Well, now that we've mostly recovered from the holidays AND the snow, we've been kicking things off here at Hathor's Bath for the return of slightly warmer days.  This spring we have put an emphasis on our Ebers range, and have introduced some new soaps we thought you'd enjoy - all using essential oils and botanical colourants and ingredients, we've kept these as simple as we can, and they certainly aren't the worse for it!

The first table of wares I've ever done in all my days happened last month at Manor Fields Primary School and was a great success, raising money for the school as well as awareness that Hathor's Bath is here for Salisbury's soapy and bath-time needs.  I was gratified to not only offer my luxuries to those who loved their "smellies" but also to people with sensitive skins who tend to have difficulties with un-necessary additives in soaps.  I've been invited back for Christmas not only to Manor Fields, but also to another school on the same day!

No pressure...

The upswing of course is that I have a LOT of products which have been in the works and I can't wait to introduce them.  But, I also have quite a few products planned just for the site, so all of this has meant some rather late nights and a fair bit of witch hazel, oils, butters, and formulating! 

As my soap is primarily cold process soap, it takes nearly a month to cure before it is ready for sale, however I have been stirring away at some hot process soaps which cure much faster, and these will be exclusive to the site!  Keep an eye out for these next week and well into December.

If a soap you like is "On the Cure", don't panic - I not only state when the soap will be ready, but if you want to make an advance order, you can!  Just be aware that your soap will NOT be shipped before the cure date, as I want to be sure to send out the best product I can.


You've still got some time of course, but don't want too long!  I will be closing the shop from 18 December and will not open again till 5 January.  I think I'll be well entitled for a break by then....

For some reason, the holiday period has become synonymous with "stress, overspending, and not particularly having a lot of fun".  That's a shame, really, as it can be a very lovely and magical time of the year, provided you don't lose sight of the fun.

At Hathor's Bath we are already planning our Yuletide lineup of soaps and bath products, some exclusive to the season, and we're actually having a lot of fun doing it too! 

While most of the soap is still "In the pan" or on the rack, be sure to check back within the next few weeks as we roll out our holiday soap offerings so you can get your shopping done early and get back to enjoying the holiday season!  We'll be introducing gift boxes, more soaps for men, and some more soaking in the bath offerings for others or as treats for yourself.

We'll see you soon!

Life, Health, Strength, Beauty!

This is a blog post about something I feel the public should know about, and also to address something which I've been asked about repeatedly; why I do not make shower gel.

Shower gel is a convenience item; a bit of soap with water which is bottled and then sold for - in some cases - very extortionate prices.  To be honest if I really wanted to make a fair bit of cash at this business, I would be doing just that.  However, I will admit that my principles often get in the way of my business sense.

I have learned a lot of things making my own soap, and when I started doing the delving and research into gels, I finally decided that it went too far against what I am trying to do with Hathor's Bath - making luxury soaps and bath products affordably without filling them with chemicals.

Let's have a look at the facts:

Showergel requires preservatives - I do not make wet masques, creams, or anything else which may require water content in anything but soap because these products require preservatives by law to kill bacteria.  Soap may be made with water but it is a dessicated product and once the lye has done its job, bacteria cannot live in such an environment anyway.  Wet products such as face creams and shower gel all have water in it, and as a result, require preservatives.  After my research on preservatives and their link to cancer in various forms, I refuse to put preservatives in my products.  And that means no shower gels.

Showergel is expensive - Now that I am making my own products I am able to decipher the recipes required to make certain items, and I'm stunned that shower gel tends to cost as much as it does.  One popular store charges nearly £14 for a 225ml bottle!  Why?  What you're paying for is water loaded with preservatives and a bit of fragrance. The soap portion out of all of that is actually very small.  

Showergel doesn't last as long as bar soap - In addition to the above, shower gel doesn't last anywhere near as long as my soap bars tend to do (and my soaps last a VERY long time due to being actually soap, not merely a soap base).  So you're actually paying somewhere in the region of four times what a single bar of my soap would cost; and you'd only have to buy more within a month, where my soap lasts a considerably long time.

Now, again - looking at this from a business perspective, it's probably something I should be doing.   But I can't.  I will not load my products with preservatives and go against everything Hathor's Bath stands for.  So there will be no shower gel on sale here.

With that said - if shower gel is just soap and water, why not make your own?  Yes, you CAN do this, provided you keep your shower gel in the fridge for no longer than a week.  This is incredibly simple and will use up all those little slivers of soap bars which you can no longer quite use in the shower or the bath!

To Make Liquid Soap/Shower Gel:

50 grams of soap, grated or cut into very thin slivers
1.5 litres distilled or filtered water (or herbal tea)
a few drops esssential oil (optional)
container for liquid soap (clearly labelled!)

Heat your distilled water on the stove, until nearly boiling but not quite.  Add your grated soap and stir (don't be tempted to use a blender or you'll just get bubbles!).  Allow to sit overnight - it will thicken slightly.  Check to make sure it's completely blended the following day and now you can take a blender to it, on LOW, let sit for ten minutes, and blend again.

