Earlier today, I was chatting with a very good friend, and she told me something that stuck with me.
Someone had gifted her a handcrafted soap. And she was surprised by just how happy it made her. It was beach-themed, hand-poured, with sandy yellows, soft blues, and a touch of white swirling through like ocean foam.
Then she admitted something else: she doesn’t think she can ever go back to regular store-bought soap. Because this “silly little thing” brought her so much joy.
And honestly? I totally get it.
I’ve been making my own soaps for almost two years now, and I’ve gone all in: from experimenting with scents and colors to trying both simple and more elaborate designs. Right now, I’ve got one waiting in my shower that I’ve been saving for the perfect moment: when the weather turns cold and I need a little boost.
It’s two shades of green and red and smells exactly like McIntosh apples.
McIntosh apples were the variety my family picked every fall when I was growing up. They were my dad’s favorite (probably still are, though I didn’t check before writing this), and every year we’d fill up bushels from the local orchard. Then my mom and I would spend the weekend baking a dozen apple pies, canning apple sauce, and everything in between to get us through the winter.
That scent brings it all back. Chilly mornings, apple picking, the smell of cinnamon in the kitchen. So now, in October, it feels right to pull out that apple-scented soap and let those memories fill the room again.
That’s the magic of handcrafted soap. It can transport you back to a memory, a place, or a feeling. And somehow make the present moment even sweeter.
And that’s worth it. Because happiness really is in the little things, like a bar of soap that smells like home.
As for me? I don’t think I could ever go back to store-bought soaps either. Making them brings me just as much joy as using them.
If I were a perfect businesswoman, I'd try to sell you this soap, but between you and I, I'll be keeping the McIntosh ones for myself. That is, until I make a new batch to share with you. Maybe I should've. Sorry.
In the meantime, you can check my soap listings. It's pretty bare right now, but more are coming. Stay tuned!