“Wake me up on the beach" -if you are convinced this is a song, then you are mistaken, it's a handmade soap bar which has rosemary, fresh sea breeze fragrance and essential oils.
These soaps are handcrafted by youngsters from the city of Bangalore who are becoming conscious about the ingredients used in commercial soaps, and have taken to the art of soap making.
Morning shower times in Bengaluru, are turning out to be filled with ingredients like red wine, filter coffee and cedar wood instead of the boring chemical enzymes. Rahila Sahir, took to soap making after reading the ingredients printed on soap wrappers.
She says, “I was alarmed by the chemical compounds and started reading up on the side effects. I stumbled upon soap making by chance, when I was browsing online." Quite conscious about the ingredients, she only uses natural materials and creates soaps for family and friends. She subscribed to online websites for newsletters and learns the trade step-by-step while experimenting.
Most of these soap makers are self taught and learn the nuances through trial and error. These soaps are are not mass produced and can take upto six weeks to set. Tanya says, “I stick to the old school method but experiment in terms of ingredients and shapes."
She runs an outlet in the city, Psybabas and is excited about her successful experimentations.
She adds, “My loofah soap is a huge hit and I added a bit of my personal touch by embedding the soap mixture into the loofah to set it. With strong scent of lavender oil, it can be used as a scrub since it is surrounded by the loofah material."
Her loofah soap bar is priced at Rs150 for 125gms.
IT professional Kasthuri Rajaram was inspired by the fancy ingredients and adds, “It is quite dangerous to work with caustic soda which is the base element for any soap so I was worried about it but later, got used to it. I try to incorporate a lot of elements into my products like beer, wine and chocolate."
With around 15 varieties her soaps are priced at Rs70 to 200 and are available at her online website Soap for Soul.
?
