Plastics, Care, Community, Consumption, In the Home, Local Community Action, People Health & Wellbeing, Reduce & Reuse
Locally Handcrafted Natural Soaps for a Plastic Free Bathroom
Natural soap making has been around for thousands of years. The rise of industrialisation, globalisation and cluey marketing means we have lost that connection with real soap ingredients and soap making.
Mell Magill is a Lake Mac soap maker, and founder of Honeybee House Skin Co. The local business owner shares her cold soap making process, the value of community feedback and why her artisan-made products are beneficial for our bodies and the planet.
Soap was the Solution to the Problem
Living so close to the beach, Mell ultimately got sick of picking up bags full of single-use plastics and other discarded debris off the beach on her daily morning walks. The business grew from her strong connection with the ocean & the unique Australian coastline. And the need to protect it.
Honeybee House Skin Co shows how one local can help promote and prevent the overuse of plastic packaging, primarily found in the skincare and cleaning industries. The local business is Mell’s contribution to small-step, actionable environmental change.
The Soap Making Process
Soap making using the cold process method mixes an acid with alkaline and lets these chemicals have a party – also known as saponification.
The acid is triglycerides (fatty acids, oils) mixed with sodium hydroxide (lye), which is alkaline.
The chemical reaction can take up to 24 hours to complete, followed by a lengthy curing process.
Uniquely Formulated
Each body product has a uniquely formulated, tried and tested recipe. There are different triglyceride bases (base acids), depending upon the purpose of the product.
The type of base acid used is a determining factor as to how long the soap lasts.
Believing in quality products, the soaps cure for six weeks and exclude additional surfactants – which make soaps feel foamy – to stay firm and last.
These soaps are true soaps that clean.
How we look after the soap in our showers also extends the life of the soap — for example, allowing the soap to dry between uses by resting it on a soap dish with good air circulation.
Healthier Skin and Body
Mell’s family noticed the difference in how much her soap relieved itchy dry skin compared with highly synthesised soap. Returning customers agree that it’s the best bar soap for dry skin.
One thing led to the next, with the production of naturally scented, low tox shampoo bars (suitable for all hair types) and facial bars.
Valuing lifelong learning means Mell aims to develop new products to join the current line of skincare products. These will continue to promote natural, sustainable and waste-free living.
Unambiguous Ingredients
Ingredient transparency, sourcing Australian made and ethically sourced ingredients are the high priority business ethos of Honeybee House Skin Co.
Researching product ingredients is essential for the eco-friendly soap producer.
Detailed research made Mell more aware of the extremely ambiguous ingredients included in off-the-shelf, mass-produced products.
Mell explains that if a product includes “fragrance” as a listed ingredient, there’s no knowing the origin of that scent. It leaves us questioning whether the fragrance is natural or fake.
Adding the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) names to products helps Honeybee House Skin Co. customers make more informed decisions. For example, the INCI name listings usually tell whether the ingredients are naturally derived or not. This is a vital factor to know when producing naturally-based products.
No Soap Scum
Due to the chemical reaction and natural butters left in the final product – via a superfatting process – what’s left in the shower after cleaning is a thin, easy-to-clean film.
Minimal elbow grease, plus a clean with Miracle Spray and a coconut scourer, helps to keep the shower recess clean.
As an experienced house cleaner, Mell noticed the difference between cleaning this thin residue and the soap scum build-up of synthetic, mass-manufactured soaps.
Honeybee House Skin Co Helps our Community
It’s local producers like Mell who’ve recognised how to help our community. She’s made sustainability easier with a realistic and localised solution so we can live kindly on our planet.
May you discover the beauty of quality, small-batch produced, locally made products like these soaps, shampoo bars and facial bars and make one small shift towards a healthier you.
Some links in this story are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I may receive a commission if you choose to make a purchase.
Where to find Honeybee House Skin Co.
- Discover how Mell embeds sustainability at home here…
- Go here for Honeybee House Skin Co. online shop to purchase locally made, natural soaps and body products. Delivery available Australia-wide
Find Out More…
Related stories and links from ReNewy Living:
- Local vegan cafe The Yoga Place Cafe kindly supports other local businesses
- Here’s my overview of books about the perils of plastic that will help motivate you about why we need to reduce our plastic consumption
- Community member Leonie shares how her years of sustainably-mindedness has made an impact
- Read more stories that show how to reuse, reduce our plastic and are easy eco friendly swaps
Related External Links…
- Digging deeper into going low tox everyday? I highly recommend the lifetime access Go Low Tox online course with the founder of all things low tox, Alexx Stuart. Go here to find out more…
The links in this section are affiliate links. At no additional cost to you, I may receive a commission if you choose to make a purchase from these Australian-based businesses.
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You’re welcome! Thankyou for being a part of our community, who are always looking for ways to support local and small business that provide truly sustainable options.
Thank you Mardi and @French For Tuesday for this wonderful endorsement and for spotlighting our goal to live more environmentally aware. It is our aim to provide natural and sustainable options in the personal care sector. Focusing on small batch and handcrafted options with emphasis on completely natural, healthy and sustainable.
Thank you for supporting local and small business!