Label and place in the fridge, this will keep for about a week without preservatives.

Seriously.  That's all you need to do.  If you want it thicker, add a bit less water, if you want it thinner, heat it up and add a little more.  You can get creative and add honey for skin moisturising and repair, aloe vera for conditioning, coconut oil for suppleness, any fragrance you like....embellish!  Best of all, you use up all those soap bits as well as get your shower gel.

And no one has to load anything with stuff that you don't really want on your skin or in your body in the first place.

Enjoy!
 

Even during the credit crunch, it seems people want a little bit of "me" time for themselves; and with good reason!  Taking care of yourself to get through stressful times is good medicine!  The result of this is the summer has been a good season for Hathor's Bath and we've done well at several markets and gatherings where people enthused about our soaps.


However, that does mean that almost within the blink of an eye, we're out of soap! 

We did forsee this, however; we make small batches by hand and are always returning to the soap cauldron weekly to mix up a new batch of this or experiment with a new batch of that - and we've created a few really nice surprises for fall which I think folks will love!  But, soap isn't an instant process; cold process soap needs to "cure" for at least a month before it is ready to use, and our curing shelves are now choc a block with various batches curing away, as well as more soap on the horizon.

Never fear, we are hard at work behind the scenes (with maybe a few late nights stirring the soup pot planned here and there), but quality cannot be rushed!

Yeah, I WISH the weather in the UK was this nice....

This coming week marks the beginning of summer break, which means over a month of child entertaining and damage control of household items.  However, with two weeks of this time seeing the Sprog out with the grandparents and the Other Half, I have two weeks to get to work on some new lines to fill up the diminished curing shelves here at Hathor's Bath as well as experimenting with some exciting new products for the Christmas season - and yes, I know it's July, but a lot of preparation goes into creating formulations which really do the holidays justice.

So, as a result, Hathor's Bath is closing the online shop on 24th July and will be open again for business on 3rd August.  While imbibing of tropical drinks in a grand display of Wishful Thinking might occur, the majority of time will probably be spent formulating, stirring, calculating, testing, sniffing, cutting, curing and, of course, cleaning.

I'll enjoy the quiet while it lasts!  But I could do with a bit less rain...

Last month, I made a rather intense investment which I wasn't entirely certain I was comfortable with; I purchased a kilo of coffee butter from my supplier.  Now coffee butter is very difficult to get in the UK, which primarily explains the price (and it's a pretty high price, folks!).  But I went and did it, and created a Cafe Mocha salt bar.

And let me just say now...it was worth it!  Absolutely gorgeous salt bar, with a faint scent of coffee and, even though I found the hype a bit difficult to believe, after giving a try for a week, it does seem that the cellulite on my legs is diminishing.  A great bar which I believe is worth the pricetag!

Another lovely find in salt bars came from my essential oils supplier - it's a sad fact that there are fragrances out there I really wish I could offer, but unfortunately I can't do so due to cosmetic directive laws.  Rose essential oil for one, which is a shame, and there are others too.  But some fragrances just can't be recreated and need to be synthetic - lilac fades too quickly though I love it, for example.  And up till now, berry fragrances were just not achievable either. 

Again, note I said "till now"!  Because now, after much testing and a very gifted aromatherapist, natural berry and fruit fragrances can be achieved without all those potential sensitizers or allergens!  And this fragrance features in our Berry-O Salt bar, just in time for summer!   Smelling absolutely lovely with bright hints of strawberry and blackberry topped up with just a whiff of citrus, you'll be amazed at the scent, as well as how great this bar is for your skin! 


These salt bars are only part of our summer range, so be sure to pick them up now!

What is it about these soap bars?  They've been all the rage in spas and beauty salons, some quite expensive, and their praises are lauded by many - I have customers who won't use anything else!  But what makes these bars so special?

Salt bars are made with equal parts salt (I used very fine sea salt) to soap ratio.  This makes a very very heavy bar slice which by our estimation lasts a fair bit longer than other bars, but it also gives some very lovely benefits.

Salt is a water softener and natural exfoliant.  When added to soap the overall effect is described as if one is scrubbing down the skin with a very soft and gentle lotion.  Very soft on the skin, the salt naturally sloughs off dead skin and the soap cleanses as it goes, which leaves your skin blissfully soft and smooth. 

The added benefit of salt bars is they seem to suit every skin type; salt has antibacterial properties and therefore oily, blemished skin benefits from use; normal and dry skins benefit from the softening qualities, and even mature skin can be stimulated to become more supple.  It is also said that salt bars perform the same action as body brushing and may help to increase circulation, reduce the appearance of cellulite, and tone the skin.

With so many positive qualities, we at Hathor's Bath couldn't help but create a few for our customers - we're also very fond of these as well, and so we're sure to stock at least one in our range, with more to follow; provided all our friends don't buy them up before we can get them to the site, that is.

Do give these lovely bars a try - a bit more expensive than our other soaps, but so very worth it!