Douglas Fir Castile (Pure Olive Oil) soap
$9.00This dense, softening soap holds windfall Douglas Fir branches (gathered after winter wind storms on Whidbey) infused in organic olive oil for two months. The bars are remarkably soft on the skin, and because they're so dense they last a long time. Safe enough to use with young and old alike! They also clean remarkably well. So well, in fact, that you could choose to use a bar as a kitchen or bathroom cleaning soap instead of body soap if you prefer. Castile soaps require long cure times. Most of our other soaps and bars cure in 8 weeks. These we cure for 6 months to a year, and, like us, they get better with age. ;-) Because they lose a little water during their long curing time, their shape is slightly imperfect. Other soap makers cut the imperfections away to make small, perfect, little bars. We LOVE the imperfections and prefer the bigger bars as they are--flaws and all. We hope you do, too.
This soap is a celebration of the local trees we love, and of olive oil, which comes from trees and women who live far from here to whom we owe a huge debt of gratitude, because local plants infused in olive oil are the foundation of almost all of our products. Thank you, trees. Thank you, women. Thank you, ancestors. Humans have been leaning on olive oil for thousands of years. We chose olive oil because our own ancestors loved and trusted it, and because the long-time, well-established use and trade routes tend to make it easier on the land, planet, and people working with it than other oils typically used in home and body products today.
Storage and life of the bar: To extend the life of the bar, store it where it can dry quickly after use and where it doesn't get regular spray from the faucet. Ideally give it a place of honor on a soap rest or folded up wash cloth, which will help it dry more quickly.
Size: Roughly 4-ounce bars cut to be comfortable in the hand from the beginning. These soaps are made by hand in small batches and then hand cut by cool women, not machines. The long (6+ months) curing time means they loose a tiny bit of water and size from the day they're cut. This means most bars are 4 ounces and that the bars can range from 3.8 ounces to 4.5 ounces, but most are 4 or more. We keep anything smaller than that for ourselves and our families, and to give as gifts to neighbors in need, and to cut up and give as free surprises and samples to those who buy our products. We're not machines, people, nor do we want to be. :-)
Ingredients: Windfall Douglas fir branches (gathered at Ritual Mischief and from neighboring woods after winter windstorms) infused in organic extra virgin olive oil, plus distilled water, sodium hydroxide, & sodium lactate.
Packaging: We use a recycled cardboard box that can be reused, recycled, or composted, wrapped in paper. See the Packaging page of this website for details
Medical Disclaimer: The information on this page is for general reference for further exploration and study. It is not intended as a replacement for professional medical advice. Stop using this soap if your body doesn’t like it. See our Medical Disclaimer page for additional details.
