Homemade Clean

A new year is a great time to try new things, like using more soap products made with natural ingredients. Whether you want to purchase ready made products or try your hand at making your own, here are some local places that can help meet your homemade soap needs for adults, kids, babies and even pets.

Magnolia Soap and Bath Co. – St. Charles

For owner Mandy Buerster, purchasing a licensing agreement to open Magnolia Soap and Bath Co. in St. Charles began as an opportunity to operate what she likens as a small business. Magnolia is a national company that makes plant-based bath and soap products using essential oils rather than synthetic ingredients other beauty stores might use in their products.

“Since we make every product ourselves, we know exactly what goes into them,” says Buerster. “It’s an experience to see the soap poured or bath bombs being made in the store.”

Their most popular items are soap bars. These plant-based bar handcrafted soaps are infused with a mix of oils that gently clean skin without drying it out. People can choose from the variety of scents, including lavender, lemongrass and tea tree. There is even a bar soap for pets, which uses the same base as soap with a touch of citronella to ward off bugs and mosquitos.

Laundry wash is another popular item. This custom plant-based formulated detergent-free laundry wash gives clothes a deep clean without leaving behind detergent residue, which can rub off on skin causing skin irritation. The large container can handle about 60 loads of laundry while the small container can do 30 loads.

“People are surprised how well these products clean and smell without using all those chemicals found in commercial soaps,” Buerster says.

Supporting the community is part of Magnolia Soap and Bath Co.’s mission. That is why 40% of the sales of Hope in Soap bars helps support a local organization. Buerster says they’ve donated thousands of dollars back to the community. December purchases, for example, supported Big Hearts of Fox Valley. Other local non-profits supported by Hope in Soap include Lazarus House and Kendall’s Kindness.

“It’s been a fun way to be connected to the community. I always say if I ever don’t own a store, I’d work for a nonprofit,” Buerster adds.

If you’re looking for a fun girl’s night out or date night activity, check out the store’s popular private parties. By appointment only, attendees can make their own soap, candles or shower steamer. For the soap party, people pick a color design and mix in a scent. People can bring in their own food and wine to the party room.

Many of the containers are reusable, and people can get a 10% discount when they bring it back for a refill. Most products can be used within six months to a year.

Magnolia Soap and Bath Co. – St. Charles is located at 1 W. Illinois St., Suite 110 in St. Charles. For more information or to book a private event, visit www.mymagnoliasoap.com/stcharles.

MION Artisan Soap Co.

Olga Boldyreva, soap maker and owner of MION Artisan Soap Co., started out making her own soaps to help with her eczema.

“I was interested in natural skin care but it was either too hard to find or too expensive,” Boldyreva says.

This interest led Boldyreva to begin her own business almost 10 years ago and create soaps made with natural, organic, high-quality materials.

“The skin is our largest organ. The products we use on our skin makes an impact on our health,” Boldyreva says.

Keeping this mind, MION Artisan Soap Co. prides itself in making soap products using high quality ingredients free of preservatives, artificial colorings and perfumes commonly found in commercial products.

“We offer a clean, natural version of commercial products using a variety of herbs that are blended to maximize the effects of each ingredient,” Boldyreva says.

MION Artisan Soap Co.’s signature product are the artisan soaps made with avocado butter, shea butter, aloe butter, mango butter or cocoa butter. Through the years, the company expanded offerings to include bath products, a baby line of products, bath bombs and bath salts. They also added magnesium oil spray and chest spray based on customer requests.

“We like to listen to what people want us to create,” says Boldyreva.

They even offer products for dogs including a paw balm and a dog soap infused with flaxseeds and oats.

If you’re looking to get a jump start on Valentine’s or Galantines Day gifts, MION Artisan Soap Co. offers a variety of gift baskets perfect for showing the recipient some love. The Pamper Your Feet set is designed to indulge and revitalize tired feet with a bath soak, dead sea salt scrub, heel balm and pumice stone. There are also bath sets, home spa sets, and hand and lip balm sets.

MION Artisan Soap Co. is located at 78 S. First St. in St. Charles with additional locations in Wheaton and La Grange. For more information, visit www.mionartisansoap.com.