. The most common antibacterial Triclosan….is actually registered as a pesticide…and believed to destroy fragile aquatic ecosystems, (like where the frogs USED to live?)

“Other ingredients found in soap,” he says “are paraffin wax, ozokerite, other crude oil derivatives and animal tallow. This is just scratching the surface, ” Bloch continues…and reading a personal care label is like a chemistry lesson.” He also mentions, as I frequently do, that at the end of the soapmaking process they (those other guys) extract the glycerine, a useful emollient, and sell it separately as a moisturizer. Ours of course, stays right in the soap.

So, What should you use?? How about OUR SOAPS!!! Yippee! A nice, healthy, handmade alternative to the above. How about palm, coconut and olive oils. Lately, palm has gotten a bad rap also, but upon investigating..it seems the bad press may be generated by a rival company who has switched to much less expensive canola…formerly known as rapeseed. And GMO, too. Anytime you grow anything on a large scale, there are environmental consequences…but palm sure beats supporting the beef industry by using it’s by-product, tallow.

Then, there is shea butter, and lots of other good and great things we add to our soap bars. Most importantly, our soaps are not melt and pour, we actually make them from ‘scratch’ using the old tried-and-true ‘cold-process’ method used by European soapmakers for centuries to make the best soaps in the world……

And you can still find those handcrafted Artisan Pure Soaps at Saltspring Soapworks,http://saltspringsoapworks.com/products/handmade-soap/ right here on the rock…or, if you don’t live on this little island, we do ship all over the world! Don’t let another day go by using something that looks like soap, but morphed into a detbar (read detergent bar) decades ago.

Linda Quiring

Founder

Fighting Time! Anti aging creams.

While in Palm Springs this winter…an article in the local paper, the Desert Sun caught my eye! ‘Fighting Time’ screamed the headline….Do anti-aging creams work?” The answer, no surprise to me ….”dermatologists say, “Mostly No!”

The article was about those really big companies, not us..who use things that “help to boost oxygen microcirculation.” And they can reset “the skin’s aging clock by converting resting stem cells.” Other ingredients “turn on digestive enzymes that will only go after scars and wrinkles.” In short, continued the article, “they can utterly transform your old, dry, thinning, wrinkled skin.”

True? Well, mostly NO say the experts. Actually, I think no one really knows. Apparently, even the cheapest creams will moisturize…are there really any benefits beyond that?…which make some prohibitively expensive creams worth the $1500 per oz?

Such claims, say the article are “very vague,” and “it is difficult to say whether these do anything.” This from Dr. Simon Yoo, assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern University. The FDA has also sent warning letters to cosmetics companies, (mostly small ones???) for making drug claims. (Is it O.K. for the big guys to do it?)

You can read all about how companies use fake science to sell products in Dr. Ben Goldacres book,”Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks and Big Pharma Flacks.” He thinks such marketing is ‘meaningless.’

It seems that the claims made are not backed up by any studies or peer reviews. Without published studies, says the article, its impossible to know whether their ingredients are effective. Dermatologists interviewed said most products are harmless. ” If you like it,” basically, they said, “enjoy it!” But they won’t do much more than a moisturizer that is a LOT less expensive….perhaps 1/10th or even a 100th of the price.”

So, you may feel confident that our creams and moisturizers, which contain all the good things, and none of the bad things…really, really work…as our hundreds of loyal fans prove. As far as “converting resting adult stem cells to newly minted skin cells,” well, we won’t be doing that anytime soon!

Linda Quiring

Founder

Eco Cert! (or not?)

Recently, I saw some natural products advertised….nice packaging….items that I liked to use; toner, moisturizer, etc.  and best of all…they had an eco-cert label…one of those nice circle things with their eco-friendly certification…..these little green things are ubiquitous now……and I like to see them on all kinds of products.  Clothing, household cleaning supplies, for sure a LOT of body, skin and hair care companies have this kind of branding and green washing.

What!  That’s right!  It’s BRANDING!!  In the recent ad I saw…for some reason, I actually read what the eco-cert claim was….My  thinking, “Saltspring Soapworks needs to do this.  We’ve got such great, clean and natural products, we need to shout it out!”  Baffled, I read the little circle three or four times…..it didn’t actually say anything!  Most of these logo/mark type of things tell you who is actually certifying the product as organic or whatever.

