Hello friends, family and neighbors and welcome to less soap!
Why do these simple, uncolored and unscented bars speak to my heart? Because I love all things natural, pure, earthy and real... and because my skin needs it! I have Eczema, mainly on the palms of my hands, which is a miserable place to rash out. If not super careful I can easily react to a harsh chemical, detergent, or artificial ingredient. Anti-bacterial cleansers and fragrances are enemies to my skin. Using a high quality soap that doesn't trigger a reaction is a hit for me! I'm serious about my soap, I never leave home without it, literally! I can't and won't use the commercial soaps in public restrooms or private bathrooms, the risk of a flare-up is just too great so I always carry a small bar of our soap in my purse to use when out and about.
Why so simple...
Because of my skin sensitivity especially to fragrances and colors, also because I adore pure, genuine ingredients and have strong aversions to cheap chemical laden fragrances, fillers and other harmful ingredients. I have always been turned off by the brightly colored, fragrance filled bath and body products. Even if labelled "Natural" it is hard to trust if it is genuinely healthy and good. I didn't want to take the time and energy to investigate all these countless products. So I decided to make my own.
At Less, we want to take that worry and uncertainty away with only a handful of simple, pure ingredients. No fragrances, no fillers, no colorants. Less chance of sensitivities and reactions.
A natural approach to personal care...
Through the years, as I've learned more about the harmful ingredients used in many of the mainstream bath and body products I've become very choosy and simplistic in what I will use on my body. I rarely visit the personal care aisles in stores nor purchase commercial products like lotions, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, and soaps. I have swapped them out for the simple, wholesome and homemade
- Instead of lotion, I use natural oils such as Olive, Coconut, Jojoba, and Shea to moisturize my face, hands, and body.
- For many years now, I have been making my own homemade super simple deodorant that actually works!
- And for shampoo, I use a simple shampoo bar coupled with a vinegar rinse that leaves my hair healthy, shiny and clean.
I love having a minimalist and wholesome approach to body care. I love NOT having cabinets and shelves filled with the mainstream commercial 'yuck' products. I love my handful of homemade, earth friendly, health loving bath and body products w/ ingredients I understand and feel good about.
What? No scent? Why not?
Have you ever been in tightly closed quarters with someone freshly doused with perfume or cologne? In my experience it totally overwhelms my senses and I just can't wait to escape for a breath of fresh clean air. Don't get me wrong, I love essential oils and aromatherapy and incense. As consumers, we are inundated by many artificial fragrances that are bad for our health. They are present in so many of our everyday products: shampoos, conditioners, hair gels and sprays, deodorants, lotions, sunscreens, make-up, laundry soap, fabric softener, dryer sheets, dish soap, air fresheners, candles, cleaning products, and the list goes on & on. For people with allergies, asthma, and skin sensitivities, it can be a nightmare.
We hear about the bad effects of artificial fragrances from skin issues to headaches and more but some of us can actually be sensitive and allergic to natural fragrances and essential oils too. Back when I was wearing Essential Oils regularly, my housemate would cough and have asthmatic reactions on my laundry day. The oils from my skin were transferring to my clothes and going airborne in the wash and dryer. Even the patchouli in my all natural deodorant was a trigger for her.
For my own skin sensitivities and for the sake of my asthmatic and allergic friends I've pretty much gone fragrance free. When I do use something aromatic I do so with care and discernment for who and where I will be.
Who we are...
We are the small beginnings of a wholesome soap company that aims to keep things as close to nature as possible. A husband and wife team crafting simple, pure, real soap in small batches.
Less is about getting back to basics, getting back to health, back to our roots. We steer clear from synthetic chemicals and those hard to pronounce ingredients. To keep things simple, real, and pure we have Less ingredients. We even stray away from using natural colors and scents so there is Less worry and Less chance for sensitivities and allergies.
While we take a minimalist approach to soap making we don't sacrifice where it counts, on pure, high quality, natural ingredients to make a luxuriant bar of soap for everyday use.
A note from Todd - For many years I’ve worked in the technology field and, honestly, I’ve been fairly burned out on all things IT for quite a while. A change was needed as the digital realm no longer held the interest it once did.
Although Deb had in years past expressed interest in creating her own soap, I never really gave it much thought, at least not as a possible income source, until shortly after the pandemic. Motivated by the need to find a new interest driver in work life I began a learning journey researching the science and process of cold process soap creation. The more I learned, the more fascinating it became. After making my first batch of castile soap, I was hooked. At last, a new personal passion was discovered and it was one that encompassed very few elements of the tech field that was growing more tiresome by the day.
One positive aspect of this expansive field is that it can be a highly creative process. Many folks who make soaps are skilled artisans that craft amazing works of art that people everywhere enjoy both gifting and displaying in their washrooms.
Once someone becomes a ‘soaper’, they become captive to a compelling and persistent addiction (a good one) and before long they’re batching way more soap than one household can use. This has definitely been our experience too. Deb and I very much enjoy the process of producing high quality handcrafted soap in the evenings with some cool tunes streaming in the background.
So now work doesn’t feel like WORK. Making soap is something I WANT to do and not something I HAVE to do. I remember reflecting on a quote some years back that stated a profound truth that I hoped to implement in my life someday…
“The work you do while avoiding the work you need to do is the work you should do for the rest of your life.”
I’m happy to say that hope is now a reality!