News From The Holler - Cotton Creek Soap Co.

“a safer soap. a better way.”
COTTON CREEK SOAP CO.
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Spring/Summer Twenty-Eleven
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News From The Holler
www.abettersoap.com
When our eyes see our
hands doing the work of
our hearts, the circle of
Creation is completed
inside us, the doors of our
souls fly open and love
steps forth to heal
everything in sight.
~Michael Bridge
IN THIS ISSUE
Calendula
Why It’s One of My Favorite Herbs.
Continued on Page 2
Why Castile Soap.
Continued on Page 3
Milk in Handmade Soap.
Does it Really Make a Difference?
Continued on Page 4
“Soap and water and
common sense are the
best disinfectants.”
William Osler Canadian
Physician, 1849-1919
Cotton Creek Soap Co. | Great Smoky Mountains TN | 865.607.7669 | www.abettersoap.com
COTTON CREEK SOAP CO.!
PAGE
2
Calendula
Why It’s One of My Favorite Herbs.
I love Calendula! It is my favorite herb
because it has absolutely no precautions. It
is as safe as safe can be, I love it’s rich
saturated color and so many wonderful
products can be made from this beauty of
an herb! I have used Cotton Creek’s
Calendula Soap as a shampoo bar for a few
years now and my hair has never felt this
healthy, shiny and it holds up my naturally
curly hair. Let’s explore this herb.
Calendula - also known as Calendula
officinalis, pot marigold, Garden Marigold,
Gold-Bloom, Holligold, Marigold,
Marybud, and Zergul.
Calendula History - The calendula is
an annual flower native to the northern
Mediterranean countries. Its name refers to
its tendency to bloom with the calendar,
usually once a month or every new moon.
The term "marigold" refers to the Virgin
Mary, and marigolds are used in Catholic
events honoring the Virgin Mary. The
Egyptians considered them to have
rejuvenating properties. In the Hindu
world, the flowers were used to adorn
statues of gods in their temples, as well as a
colorant in food, fabrics, and cosmetics, and
of particular interest, in the 18th and 19th
century, calendula was used to color cheese.
The calendula was originally used as food
rather than as an herb. It adds flavor to
cereals, rice, and soups. The petals can be
added to salads. As recently as 70 years ago,
American physicians used calendula to treat
amenorrhea, conjunctivitis, fevers, cuts,
scrapes, bruises, and burns, as well as minor
infections of the skin. Parts Used - Dried
flowers. Typical Preparations - Creams,
teas, tinctures, infusions, compresses, and
washes. Summary - Calendula creams and
washes are still used to disinfect minor
wounds and to treat infections of the skin.
The antibacterial and
immunostimulant properties of
the plant make it extremely
useful in treating slow-healing
cuts and cuts in people who
have compromised immune
systems. The herb stimulates
the production of collagen at
wound sites and minimizes
scarring. Gargling calendula
water may ease sore throat.
Because of the vivid and
brilliant color of calendula, it
was thought by many to possess many
powers for the protection and benefit of
humans. One of the more outlandish claims
was that wearing an amulet or necklace
made of calendula petals, a bay leaf, and a
wolf's tooth would ensure that any words
spoken to the wearer would be kind,
peaceful and honest. An often overlooked
application of this herb is the treatment of
post-mastectomy lymphedema. The herb
will not reduce swelling, but it will reduce
pain.
“As for calendula,
we shall never
have a g arden
without them,
both for their own
sake, and for the
sake of oldfashioned folks,
who used to love
them.”
Cotton Creek Soap Co. |Great Smoky Mountains TN | 865.607.7669 | www.abettersoap.com
COTTON CREEK SOAP CO.!
PAGE
3
Why Castile Soap.
As I thought about this question and
how to answer it, so many things came
to mind. So it’s probably best we begin
with the basics. Castile soap is named
after the Castile region of Spain. True
Castile soap uses only 100% olive oil as
the base soap-making oil. Today, pure
olive oil soaps are rare. Many people
claim to make Castile soap, in part
because the name “Castile” defines
quality, purity and gentleness but not
all Castile soaps are pure! If you’re
about to purchase a bar labeled
“Castile,” check the ingredients on the
back. If there is more than one oil and
if they both aren’t olive oil, then it isn’t
a pure Castile soap.
Many soapmakers do not make
Castile soap today. I believe the two
main reasons for this is the cost of olive
oil and the time involved in the process
verses using a recipe with 3-5 base oils.
