Just One Bar

by Dorathy Lachman April 22, 2019

When you choose to buy a Hyssop Tree soap, your impact is good on so many levels because of intentional choices that have been made behind the scenes.  In honor of Earth Day, April 22nd, I'd like to celebrate the good impact you have on our earth when you buy a soap!

Paper

All Hyssop Tree bar soaps are hand-wrapped in white paper that is made from 90% recycled fibers made right here in the USA and purchased from a local company.   Instead of a large box, the paper should break down in the trash or recycling and leave a minimal impact on the earth.

Bottles

Hyssop Tree liquid soaps come in a clear, food-grade bottle made in the United States.  These bottles are BPA free, and they are recyclable.  

Packaging

If you've received a beautifully wrapped box filled with Hyssop Tree soaps, you know that it usually comes in a recyclable cardboard box.  

I am also a huge fan of re-using materials.  When I receive shipments, I save the packing materials and re-use them when I ship a package to you.  This means that even if the materials are plastic, it has made at least two trips (and doubled its use) before heading to the trash. 

Manufacturing

Did you know that I handcraft every soap for Hyssop Tree from scratch?  One benefit is that I can be meticulous about how the soaps are made. 

A common and accepted way to make make soap is to mix large batches in 5-gallon hardware style buckets and pour the soap into plastic-lined molds.  However, I choose to only use food-grade, non-reactive equipment like glass and stainless steel.  This means that I have little to no waste at all when I'm making soap.  

I also choose not to use disposable equipment like paper cups or plastic pipettes.  I intentionally use towels instead of paper towels.  And because I make the soap in smaller batches, I can use food-grade molds that do not require a disposable liner, which means less waste for the landfill with every batch.

Ingredients

After learning that a local farm was forced to throw away most of its pasture-raised, heritage bred pork fat, I reached out.  The farmer told me that because of our "fat-free" culture, he had been forced to waste a large portion of the pork fat since no one wanted it.  The lard from this locally and humanely raised pork is now a main component of the Milk & Honey artisan bar soap.

I also only use certified organic essential oils.  Let me explain why this is such a big deal.  It ensures we support the continuation of farming non-genetically modified crops, and it also supports organic farming (which means the reduction of pesticide use).

The process by which essential oils are extracted is VERY important!  A lot of extraction methods use petroleum by-products and can even be unhealthy.  Some essential oils can even have added fillers like fragrances.  Hyssop Tree not only uses certified essential oils, but I also only select ones that have undergone extensive laboratory testing to ensure consistency in concentration and purity (specifically an all-natural product, the absence of petroleum products, and the absence of pesticides). 

People often tell me how pure Hyssop Tree soaps smell (and how this surprises them!).  Others have told me how impressed they were that the bar of soap smells the same on the outside as it does toward the end.  Purity and a long-lasting smell both come from using premium quality essential oils.

Finally, Hyssop Tree does not use essential oils that are damaging to the environment.  I am very picky about the environmental impact of the essential oils I choose.  Sometimes companies can leave significant and permanent damage by over-harvesting a precious native resource.  Hyssop Tree does not use essential oils that can leave that kind of damaging impact.

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