Soap 'n' Things

Pamper yourself with natural and eco-friendly goodness for your body and skin. We do embrace animal fats in the spirit of reducing waste from byproducts and use local free-range beef tallow as well as ostrich oil in some of our products. We source raw, free-range or organic where possible, although our products are not certified organic, and our products are free from preservatives, chemical fragrances or colourants, making it ideal for sensitive skin or the discerning eco-conscious customer. White label products are available for suppliers who are seeking more natural ingredients, and we supply to every corner in South Africa. MY STORY:
A few years ago I decided to ditch the chemicals, and approach my family’s (including pets’) lives from a natural point of view as much as possible. At that point, there weren’t too many natural household detergents available, so I started experimenting with making my own laundry soap and dishwashing detergent. As a natural progression and being a curious person (or someone who wants to try everything at least once), I started dabbling in making cold process soap bars. This process was a little daunting at first, as every time you make soap, it’s a chemical experiment using caustic ingredients which generate tremendous heat, and requiring careful recipes. Formulating and trying out a new recipe is possibly the most exciting part, and then waiting for the soap to harden enough to unmould. And in the end, a gorgeous natural bar of soap. I now make traditional handcrafted & natural artisan soap bars from ingredients such as pure olive and coconut oils, shea butter, tallow and other oils. All products are all free of artificial colours, preservatives, SLS's, chemicals and petroleum products. Fragranced bars and liquid soap are gently fragranced using pure essential oils only, and coloured soap bars are achieved using various clays and charcoal. As an accompaniment to my range of soap, I introduced body-butters and body scrubs, body balms and later on liquid soap. My latest addition is a small range of shaving products for men including shaving soap and beard balms and oils and pretty soon I will introduce my baby range which will include mild castile soap made with buttermilk and organic olive oil. And because I remain passionate about what I do, I do everything myself. From formulating my own recipes, to making all my products from scratch (no ready-made bases are used) by mixing raw material and blending, saponifying, curing or sequestering until the products are ready. For castile soap, this is a long wait, up to 6 months before it is ready. Natural soap bars harden with time and make for a longer-lasting product. Once the product is ready to be packaged, I hand-make all my labels, print, cut and wrap all my products, and sometimes according to specific customer requirements. I love what I do, and I sincerely hope that my customers love my products. Because only natural ingredients are used, all products are completely environment friendly and bio-degradable. For the same reason, the products require appropriate storage to prevent spoilage as no preservatives are used. If used and stored properly, all my products have a minimum shelf life of one year.