Common Ingredients and Sustainability
Activated Charcoal: Cleanses, unclogs pores, and helps to gently remove dead skin cells. Also looks cool.
Avocado Oil: Organic. Conditioning and creamy, it also contains vitamins for healthy skin.
Babassu Oil: Usually soap recipes require palm oil, but as the palm oil industry continues to devastate rainforests in Indonesia, I use babassu oil instead. It's harvested by women working in co-ops in the Amazon so they have an income to support their families with, and it's a sustainable crop native to the area. It's a lightweight oil that absorbs easily into skin without clogging, so it's an excellent moisturizer.
Beef Tallow: Locally sourced from a regenerative farm ten minutes away from my house. The beef cattle are 100% raised on grass from rotating pastures and are never fed any corn or soy. No artificial anything. And they're very happy, fat, shiny cows that I yell "HI COWS" at when I drive past them. And because the farm doesn't waste anything, they save their tallow and sell it to people like me in the community. It honestly makes me feel better to know where exactly my ingredients are coming from and that the tallow I use isn't coming from a massive feedlot.
Coconut Oil: Organic. Mainstay of soapmaking, it's the workhorse that removes dirt and buildup.
Flaxseed Oil: An underrated oil that is full of omega-3 fatty acids that are essential for skin elasticity.
French Black Clay: I love love love cosmetic clays. As someone who suffers from adult acne I've never found something that works as well for vacuuming up excess oil and helping to remove pimples. It also gives the soap a nice silky feel.
Hempseed Oil: Organic. One of my favorites; it moisturizes without clogging pores and helps to soothe inflamed skin.
Honey: Unrefined and raw. Made locally by bees that feed on the mountain wildflowers near my home at a regenerative farm. Honey is a natural humectant full of antioxidants that helps provide gentle exfoliation for softer skin.
Mango Butter: Pressed from mango seeds, it's an emollient and moisturizer.
Mica: Silicate mineral that makes the colors in the soaps. No microplastics.
Neem Oil: Helps with itching, redness, and irritation.
Rice Bran Oil: Another oil that is easily absorbed and helps with itching that can come from dry skin. You might think dry and oily skin are opposites but often times dry skin can lead to a proliferation of oil that causes acne. Balanced moisture is important for keeping skin happy.
Shea Butter: Unrefined and sustainably produced by a women's cooperative group in Benin. Shea butter is a renowned powerhouse for skincare as it is full of vitamins and moisturizing properties.
Tamanu Oil: Contains fatty acids similar to the ones we have in our skin that keep us hydrated. Yes I'm trying very hard to not use the word "moist" in these descriptions but it's a challenge.
Tea Tree Oil: The mvp of acne treatments, it also helps to destroy certain bacteria which contribute to body odor. Just please don't use on cats, as tea tree is toxic to them (idk why you'd do that anyways but now you know.)