Is herbal soap without flavor acceptable?

I love to make soaps loaded by herbs. I love to experiment with various combinations, listening to my inner voice and remembering University knowledge. I’ve learned how to infuse herbal energy and active compounds into the soaps effectively and I am happy to apply them on my body. Each time in the shower my lovely soaps remind me the whole adventure from harvesting herbs to final bubbles.

I believe the desire to share passions with close people is natural. So I did and proudly offered my herbal soaps to friends. All of them did the same thing. They skipped a visual survey and immediately began to smell intensively. As if the smell could reveal everything about the quality. One by one they told me the same thing with the same disappointment: “It smells only like soap!”

Looking at my disappointment, they listened to my lecture on the effects of herbs and natural oils I had used, but it was obvious that there is nothing to compensate a lack of proper smell.

Next, I wanted to make the others happier, so I made a lot of various herbal soaps with various added flavors. I did my best and used essential oils labeled “natural”, considering it was a compromise. The others gave me compliments for innovation, but I felt somehow that I was moving away from myself.

Because I am not a big manufacturer, I only make a few soaps for a while, the whole process took a couple of years. I have to admit it now. I lied to myself in trying to be successful in the eyes of my friends. The truth is, that I need to have my soaps full of herbs but with no added flavors, doesn’t matter how much they are “natural”.

Today, I have a bunch of violets on the table ready to become a part of soap soon. They are so beautiful with hidden power for skin treatment and I finally know that I am not allowed to kill their uniqueness by added flavor. And just time will show if such decision is acceptable to more people than just for me.

What do you think?

With love, Ivana

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Back on board!

Today, two months from surgery, I am finally on board again. Or I feel like it. Speaking about physical body, it was a bit earlier. But the healing process redirected part of my mental capacity into the abdomen, so I missed it. I wasn’t able to concentrate myself for particular target and not at all in English. Hopefully I’m back, looking forward to write next herbal stories.

Being out of order doesn’t mean being without herbs. I’ve been surrounded by them and I would like to thank to them.

First of all, I’d like to thank to mullein which helped to release my respiration, irritated by extremely dry hospital air. It helped with tough coughing attacks that tend to destroy my fresh scar across the abdomen. Probably it seemed strange when I was drinking yellow liquid with flowers to my pills for pain. Medical staff and surrounded patients watched me in disbelief but mullein did help.

Other herbs helped me after return from hospital, especially yarrow and mallow. I washed the outer scare in bath of yarrow and to heal the inner scares I drank a macerate from mallow.

Next step was healing ointment from Calendula and St.John’s wort, still in use.

So again: Thanks to all medical staff, friends and herbs!

With love, Ivana