About Us - Our Story

Having returned to South Africa after 17 years in the UK, I rented a cottage on a farm in Cato Ridge, between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. In these beautiful surroundings, my Landlady, Lizzy, said she wanted to go on a soap-making course which turned out to be almost impossible in the surrounding area.  Out of curiousity I hit the google button and discovered the art, and pitfalls, of making soap.

After many successes and some disasters (including turning a batch into a meringue after attempting to rescue a hard-as-rock seized soap), I gave Lizzy her first lesson in making soap. Since then, she has made several batches herself.

I have always been interested in the self-sufficiency of the “Old Ways”, be it traditional cooking, pickling vegetables and preserving fruits, wood lathes using a branch and rope, and, of course, making soap from scratch.

Although I have not yet tried making the lye in the traditional way, I make natural soaps with none of the harsh chemicals or synthetic surfactants in commercial soaps.

As a youngster I suffered from contact dermatitis and having a family prone to eczema and allergies, my interests also extend to the beneficial properties of natural products from essential oils, activated charcoal, clays, fruits and vegetables. I also have an affinity with colours and designs.  All of these I try to incorporate into my soaps and other products.

Our artisan products are all home made using sustainably sourced ingredients and additives.  I have tried to create a variety of differents soaps to cater for everyone. Due to the high cost of essential oils, and the instability of some natural colourants we do use fragrance oils (which contain a blend of synthetic and essential oils) and mica colourants. 

Because everyone has different requirements, the website has been designed to be as user friendly as possible so you can filter through to your exact requirements.

We hope you enjoy our products and website and welcome any ideas or suggestions.

Enjoy