thePULSEPamper Your Skin, Indulge Your Senses
By Lynn N. Capri
The Joy of Soap claims that they offer “Unique Soaps with a Smile” ~ and, after having tried a couple of bars, I can tell you this ~ they’re not exaggerating!
All the sassy handmade soaps in The Joy of Soap collection begin with a base of certified organic and locally grown olive oil, plus certified organic coconut, palm, and castor oil ~ and each one is available in a large 5oz. bar and a travel/guest 2 oz size. And believe me, all the soaps are yummy enough (well, they SMELL yummy enough!) that you’ll want to get at LEAST a travel size of each one (and sure, if you have guests over, sacrifice one or two for them).
I decided I would try two scents to begin with ~ Manly Man and Feeling Frisky. The Manly Man I gave to my boyfriend who, although not a fan of, as he says, “smelly stuff,” gave it rave reviews. The soap has light scents of sweet orange mixed with the astringent benefits of tea tree oil and a touch of pumice to smooth those manly rough edges. And the green (as in eco-friendly, not the color green) is appropriately “frill-free,” so men can still feel like they’re using a manly product. My Feeling Frisky, which came with a cute pink ribbon around it (also green), combines two of my faves ~ grapefruit and orange essential oils. It also features calendula flower petals and reminded me of being pampered at a spaaaaah.
What other “flavors” does The Joy of Soap offer?
There’s the “luscious…yet with an attitude” Ginger Snap (the makers suggest pronouncing the name with a slight sibilance on the “Snap” and allowing for a brief pause after “Ginger” so that you can pull of a graceful finger snap with the aforementioned attitude) that bubbles into a lather of ginger and sweet orange essential oils and ginger root powder.
Lay Me Down Lavender (so wonderfully suggestive!) combines the scent of lavender with a hint of rose and exfoliates your skin to leave it glowing.
Rosy Cheeks Rosemary is a super exfoliant that combines rosemary and spearmint essences and stimulates your…wait for it!…skin and leaves you feeling nice and tingly.
With even more minty “vavoom,” Peppermint Passion combines peppermint and spearmint to arouse your senses and make you tingle in all the right places. If you’re into that sort of thing, of course!
Here’s one more for the guys ~ Elizabeth’s Wild Hair Shaving Soap. Elizabeth is a top notch acupuncturist and friend of The Joy of Soap ~ and suggested that they create a soap that incorporates the medicinal properties of willow bark. So they did, and the end result is a “groovy shaving soap” that combines the bark with peppermint essential oil and medium ground pumice to prevent all those annoying post-shave bumps (OK, if you promise not to tell anyone, I’ll admit that yes, I have stolen it from my man and used it…let’s just say for bikini season).
Now, if you’re the kind of person who follows directions, you’re really going to like Two in the Shower Tea Tree. Why? Well, if the name doesn’t give it away…The instructions on the soap actually tell you to save water and shower together. How’s that for a good idea? Grab your sweetie, conserve resources, and lather each other up in lavender and tea tree essential oils blended with rose fragrance oil and green tea powder.
So if you like your soap delicious smelling, eco-friendly from ingredients to packaging to the way its creators do business (not just green, but with a great sense of fun and wit, too, not to mention a twinkle of naughty!), and darn good at keeping your skin healthy, then you’ll definitely need to stock up and experience The Joy of Soap ~ alone or with a partner who appreciates the beauty of a good…lather!
For more information and to order, head to www.thejoyofsoap.com.
