Top: L. Blood Orange Ginger Soap // R. Peppermint Vanilla Soap
Bottom: L. Lavender Handmade Soap // R. Pink Grapefruit Oatmeal Soap

I’ve first found out about Prunella Soap when someone posted on twitter ‘awesome photography’ and a link to the store. And definitely, it’s pretty hard to disagree with the fact that Prunella Soap, created by Janell Anderson, is packaged and photographed awesomely. Prunella Soap is all cold-process & handmade in lovely Portland, Oregon. I definitely agree that cold process is the best type of soap – it’s just lovely!

Janell was lovely enough to answer my questions about Prunella – hope you enjoy her answers! And definitely take a peek at her website and online store for beautiful, soapy goodness.

How did Prunella Soap begin? Has the business changed much since you started?

I started Prunella Soap in the fall of 2010 after finishing graduate school and being interested in starting my own business. I had been thinking a lot about handmade processes and techniques that are gradually becoming “lost arts” such as baking from scratch, weaving, quilting and woodworking…and old-fashioned cold process soap making was also something that I found fewer people are doing these days. Not much has changed over the past year except that I make 8 logs of soap at a time now instead of 2.

What is the benefit of cold process soap over other types?

I can’t speak for all versions of cold process soap, but the recipe I use contains only plant-based oils and ingredients, nothing derived from animals. (Traditionally cold process soap was made on farms using beef tallow as the main ingredient, and many contain goat’s milk or honey.) So the main benefit of Prunella soap is that I use primarily certified organic ingredients that are mostly food-grade and no synthetic chemicals, dyes or artificial fragrances in the soap, only essential oils for scent. Cold process soap has a lower pH than most drugstore bar soaps, so it is less detergent-like and many people find that their skin doesn’t get as dry after using handmade soap.

50 Wedding Soap Favors // Vegan & Organic

Standing out from the crowd is so important for an online store, and your photography and packaging, which I LOVE, definitely helps Prunella to do that! How did you develop them?

I knew I didn’t want to use any sort of plastic or shrink wrapping for the packaging, so I started experimenting with materials I had on hand to package the soap. Originally I cut strips from brown paper grocery sacks to wrap the soap, and had a ball of hemp from my jewelry-making days that I used to tie the ends. I just wanted to keep everything very simple. I actually had very elaborate ideas about how I wanted to photograph the soap, but not being a photographer I ended up just putting a dog on top of the bar of soap one day, and it made my nieces laugh, so I went with it.

Cinnamon Coffee Bean Travel Soap // Adventure Sticks // Soap To Go

Can you recommend a scent from your range?

One of the most popular is the Pink Grapefruit + Oatmeal soap, the fragrance is very mild, and you can rarely go wrong with a citrus scent for both males and females. Some people prefer a smooth soap, with no “exfoliants” (oatmeal) included, so I always recommend the Blood Orange + Ginger as a good starter soap.

Thanks so much to Janell for answering my questions!

Check out: Prunella Soap Shop :  Janell’s blog :  Prunella Soap twitter

Jack & Jill Natural Toothpaste!

Toothpaste it’s tricky. I’m so aware of the need to eat nutritionally sound, healthy food, and yet toothpaste goes in our mouths and I conveniently just ignore the ingredients on my tube of Colgate. Lately I’ve been on a bit of a mission to purge my skincare & haircare of SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), which is a foaming agent that can irritate the skin in high doses, and personally I don’t think belongs in my mouth!

Obviously children (especially little tykes!) can have more sensitive skin, which is why Jack & Jill is a little bit awesome. You can see their ingredients here, and what kid wouldn’t want to choose between a cute tube of strawberry or blueberry toothpaste in the morning? (Well, it might make them slightly more amenable to teeth brushing anyway).

Jack & Jill Blackcurrant Toothpaste

While Jack & Jill is obviously marketed as a kids product, it’s kind of a nice option for those who aren’t into their morning minty-freshness (or if you just want a bit of a mix up!)

You can find some other great natural toothpastes at Biome & Shop Naturally. In case you’re wondering, my paste of choice is generally Red Seal for minty fresh teeth, but I think I might be willing to give strawberry a go (maybe for special occasions?)

Tasmanian Bush Leaves Shampoo Bar by Beauty & the Bees

Ever since a friend mocked me when I was at university for being a bit of a tree-huggin’ hippie but not knowing that Pantene made my hair so silky because of the copious amounts of silicone it contains, I’ve been on the search for my perfect shampoo & conditioner. The problem is, every time I think I’ve found hair products I love, I realise they don’t love me or the environment.

The shampoos I had been lately using contain palm oil (sorry orang-utans!) or one of the SLS or SLES chemicals (they are a foaming agent but also in higher doses cause skin irritation…)

After a bunch of internet-searching I found Beauty & the Bees. They’re a Tasmanian company who handmake all their products with natural ingredients that you’d pretty much be happy to eat (if you were really hungry…)

Skin Salvation Moisture Balm Bar by Beauty & the Bees

I actually bought a few Beauty & the Bees products for Chris to take on an overseas backpacking style work trip, and what better than solid products? However I have since commandeered these products as my own. I love the Skin Salvation as it contains benzoin which is that lovely, slightly marzipan-ish smelling ingredient in a lot of natural skin products. Plus it’s fun to use.

The shampoo bars have also been great, especially given they’re made of a natural soap base with very few added ingredients – they are different to most shampoos in that they don’t leave your hair squeaky clean, but instead they lather up but also give it a bit of a coating in soy wax. It takes a bit of getting used to, and it’s definitely not producing silky smooth hair, but instead my hair feels a bit thicker and has more volume. I think I like it, but I think it’ll also take getting used to. My hair definitely looks clean which is a good step!

All in all I’m very happy to have found a company who consistently receive good reviews, making products in Australia from natural ingredients.