When using stand alone olive oil,
mixing to a trace (pudding/gravy like
consistency) takes a little longer and if
you’re not using a stick blender, this
could mean more than an hour stirring
by hand, depending on the size of the
batch. At Cotton Creek, we make your
Castile Soap using 100% Olive Oil and
we don’t mind hand stirring. :-) Do we sell much Castile Soap? I
would say we hit middle ground on
that. I usually have to persuade a
customer to try it for the first time, after
that they usually order 2-3 bars for
Summer and Winter. Now we come to the question,
why? I’ll tell you why I use Cotton
Creek Castile Soap. Main reason, I’m
45, I am perimenopausal and I have
found as I get older my face is more
sensitive to perfumed products, which
only leads to more dryness. Even some
soaps made with Essential Oils will
cause a slight breakout, whereas twenty
years ago I wouldn’t have had a
problem.
Castile Soap doesn’t leave a film,
therefore allowing your skin to carry
out its natural functions such as
sweating and shedding dead skin. At
the same time it acts as a humectant,
attracting moisture from the air,
helping to keep your skin moisturized
naturally. Because Castile Soap is so
gentle, it is usually a newborn baby’s
first soap.
Most soapmakers have heard one
of these statements at least once from
customers: "It feels slimy," or "I can’t
get it to lather like other soaps." This
would be true with both statements.
Pure Castile Soap does not contain
coconut or palm oils, the two main oils
which cause soap to bubble. As for the
slime, I’m not sure I would actually call
it that--it’s more of a creamy lather. If
you want your Castile soap to lather
you must use a wash cloth or one of
the readily available nylon “scrubbies”
on the market. I’ve never had a
problem getting Castile Soap to lather
this way, and I do like a lather when
shaving. If you happen to be the kind of
person who feels that your face soap
must lather like the local car wash, then
Castile Soap is probably not for you.
But you can bet that the same
chemicals and harsh detergents found
at your local car wash are in the
‘beauty’ and ‘moisturizing’ bars found
on the shelves at your favorite retailer.
They’ll even sell you a moisturizer! And
they can, because they have plenty of
glycerin. They skimmed the natural
glycerin from your soap and used it in
your moisturizer, or they sell it off as a
commodity to another company….and
yes, they’ll sell you moisturizer :-)
I’m going to end this article with a
true story from just about a week ago.
Eric and I were sitting in the family
room, on the sofa watching TV. He put
his finger on my forearm and asked
“what’s this?” I replied, “I know, I keep
forgetting to take a bar of soap into the
bathroom, and I’ve been using Sarah
Katie’s Tone soap for the last three
days.” My skin was so dry, it was ashy
and looked severely dehydrated. I stood
up and immediately replenished my
soap supply in the bathroom. So I ask,
why not Castile Soap?
Cotton Creek Soap Co. |Great Smoky Mountains TN | 865.607.7669 | www.abettersoap.com
COTTON CREEK SOAP CO.!
PAGE
4
Milk in Handmade Soap.
Does it Really Make a Difference?
This is the question to be sure. And
it doesn’t have to be just milk we’re
wondering about. Does any additive
that soapmakers add to their soaps
survive the saponification process? I think the answer has to be yes. As
a soapmaker I can certainly tell the
difference between one bar of soap and
the next. There isn’t any question that from
the point of adding lye to any liquid,
the temperature reaches 200 degrees
almost instantly. When adding goat’s
milk, buttermilk or even coconut milk it
heats up even more. While I don’t have
a d e g r e e i n c h e m i s t r y, a s a n
experienced soapmaker I can tell the
difference in a bar made with the same
basic recipe but the water has been
switched out for a milk liquid. It’s
smoother and has a creamier lather. I
don’t believe it moisturizes any better
than other handmade natural soaps.
Any true handmade soap is going to
retain its naturally produced glycerin
thus giving you the best in moisturizing
properties. I think if anything, using a
milk additive in handmade soap bumps
up its value with vitamins. Goat’s milk
contains vitamins A, B6, B12 and E.
Goat’s milk has 3 times more betacasein than cow’s milk. Caseins are
easily absorbed into the skin and allow
for quick hydration of dry skin. The
content of triglycerides, capric, caprylic
and caproic acid helps balance the
skin’s natural pH and promotes natural
exfoliation of dry skin. Coconut milk
has a very high fat content but is also
very high in natural fatty acids. These
fatty acids make it a natural antiseptic
that gently deep cleans impurities
without over-drying even the most
sensitive skin. In cleansers, coconut
milk clears dirt and oils form the skin
and rinses clean for a soft, smooth
complexion. Whether we are making Goat’s
Milk or Coconut Milk soap we only use
organic, never diluted or in powder
form and both are purchased from our
local food co-op. Both Goat’s Milk and
Coconut Milk from Cotton Creek are
stand alone soaps. We use buttermilk,
also organic, in our Soothing Soap
Cake, scented with Lavender and
Sweet Orange.
