What are the main ingredients in your soaps?

 

We are so glad you asked. We mainly make two varieties of awesome soap; shea butter and sea salt. The shea butter soaps are loaded with virgin shea butter; they are around 1/3 shea butter to be more exact. You can really notice and appreciate the difference all that shea butter makes after just one use. The main ingredients in the sea salt soaps are tons of organic coconut oil and of course, sea salt. For the majority of our soaps, the base ingredients include extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, castor bean oil, and lots of virgin shea butter, all of which are organic. We never use lard, tallow, or any other animal fat and the only animal-based ingredients we sometimes use are honey, fresh goat's milk, and beeswax. We try to to use virgin butters and oils whenever possible which have been left in their natural state and are minimally  treated or processed. Our products are mostly vegan and always vegetarian. We also have taken a Truth in Labeling Pledge and are more than proud to list and share all the ingredient that we use.

 

       Do you use synthetic preservatives in your products?

 

Nope. Our products are strictly all natural -- free of parabens, ureas, and other synthetic preservatives. We do sometimes use antioxidants like vitamin E and rosemary oil extract to naturally help preserve the butters and oils we use.

 

       How do you make your products?

 

With our left and right hands. The owners are the makers and creators. We are home-based and make our soap the traditional, cold-process way which means our soap bars are left to "cure" and dry for several weeks after they are made. This wait time ensures a hard, long lasting, gentle bar that lathers well. All of our products are "cottage produced" from scratch with organic oils, essential oils, and herbs, spices, and clays where many of our ingredients are locally grown and produced. Pretty cool, right?

 

       Do you make your soaps yourself?

 

Totally. Absolutely all of our soaps and other products are made from our own original recipes in small, artisinal batches. We never use any pre-made bases or resale, private label products. Also, our all natural fragrances, which are all made up of only essential oils, are formulated by us in our original blends.

 

       What do you use to color your soaps?

 

We use natural herbs, spices, and clays only. No fake colors or synthetic chemicals. We use a rainbow of interesting botanicals such as annatto seed, alkanet root, indigo, and turmeric to lend color to our products.

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       How are the products scented?

 

We only use all natural, pure essential oils for their fragrance and for their medicinal value. Mother Nature has an impressive apothecary to chose from. Unlike most soap makers, we never use "fragrance oils" which are usually synthetic and often contain suspect chemicals like phthalates.

 

       Do you have a brick and mortar store?

 

Not yet. Currently you can find our items at various local farmers' markets around Greater Cincinnati, craft shows and other events, online, and in select retail locations.

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       How long has Tree Hugger Soap been around?

 

The Tree Hugger Soap Company was officially established in 2012 but we have been making soap and other bath and body items as a hobby for awhile before that. We also have been members of The Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild since then and have been tree huggers for even longer.

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How are your products "Eco-Friendly"?

 

The terms "eco-friendly", "all natural", "environmentally conscious", "green", etc. are not terms regulated by the government and have no legal rules restricting permission for use, so pretty much anybody can make these claims.  Unfortunately, these terms are used fast and loose and are often misleading and false. We consider our products "eco-friendly" for several reasons. All of our products are all easily biodegradable. A lot of our ingredients are certified organic, which are grown with sustainable practices and are not sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc. Reducing these chemicals in our waterways, soil, air, and environment is not only better for us humans but also the planet in general and everything on it.  Also, we choose not to use GMO ingredients like canola, cottonseed, soybean, or corn oil which rely heavily on the use of pesticides like glyphosate.  Our soap labels are made with 100% recycled PCW paper lightened without chlorine, all of our other packaging is either recycled, recyclable, reusable, or biodegradable, and we are also actively working on phasing out the plastic containers that we use. We reuse and recycle all the material possible that our ingredients are shipped in and we also grow, wild harvest, and purchase locally as many ingredients as possible. We are not perfect, but we are a company with a conscience and are striving all the time to do better. These are just some of the examples of why we consider our products "eco-friendly". Have any eco-friendly suggestions or ideas? Don't be shy. We would love to hear your thoughts.

 

       Do you hug trees?

 

        Only sometimes!