I realized that this one was…actually, FAKE!  Wow! I thought, how clever……we’ve all gotten used to seeing these little green tags….and they have become kind of invisible…while still showing us how wonderful, clean and organic the product is.

A few days later I read the latest issue of Alive Magazine…(I love their healthy recipes)…..I’ve misplaced it now, but it had a very comprehensive article about the whole eco-cert thing and how so many companies are now….yes, fibbing…..and just adding something that looks like the real thing…but is actually an in-house creation.  Also, it seems you can now go on the web and for a few dollars….buy a nice looking eco-type label that doesn’t mean anything….just sits there looking nice and green.

But, even as I tsk-tsked at the subterfuge….I had to admire how clever and creative people are!  If they would just put that creativity into making good, clean, healthy and organic products!

Bye for now,

Linda Quiring

Founder,
Saltspring Soapworks

Oh No! I Forgot to Blog!

Yes, I did it again….went down to Palm Springs for a month or so…..and forgot to do my blog…..too busy doing nothing, I guess.

I did work a little…..visited all my favorite Soap, Bath and Body,  and Skin Care shops in the Valley, and a couple of new ones, too.  For me, this is always one of the fun parts of my trip, which I call Research & Development.  This year, I discovered some really interesting things:

Amazing amounts of Bath Bombs…..priced anywhere between $8.95 and $12,95..a little pricey  for something you might enjoy for only one bath.  Makes ours look like a spectacular deal.  Also, although they all seem to be labelled or marketed as ‘natural’ they included lots of things we wouldn’t  use. There were some interesting scents, though.

There seemed to be a lot less handmade or artisan soaps.  It made me think the handmade soap thing is fading fast.  I think it was Michael’s who claimed many years ago that soapmaking had become “‘the fastest growing hobby in North America.”   Now, we only saw 3 or 4 handmade soaps, and I believe they were ALL melt and pour…..perhaps all the soapmakers have advanced to skin care lotions and potions….because we saw a lot more of these.

One lovely line of truly organic products we saw everywhere for a couple of years in four or five shops…was completely gone.  I had bought and used a couple of these products. and really liked them, although I found them very expensive.  When I inquired, I found shops had dropped them for exactly that reason.  It appears that people will pay only so much for 100% organic skin care, even in high-end natural food shops.

I did find one line that really appealed to me….firstly, it was all in brown glass, the way we are moving.  Their ingredients look extremely natural and organic.  I  bought a few things…which I love!  Especially the day moisturizer; lovely and light.  The scents are extremely light, which I love too.  It’s a small company called  DeVita, and I hope they do well!

Well, That’s All Folks!  Back on the Rock creating some new and exciting products…..watch for them this spring….Hey…..It Is Spring!!

Bye for now,

Linda

Saltspring Soapworks Factory Store

It’s official. Our Salt Spring Island Factory Store is open! Due to the demolition of our Ganges location,
for the first time ever, we are temporarily selling from our factory! We hope to see you there!
#1-111 Robinson Road. 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Monday to Thursday.
Call 250-537-2811 for info.

Handmade Soapmaker’s Blog

Hello Folk’s

As a soapmaker my favorite time is the December/ January time period. It’s not because of Christmas or my love of snow skiing.
It’s because of our annual Soap Stampede, when I get to make dozen’s of experimental soap’s .This is our brainstorming -inspirational time of year.

This is where the rubber meet’s the soapmaking road with Soap’s like GRANOLA BAR made with Honey, Oats Bran, with a warm smell of Vanilla and Honey topped
with shredded Coconut, or CHOCOLATE ORANGE , a creamy bar swirled with Essential Oil of Orange and Chocolate. Yum!
SPICE ISLAND with an essential Oil blend of, Cinnamon, Clove and Vanilla, swirled with
Cinnamon Powder, or CITRUS BLEND, an essential Oil blend of, Lemon, Orange & Lemongrass, blended with ground
dried Orange peel for an exfoliation and topped with Calendula flowers.

It’s super fun and a challenge to make these gourmet, artisan soap’s in limited quantities.

They are available only by visiting our Duncan and Victoria stores while they last.

Thanks,
Gary Quiring

Soapmaker.

Valentine’s Contest Winner!

Congratulations!  to Charleen Souliere, winner of our gift  in Keira-Anne’s Valentine’s blog contest.

http://www.keira-anne.com/2011/02/07/giveaway-celebrate-love-on-vancouver-island-and-win-one-of-three-great-prizes/

Enjoy!