Smells like grandma

I was reminded recently how powerful our sense of smell truly is and why that makes my job as a soap maker so fucking awesome.

Jon and I recently connected with some old friends with whom we had lost touch. We had the pleasure of meeting their daughter. She is beautiful, charming and funny, much like her mother. When the lovely young woman smelled our ‘straight up patchouli’ soap she was transported to her grandmother’s living room and a fond memory of grandma rubbing her back. When she described the vivid memory to us my heart was filled with joy. Our simple bar of natural soap invoked safety and comfort and memories of her grandmother.  Coincidentally, the first soap I ever made many years ago, reminded my brother Jeff of our grandma Austin. I called it ‘sunshine state patchouli’; it was scented with patchouli & orange essential oil with dried orange peel. For Jeff the soap conjured memories of a salve grandma used for cuts he acquired having grand adventures on their farm in Lanesboro.

I’m not a huge fan of lavender and we did not have any lavender soap in our line until a customer told me how the scent reminded her of her grandmother who she missed very much. I decided if I was going to make lavender soap, it has to be very special and the massage bar was born. Our massage bar begins with a layer of tapioca pearls to gently massage your skin followed by a layer of soap and poppy seeds to exfoliate and ends with a colored layer of smooth creamy soap; this special soap is a labor of love. ‘lavender fields’ is scented with a combination of lavender, bergamot and clary sage essential oils (all said to reduce anxiety) The scent has become so popular that we now make it in a regular 4 and 2 oz bar.

Chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven remind me of my awesome grandma Swiggum. I don’t think I’ll be making ‘chocolate chip cookie’ soap any time soon. Do any of our eleven scents hold a memory for you? We would love to hear how the scents of our products make you feel.