Cotton Creek Soap Co. |Great Smoky Mountains TN | 865.607.7669 | www.abettersoap.com
COTTON CREEK SOAP CO.!
PAGE
5
Spring has sprung, the grass is riz.
I wonder where all the flowers iz.
NO SPRING WOULD BE COMPLETE WITHOUT THIS QUOTE
Well, were you thinking Spring would
never arrive? Winter was an event,
wasn’t it.
I am so excited about the Spring/
Summer season here at Cotton Creek
Soap Co! However, in a few months in
the world of soapmaking I will be
beginning the plans for the Autumn/
Winter 2011 season. But first I will
enjoy the warmth and sunshine, plant
my crops and gardens and put away for
winter.
I have decided to take a year off
from traveling the show schedule and
my local farmer’s market. I would like
to concentrate on online sales and my
local customer base. And although I do
have help, as the only soapmaker it has
become increasingly difficult to
produce enough soap to cover our
commercial accounts, online sales,
shows, markets and local sales. Cotton
Creek had two opportunities recently
to move into retail space, and as much
as I would love to have my own brick
and mortar with a Cotton Creek
shingle hanging out front, I only have
three years left of my children being in
high school and I would like to be here
at home for them and have those
memories and all experiences….even
the teenage drama :-) I wouldn’t miss
this for the world.
This decision will allow me to
build more stock for you, tinker with
new products and being a bit selfish, be
at home.
Cotton Creek will have a lot of
new Herbal Soaps this season, some of
which were named by my husband Eric
and a life-long friend Debbie. Eric
looked at the ingredients and named
them after local spots, creeks and
waterfalls. I think he did a great job.
Along with the new herbal soaps
we will be introducing a line of soap for
men and women, soaps scented with
naturally derived fragrance oils, balms,
solid perfumes, a hand and body cream
and a few other surprises. These new
products will be introduced as they
become available and as a customer
who signed up for this bi-yearly
newsletter you will always receive free
samples to try any new product!
Continued on page 6...
Cotton Creek Soap Co. | Great Smoky Mountains TN | 865.607.7669 | www.abettersoap.com
COTTON CREEK SOAP CO.!
Cotton Creek has not raised their prices
in over four years, in fact when the recession
began we lowered our prices by $2.00 in
order to provide our customers a way to still
afford our natural herbal soaps. We have
suppliers who have raised their prices, we
have some who have not and we have
(thank goodness) our two main suppliers
who have bundled any increase in price to
include shipping. In talking with the owner
of one of those suppliers she explained to
me how she was able to do it and still only
have a marginal increase. I have adopted
that method with Cotton Creek so I can
continue to serve my customers and remain
in business. We have increased the price of
our soap bars by $1.00 and now shipping is
free when you spend $25.00 With this
increase, please keep in mind that customer
service is a priority with me, in the event
our economy improves, Cotton Creek will
always price our products to reflect that
change.
teaming up with other businesses to
increase traffic for them and Cotton Creek.
These give-a-ways will be limited to FB to
begin, so please make sure you visit our FB
page and “Like” us. With our redesigned
website we have included a blog, on each
page you have the option to receive updates
via email or RSS. We hope you will visit us
there as well and sign up. We are on Twitter
and have a blog on Blogger.com. I know it
seems crazy to be everywhere, but I have
come to realize that not all customers want
to be on FB or have a Twitter account, so
we’ve decided to come to you in whatever
way you are most comfortable.
Thank you once again for your loyalty to
Cotton Creek Soap Co. and for supporting
independent business in the south, we
appreciate you!
PAGE
6
“Quality in a service
or product is not
what you put into it.
It is what the client
or customer gets out
of it.”
Peter Drucker
With the decision to concentrate on local
and online sales Cotton Creek Soap Co.
will have more of an online presence and
we are excited about that! We will be
Cotton Creek Soap Co | Great Smoky Mountains TN | 865.607.7669 | www.abettersoap.com
Thank You So Much!
Please do not hesitate to ask any questions you
may have. Most phone calls and questions sent
via email are answered within twenty-four
hours. We welcome any and all communication
with you.
Contact:
Cotton Creek Soap Co.
Phone - 865.607.7669
Email - tracy (at) abettersoap (dot) com
COTTON CREEK SOAP CO.
FR O M :
COTTON
C R E E K SO
AP CO.
7 9 2 R ea ga
n Sp ri ng s
R oa d
Se ym ou r,
TN. 3786
5
You are receiving this
newsletter because
you have great taste in
handmade natural
and herbal soap! We
applaud your choice
to use an earth
friendly personal care
product for you and
those you love.
Spring/Summer Twenty-Eleven
MAIL TO:
Friends and Family of
Cotton Creek Soap Co.
“a safer soap. a better way.”
“a safer soap.
a better way.”