Last weekend I raved about Anjolie Ayurveda soap, and now I’m back with a few more recommendations.
I’ve long been a fan of John Masters Organics haircare, so I was happy to notice that the company has introduced a small group of all-natural soaps. From one olfactory angle, John Masters Organics Birch & Cedarwood Cleansing & Shaving Bar reminds me of homemade birch beer; from another, it evokes fresh wood shavings in a carpenter’s shop. That might sound like a strange combination, but it works. And this soap really is gentle enough to use for shaving. ($8 for 4.5 oz at the John Masters website)
Maroma, which carries body products as well as incense and my favorite closet sachets, recently added male-oriented personal care to its offerings. My husband, the resident male here, liked the exfoliating effect of Maroma Men Olibanum Citrus Aromatic Soap’s walnut shell powder. I enjoyed its resin-y scent, the result of ten different botanical oils, from its namesake olibanum to myrrh and gingergrass. ($4.67 for 3.5 oz at the Auroville website)
A small bodycare and skincare company called Merriweather’s serves up four soaps in its Cocktails line, and all of them are fragranced with essential oils. Merriweather’s Mojito soap includes generous servings of mint and basil, with an appropriate dash of sugar around its edge. The Gin & Tonic, Margarita, and Lemon Drop soaps are equally mouth-watering and feel just right for hot-weather use. I should probably make a pun about “bars” here, right? ($5.50 for 3.75 oz at the Merriweather’s website)
Last but not least, a quirky seasonal offering from Villainess. Villainess Sidewalk soap is a cloudy-blue shade, and its fragrance is an uncanny replication of the way hot sidewalks and backyard dirt smell when a sudden rainstorm douses them. Sidewalk is a limited edition, so it won’t last much longer than the average summer shower. (Or bath. There, you got a silly joke out of me after all.) ($5 for 3.5 oz at the Villainess website).
Note: image is Bubble macro by fdecomite on flickr, some rights reserved.
Wow – I might have to try that Sidewalk soap – that is one of my favorite smells.
I love/hate seeing these reviews – I am such a soap slut, and really really don’t need any more!! But thank you.
Tama, It’s a dirty job (or a clean job?), introducing you all to more and more soaps, but someone has to do it. 😉
Looks like all that is left of Sidewalk is a candle – but they have many others that sound wonderful!
Yay! I was waiting for this post. 🙂 I am in need of new soaps. These *all* sound promising to me, particularly the Maroma bar and the Merriweather Mojito. And very intrigued by the Villainess Sidewalk soap–I really enjoyed some of her spicy and tea scents this past winter.
Freskagirl, Yes, here it is, as promised! And I tried to get away from my usual roses-and-carnations tendency, for once! Opening my mind, and my nose. 😉
Just wanted to tell how much I enjoy your articles on soap and other auxiliary scented products like detergents and dish washing soap. Through you I have discovered companies like Wash With Joe and The Bubble Roome. It’s too bad that most of these products are not easily available for us in Europe as most of them don’t’ ship internationally. But I still like to read about them! Now how about doing something on car fresheners 😉
An article on car fresheners! What a good idea! I keep thinking I’ll just get a scent locket to dangle from my rear view mirror. 🙂
I have this thing that is a small aromatherapy burner that fits in my car lighter – a couple drops of oil go on a blotter on a heating plate and wafts the scent around. Kinda fun.
Bjorn, I’m sorry about the trans-Atlantic shipping issues! I’ll try to keep that in mind and mix things up a bit. As for car fresheners, I actually don’t have a car (city living!), so I don’t usually know much about these. But wait, I’ve been using one in a small bathroom — Slatkin / Bath & Body Works “Scentportable” in Bamboo, and I do like it!
Oh, I love the sound of those Merriweather soaps especially for summer. Right now I’m using a bar of Diptyque Philosykos that came with a coffret. It smells just like the perfume and lathers beautifully.
My cheap thrill soap is the Whole Foods brand French milled soap (no affiliation). It comes in giant paper-wrapped bars that last forever. The quality is excellent, a smooth lather that rinses well. I use the lavender scent in the winter.
Now to check the Merriweather website! Thanks, Jessica.
Suzy Q, I’ve seen those Whole Foods soaps, and I should try one someday, since you say they’re so good. The Merriweather soaps are really fun, and would make a nice little host/hostess gift for a summer visit, I think. They have pretty labels with drawings of the various cocktails!
Jessica, I’m another fan of your soap reviews. Thanks!
Haunani, I’m always glad to oblige! 😉
Soap-a-palooza!! Terrific!
Those Villainess products are a real hoot; I just checked out the website and was very entertained. I wish I could check out the huge variety in person; many sound delicious.
I just picked up a bar of Monoï Tiaré Tahiti (tiaré scent) last week and I’ve taken it out of the box and left it on the counter, where it’s been perfuming my bathroom quite nicely. http://www.monoi.com/soap.html
I can see a soap obsession being easy to fall into.
Hi, Joe! Ah, I love monoi/tahiti products in the summer. Villainess is lots of fun to browse, and the products really are good quality. I like their sugar scrubs, too.
Huh. I just bought (online, duh – since I live in the sticks) a bar of Monoi Tiare Vanille soap! It sounded so nice…
I love Villainess soaps, but I can’t wait to try some of the other selections too. The cocktail ones sound fun for the summer. I love to try out the seasonal selections from Arcana and Wylde Ivy too. A soap obsession is difficult to break!
Thanks for the reviews.
You’re welcome, Kathy114! Believe it or not, I haven’t tried Arcana or Wylde Ivy yet. I’ve heard of them, though, and I know they have some loyal fans.
I’m still waiting for my soap order from Anjolie Ayurveda. As soon as get that, I will give these a try as well, and yes a soap obession is difficult to break.
Ajuarez, so glad you decided to give the Anjolie Ayurvedic soap a try!
Yes, buying good soaps is an obession of mine, and I just gave up on waiting for the order from Anjolie Ayurvedic to arrive, and went ahead and ordered some shampoos, and coditioners and a few Lavender Rose Geramium & Ylang Ylang soaps, I’m sure I’ll get good use out of them, and thanks for the review Jessica.
I just placed an order on Villainess , sidewalk was only available in a candle. I just couldnt pass up the possibility of such a great smell. I also ordered Embargo and Byzantine. We shall see how that turns out. Thanks for the heads up!
NS, Oh no, really? The soap was still there a few days ago… let’s hope that they’ll restock it! I hope the candle is just as good.
Other soap addicts…I can now offer proof to my DH that I’m not the only one! Thanks for the review of the Anjolie Ayurveda soaps, BTW – I ordered three and just love them (lemon and neroli is so far my favorite, but the lavender rosemary is delightful as well!)
Maggiecat, It’s always useful to have evidence of fellow addicts, isn’t it? So glad you’re enjoying the Anjolie soaps! I think they’re superb.