The Long Road Home

After a long, long hiatus involving relocations, drawn-out home sales, home purchases, and job changes, I am pleased to announce that Prairie Soap House has found a new home truly on the North Dakota prairie in rural Mott. The soap kitchen, therefore, being re-established after long while, I am pleased to announce that I now currently have some soaps for sale.

All soaps are made with organic ingredients and are 100% natural (excluding lye) unless otherwise indicated.

Orders can be placed via private message to me on facebook or to prairiesoaphouse@gmail.com. I will ship anywhere in the United States.

Summer Extender
Our summer was especially short this year. I was angry about it. I thought to myself, "I wish I could make summer last!" And then I realized that, in some small way, I could. In soap form. This was an experiment for me in infusing both my oil solution and my lye solution with fresh dill and lemon balm from my garden. After a few days of soaking, the herbs were strained out, and the resulting herbal mixtures were made into soap. This bar comes in a variety of decorative forms including Celtic knots, flowers, and some very nice, simple circular bars also. A beautiful, herby green resulted from the process of making the soap along with the addition of chlorella powder. This bar has the added benefit of local bees was from RG Bees here in Mott.
Ingredients: coconut oil, lye, olive oil, sweet almond oil, safflower oil, jojoba oil, sesame oil, beeswax, wheat germ oil, lemon balm, dill, tea tree, lime peel and petitgrain essential oils.
4 oz.
$7.00

Skin TLC Bar
I have been coming in from the garden after long hours covered in scratches and scrapes. My skin feels irritated. It needs some love. And that is what this bar is for. In addition to the typical nourishing soap ingredients like coconut oil and palm kernel oil, this bar has the benefit of several high-end oils known to have healing properties. Some information on kokum butter, tamanu oil, and wheat germ oil can be found at mountainroseherbs.com if you are interested in the specifics. This bar also has the unique addition of dragon's blood resin which is a thick, sticky material taken from a tree and is wonderful for the skin. Suffice it to say that this hard bar will last a long time in your shower, give a decent lather, but will also hopefully soothe your skin. All bars are a light golden color with red flecks and have square Celtic knot designs.
Ingredients: coconut oil, palm kernel oil, lye, wheat germ oil, castor oil, cocoa butter, kokum butter, tamanu oil, annatto powder, dragon's blood resin, rosemary geranium and palmarosa essential oils.
5 oz.
$7.00

Mechanic's Grease Cutter
My husband leaves our house every morning as bright and shining as a new penny and returns every evening looking like a chimney sweep after a long day of coaxing heavy machinery back to life. After diesel fuel, ethers, brake clean, and other horrid substances have been sinking into his skin all day, his hands are impossible to get clean again. In the past we have resorted to buying commercial pumice hand detergents to try to do the job, but I fundamentally object to nearly every ingredient within them. So, this bar is my own take on those cleaners, but from a pure, organic, and natural standpoint. The bar contains bentonite powder which is used in cosmetics and body products to remove impurities from the skin. The bar also contains organic coffee grounds, apricot kernel meal, and epsom salts to exfoliate the skin. While this bar is great for washing hands, it could also be used in the shower as a full-body exfoliator.
Ingredients: coconut oil, lye, safflower oil, sesame oil, palm kernel oil, cocoa butter, bentonite clay, epsom salts, apricot kernel meal, round coffee, karma essential oil blend. These bars are available in circles or rectangles.
5 oz.
$7.00

Baby Soap
I always try to have some variety of this soap on hand as it makes great gifts, and I have a lot of requests for it. This bar is special because it has extra emollient properties due to the large proportion of castor oil that is used in the bar. This helps keep baby's skin soft and smooth. It isn't just for baby, though, as this bar quenches the thirst of mom and dad's skin as well with the addition of shea butter, a special nut butter known to moisturize and repair skin. Scented very lightly with white grape fruit and anise seed. Rectangular ruffle-edged bars are stamped "hand made."
Ingredients: coconut oil, castor oil, lye, palm kernel oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, white grape fruit and anise seed essential oils.
3 oz.
$5.00

SALE ITEMS:
Hidden Treasures Soaps--great for kids, these opaque soaps have toys hidden in them. Encourage bathing! $1.00 each.




Men's shaving kits: includes brush, mug, and shaving soap. $12.00 each.

Some reminders and factoids:
What is soap?
Soap is the material that results from a chemical reaction between an acid (in this case lye aka sodium hydroxide) and a base (the oils). There are six different chemical reactions that will result in the material known as soap. The type I make and that we all use in our homes is just one of these six reactions. This is known as "cold process" soap.
Soap works because it is a surfactant, meaning that it creates conditions on skin where the "stuff" stuck on your skin becomes slippery and more easily washes away with water.
It is worth noting that many common "soaps" sold in the grocery story are actually detergents, and this is why they are drying to the skin as they are quite harsh. Cold process soap is not harsh as all of the acids and bases are neutralized in the soap making process. My soap has the added benefit that it is "super fatted," meaning that I formulate my recipes so that the end product contains left over oils, making the bar more moisturizing.
Lye is listed as an ingredient in my products. Is lye bad?
The answer is "no." I am required by law to list lye as an ingredient; however, there is actually no lye left in the final product. Lye and oils mix together to make soap. Lye is a raw ingredient which does not exist in the final result of this chemical reaction.
Is my product organic? What are the benefits of using my soaps?
Because of federal regulations, I cannot label my product as organic unless I go through a long and costly process of organic certification. What I can do is tell you that all of the ingredients that I source for my products are either 100% organic, or, if that is not available, 100% natural. I source most of my raw materials from mountainroseherbs.com, and you can go there yourself to verify any information regarding the materials in the soap for yourself if you desire.
The same applies for the benefits of my soaps. I cannot claim that my soaps are "healing," though I can point out that certain ingredients are known to have healing properties, for example. Again, for any questions regarding the special oils used in my soaps, please consult an herbalist, herbal guide book, or mountainroseherbs.com.
I do not use synthetic materials of any kind, including FD&C colorings, in my products. The only "unnatural" material is lye, which, as explained above, is not present in the final product. If something is in the product, I can tell you what it is, and why it is there, and that it is not synthetic in any way. That is my personal commitment to a pure, healthy, environmentally and bodily friendly product for my family and for yours.