I’ve been making soap, in my head, all my life. (That’s what SHE said…) As a child I would escape the chaos and constant activity of my house full of family – I’m the youngest of eight – catholic, of course, and visit my next door neighbor.
His life was such a wonderful array of order. Monday was laundry, Tuesday grocery store, Wednesday pay bills etc., etc., etc., BUT every afternoon, he had one beer, a counted-out number of pretzels and played three games of solitaire – not on the computer.
George was a retired laundry owner, and I loved helping wash on Monday using the wringer washer. What I really loved was going to the closet and pining over the large brown bars of handmade soap. I never asked for one and he never offered, but to this day, I can still feel the awe of the realization that soap could be made at home.
Okay, so the rest is history and it’s years and years later. I’ve been making soap for about five years now. I love the science of soap making, the chemistry, the danger of mixing lye with interesting ingredients, the artistic license that one can take with botanicals, essential oils, common kitchen ingredients and even packaging.
I’ve devoured so much technical information that I can’t keep track of all of it in my head. I continue to experiment and tweak my recipes because it’s fun and it keeps me interested in what I’m doing. I have added beer soap and beer lip balm, hoppy lips, to my line up. We have a brewery in Athens which is my source for beer, hops and sales! The folks at Terrapin have been very obliging and encouraging and my wonderful husband has built some wonderfully artistic displays for our sales at Terrapin.
Some of our soaps can be viewed at http://www.verdaeskintherapy.com
So many questions, so little time. The question most asked by my customers who buy beer soap is, “will it make me smell like beer?” I get the feeling that these guys are kind of hoping that it will, although the question seems to come tongue in cheek. My favorite response to our beer soap is the surprise that people feel when they realize that although beer soap is trendy, it is a phenomenal bar of soap that pampers your skin like no other. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that we also include shea butter, (did you know there is an American Shea Institute?), olive oil, cocoa butter and a myriad of other oils and butters to make your skin smile. I’ve got several customers who are using it to combat eczema with good success.On Saturdays we sell at the Athens Farmers Market in Bishop Park. It’s a lot of schlepping stuff every week but I thoroughly enjoy people watching from under the “visor” of our tent. Lucky for me, I often trade or barter soapy stuff for veggies, breads, jewelry, juice – whatever people have that their willing to trade. It’s great fun. Speaking of the market, it’s Friday night and I gotta get ready!
What we don't see 