Olive Oil Soaps

Since I did a review of Goats Milk Soaps a few weeks ago, I thought I would balance it out with Olive oil Soaps. As I mentioned, I preferred Goats Milk Soaps for a while, although now with summer coming, I am finding myself reaching for olive oil soaps more often. Also, if you don’t like the feeling of creaminess in your showers (or if you hate lotion but like not having dry skin) Olive Oil soaps might be for you.

As with Goats Milk Soaps, I do think the following three soapmakers (FCB, WI and JBS) I mentioned in my earlier post are a great place to start. I am also going to try Chagrin Valley Soaps in the next few months or so and report on that. Additionally, I have bought some soaps from a couple of local soap makers at New York street fairs I have been going to lately, so will post more about those when I have had a chance to test them a little more. If you want to check out the links in the meantime, one is Savon Jardin at www.savonjardin.net, and the other is Copa Soaps at http://www.copasoaps.com.

Here are some winner soaps in my opinion:

Jeanne’s Bath Shoppe Vanilla Bean Noel soap: I love VBN scents, and this soap has become a total HG for me. It’s creamy and rich and sweet and caramel-y and just wonderful.

Jeanne’s Bath Shoppe Raspberries ‘n Cream soap: To me this smells just like raspberries and cream, but according to the description, this soap has touches of floral, green and citrus. The added whipping cream and finely ground raspberry seeds result in a creamy yet exfoliating soap. I will say that the raspberry seeds feel very rough on my skin – almost sharp. At first I was not sure if I even liked the soap because of the seeds feeling so rough, but then it really grew on me as my skin almost immediately got used to it.

Wylde Ivy Blackberry Cotton Candy: this is fresh and sweet at the same time. Perfect summertime soap.

Wylde Ivy Raspberry Lemonade soap: If you like tart lemon scents, you will love this soap. The raspberry note is not strong at all. Rather it just sweetens the lemonade note a bit.

Wylde Ivy Spa Blend Soap: WI describes this as a clean, sweet, and fresh blend of peach and citrus fruits as well as a hint of rose and orange blossom and the slight tang of fresh ginger. I was surprised to like it since I don’t like clean or peach scents, but this soap has a nice creamy undertone, most likely because of the fact it has shea butter & coconut milk in addition to olive oil.

WI Summer Fling Soap: This was another surprise winner for me. I love the blend of raspberry and peach in this one. Lives up to its description: If you ever smelled a scent that made you want to pull on a sundress, kick off your shoes, and head to the beach, this would be it! Pure summery sweetness. All the best things of summer wrapped up into one clean, fresh scent. Raspberries, peaches, and summer florals await

More reviews of soaps I have tried:

Jeanne’s Bath Shoppe Stress Relief: This is really a lovely soap made with with 90% Olive Oil and scented with a blend of Eucalyptus, Peppermint and Spearmint essential oils. Unfortunately it was too strong in the mint department for me. If mint is your thing, you will love it (part of the base is made with peppermint tea and there are ground tea leaves for exfoliation).

WI Creamy Coconut soap: I had high hopes for this soap, hoping that it would smell as its description promised and be sweet, rich and creamy. Sadly this is a light and barely coconut scent to my nose. The quality, as with all WI soaps, is flawless but the scent was not a rebuy for me.

Some tips:

• When ordering (or purchasing in person), think about whether you want additives (ie ground tea leaves, oatmeal or lavender) in your soaps, or if you prefer a very basic smooth soap
• Do take care of your soap. Between uses, soaps should be allowed to dry completely on a soapdish that drains water off
• Do apply the soap directly to your skin. I find I get maximum lather and feel more moisturized post-shower if I skip using a washcloth or pouf and rub the soap directly on damp skin.