Mike and Erin as squeaky clean kids

The recent popularity of natural products is overwhelming. It seems that we're finally understanding that what we put in, as well as on our bodies can have long term effects.

We think of natural ingredients as a virtual playground when creating new soaps. Discovering which herbs and botanicals will create the desired effect is half the fun. Using or sharing the bars of incredibly bubbly, wonderful smelling soap that we make ourselves completes the experience.

What began as an experiment in acid/base reactions, has become Erin's passion. Inspired by a professor at Michigan State University in the early nineties, she tried to make a batch of simple soap one weekend while home from college. It wasn't anything too fancy. But, it started an addiction to natural soap that continues to this day.

Having experienced itchy reactions to certain commercial soaps as a kid, and hearing that it could be due to the fragrances in them, she chooses to scent her batches with only natural essential oils. Selecting which ones to try is practically incapacitating! There are so many, and they all sound good! We laugh that what was once a wine cabinet has been taken over by bottles of essential oils!

Handcrafted soap begins with the selection of oils. We prefer soap that is heavy on olive oil. It is rich in oleic acid, which lends a great, creamy feel to a bar of soap. However, olive alone can feel slimy, so we blend it with other oils that create hardness, cleaning ability, bubbles and stable lather. It isn't hard to find recipes for soap, but true artisan soapcrafters pride themselves on their ability to create their own recipes.

Handcrafted Soap should not only look nice, and clean well, but be formulated properly to leave your skin feeling happy.

Isn't happy skin what it's all about?

To all of you, from all of us at Bar Soap Natural - Thank you for visiting our site!

Michael Brown & Erin Lee
Soap King and Queen