I met Renee after she generously offered a gift basket of her handmade soaps and bath bombs for a raffle I’m organizing. We’re raising money for the memorial fund in our daughter’s name. When I put out a call for donations, she answered.

When I checked out her website, Miss Selby’s Soap, I was immediately intrigued. Not only is her soap handmade, but she offers 95% natural and 100% natural options. I’m trying to move our family towards more natural foods and hygiene products, so this caught my eye.

I’m fairly sensitive to strong scents, so I prefer to use mild or unscented soaps and lotions. But after seeing the options and the ingredients in her 100& natural soaps, I had to give it a try. So I sent her an email.

We originally tried to plan a breakfast out, but then I looked over at my 3-year-old human hurricane (his new nickname is Entropy-Boy) climbing to the top of my couch and ramming bins full of toys with his head over the back and down the stairs, and I thought better of it. Fortunately, Renee agreed to come over for coffee.

I was nervous, especially given the trouble my little guy has been getting into lately. Fortunately, Renee has a son (now in high school) just like mine (when he was a baby of course). Instead of being annoyed or intimidated by Entropy-Boy, she laughed until she cried. What a relief!

She brought a box full of different soaps, which my son proceeded to sniff one by one and declare “This one’s really GOOD.” His favorites were Bay Rum (what can I say? he knows a manly scent when he smells one!) and Honey Almond (good enough to eat).

I love so many things about her soaps (read more about what makes her product unique on her FAQ page), but these two are my favorites:

• They are naturally scented. She spends a lot of time mixing and blending different herbs and essential oils to find just the right combinations. They don’t knock you down with artificial flavoring, nor are they overwhelming. And the colors are all natural as well. No Red Dye #5 here!
• They are very mild and moisturizing. I stopped using soaps years ago because they dried my skin out too much. But Miss Selby’s Soaps are gentle, not harsh or drying.

Miss Selby’s Soaps also features a beautiful facial soap  (Tea Tree Oil and Clay), the cutest cupcake soaps you’ve ever seen, and luxurious bath bombs. My family has tried her products (even our dog!), and we really like them. That is important to me. I won’t mention a product or a business unless I’ve tried them and would recommend them to my family.

When I asked Renee if she had ever considered advertising on a blog, and if so, whether she’d be interested in mine, she said she was interested! And in fact, not only is she my first advertiser, but she is also a Blue Ribbon sponsor for my trip to Relevant! I will have sample soaps to hand out to those interested in natural soap, and I will be featuring her latest blends here once a month.

We also would like to offer two lucky readers two bars of their choice as a gift to celebrate my new look, the move to WordPress, and our partnership together.

Make sure you leave a comment on my Unveiling post before 8pm EDT on Saturday, September 25 to be eligible to win!

***

Sponsor a child in Bolivia with World Vision

Click here to receive Joy in This Journey posts in your email.