Once upon a time, before liquid soaps, shower gels and body scrubs, there was soap. Everybody used it to get clean and smell nice. From the medicinal aromas of Wright’s Coal Tar to the luxury bubbles generated by creamy Camay, there truly was a bar to suit every bath-time.
(As an aside, soap was so popular, brands sponsored TV dramas – hence the term ‘soap opera’ which still exists today. But before we get side-tracked into EastEnders vs Corrie, what happened to soap?)
When soap was on the ropes
It seems that as we moved towards more natural ingredients in everything we use, soap was seen as the bad guy. Too drying and harsh on the skin, it fell by the wayside as softer more gentle alternatives took its place. Then there was the mess. Who needs a mushy bar of melted goo on the side of the bath?
And yet, there’s something comforting about the cleansing power of soap. I for one missed that super-clean feel that only soap brings and the freshly scrubbed smell had cosy connotations of childhood bath-time.
New hope for good old soap
That’s why I decided to do something about it. Using the Little Beau Sheep mantra of ‘always raising the baa’ I looked at how we could revitalise the loveliness of soap – whilst keeping things free-from anything artificial, harsh or gooey.
Lanolin rich for extra moisture
First up, to give my soap extra moisturising properties, it’s enriched with lanolin. This is the gentle and natural by-product that comes from the Yorkshire wool used exclusively in all Little Beau Sheep products. That way you can wash away the day without washing away precious moisture from your skin. It’s no coincidence that lanolin based products are trusted to moisturise even babies’ delicate folds.
Clean on you, clean on the bath
Okay, so far so good. The soap is super pleasant to use – but it’s still soap and naturally wears with use and could still end up a bit squidgy in the bath. That’s when it struck me: why not wrap the soap in natural wool? With felted soap, you get a gentle exfoliating rub as it lathers through the wool – and yet it stays all self-contained and neat. Honestly, if I’d been in the bath when the idea came to me, I would have shouted ‘eureka’ in true Archimedes fashion.
Keeping nasties at bay
But wait, it gets better. Besides being a built-in flannel and kinder way to buff your skin, wool is also naturally anti-bacterial, so germs and nasties are given their marching orders pretty damn quickly. Likewise, any odours (other than the soap inside) are ejected pronto. Come to think of it, that wool acts as a pretty effective bath-time bouncer, keeping all of the undesirables away from your personal pool party.
Get a grip on bath-time
Also, if you’ve ever suffered from your soap behaving as if it was alive and escaping your grip at any given opportunity, you can now rest easy. Felted soap’s woollen wrap means you can hang on when the going gets slippy. And as it acts as a soapy shock-absorber, you get more life from your bar as it’s protected against even the most rigorous rubs.
The secret of felted soap
About now, you’re probably thinking ‘so what happens when the soap inside shrinks and the wool is a bit like a bag-for-life on the outside. What then, Sarah?’ Well dear reader, I’ll tell you. This is where it gets really clever because the wool felts to the soap. As the soap gets smaller, the wool shrinks around it until all you’re eventually left is a small completely biodegradable ball of woolly fluff.
Cleaner you, cleaner environment
Whereas shower gel or liquid soap leaves you with a plastic bottle to recycle (as if we don’t have enough of those, right?), Little Beau Sheep felted soaps leave nothing behind. Making them cleaner for the environment too.
But you know what? The thing most people like about these little guys is that they make bath and shower time fun. After all, who wouldn’t want to share with something this cute?
Ready for a sheep dip?
My felted soaps come in all the popular breeds – from the home-grown Dalesbred to the more exotic Zwartbles and their Caledonian cousins the Shetland. There’s plenty more to choose from including mini-mixed flocks of the very best English, Scottish and Welsh breeds. Or if your bathroom is a place where you paws for thought, then this sheepdog is sure to be your best friend.
Until next time,
Sarah x
