Meet a Farm Girl: Cyn Makes Soap!

Cyn's soap made with lavender she grew at her own "farmette"!

Recently I placed a soap order with a sweet blog friend.  She's a fellow Michigander, who lives over on the west side of the state not far from the beautiful sandy shores of Lake Michigan.  (Well, right now those shores are full of snow and chunks of ice, I'm sure...but you know what I mean! :0)


Cyn is one inventive and resourceful person and started to make her own soap a couple years ago, I was impressed and now we can enjoy her work, too!  


I have learned to enjoy homemade soaps after being lucky enough to be gifted some by a friend.  As I've gotten older, my skin that has never been dry, is leaning toward dryness especially in the winter months, and I find that homemade soap is less drying than the harsher store-bought brands, yes--even the gentlest of those!


The day I got Cyn's box in the mail, I could smell these wonderful bars even before I opened the package!  Any room lucky enough to have a bar of Cyn's soap in it smells delightful!  And even better?  They are wonderful to use, rinse clean and leave no trace of an annoying itch like other soaps!

Joni:  Cyn, how did you get started in the adventure of soap making?

Cyn:  I like to try new things, always....And soap making had been one thing I had wanted to try for several years, but a fear of lye had been stopping me. When my good friend Jen also expressed an interest, I figured between the two of us we could be successful!

J:  What benefits could you see in making your own soaps for your use in your home?

C:  I absolutely did NOT like the list of ingredients in most soaps found on the grocers shelves. I didn't want an anti-perspirant/deodorant soap. I wanted soap. Just the stuff that gets you clean! 


The older I get, the more interested I am in looking to the ways our grandparents did things. Soapmaking was just an extension of that desire.

J:  What goes into your beautiful bars of soap?

C:  My main ingredients are: olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, distilled water, and lye. That basic recipe makes what I have named "PURE". It is just soap. Nothing more. Nothing less. It is still my favorite.

I have also used fragrance. I buy mine from a very good source that came highly recommended by the soapmaking friends I have. I also use ingredients from my garden! 

"My Organic Lavender soap uses lavender I grow here at our own farmette." 

The oatmeal I have used is also organic. Whenever possible organic is what I will choose. Just makes sense to me.

What I have noticed most about how my skin feels after using my own soaps for the past 1 1/2 years is that there is no more irritation. Soaps with the chemicals seemed to leave my skin itchy and irritated. I no longer have that problem. I just feel clean!

J:  What was your next adventure after your success in making soaps?

C:  Along those same lines,I have also stopped using "traditional" store bought deodorant, and have been making my own from coconut oil, baking soda, arrowroot powder, and a tiny bit of tea tree oil ( naturally antibacterial) . This is a deodorant, and NOT an anti-perspirant. Our bodies were meant to perspire! It's very easy to make your own, but for those who want it done for them, I sell a 4oz jar for $6, plus shipping. My jar lasts about 6 months, so it is highly economical. Best of all...no aluminum!

***


Here is a link to Cyn's blog where she tells how to obtain bars of her farmhouse soaps!  I feel she gives the buyer a good value by offering five bars for one price including shipping: $20, and here is the choice of scents:


Citrus Cilantro

P.S. I Love You

Frosted Snowdrops

Autumn Lodge

Organic Lavender

&

PURE (unscented)








Go check a soap-makin' farmgirl out!