Rub a dub dub, its soapy in my tub- Sonal's Artisan Soap

I just love uncovering brands that will soon end up being famous and one such brand I can  see making foam in South Africa is Sonal's Artisan Soaps. The family business was started because of Sonali's passion for homemade soaps that are long lasting and timeless. Curiosity of well crafted soaps started developing because of  a book that was filled with glorious pictures of well made soaps and from there the soapy affair began.

Soap is such a necessity that we often forget how essential soap is to us and for us. After all our day begins with soap, our washing is washed with soap, every meal starts and ends with soap and often times our stressful day is rinsed away with the aid of a relaxing soap bar.Every shave needs a soapy lather before the actual shave. Its undeniable how valuable soap really is to us. 

The reason for my eagerness to try Sonal's Artisan Soap was solely because these soaps are handmade vegan bars made with a high concentration of olive oil (imagine all that goodness of olive oil soaking into your skin) . Moving  into a new home of my own came with much challenges mainly the one where for the first time ever I was put in charge of making sure every bathroom was decked and had a soap bar in it. Needless to say my supply of soaps came just when needed.

The bars I received included  the spa bar, chamomile mint ladyshave, cinnamon coffee scrub, activated charcoal and a laundry bar.

The spa bar: The name was something I found most appealing. For one I believed that this bar had to be one of those soaps used in spas that left you with super silky skin after a spa treatment. I was so on the mark there. My spa bar (still lasting) helps to get rid of the dryness that Winter's brutality had left on my skin.  The Asian medicinal Patchouli oil has been included in this bar and this oil works wonders on remedying cracked heels and dry skin. The spa bar can certainly be used for spa treatments especially for manicures, pedicures and pre- back massage cleanses. I enjoy bathing with my spa bar.

The soap scent was one vegan smell that I could not quite put my finger on. It was not the most dreamy scent but the scent somehow lingered in the bathroom air long after the bath routine and eventually grew on me probably because of the cocoa butter that is contained in the soap.

Ingredients: Olive, coconut and castor oil. Shea and cocoa butter. Lime, Patchouli and bergamot essential oils.

140g - R65

The cinnamon coffee scrub bar: Cinnamon in your coffee? Yes, please! The undeniable scent of coffee mixed with cinnamon is so yummy and refreshing. The morning bath is certainly worth looking forward to because of the bar. Coffee is essential for the skin and is an ideal scrub. Cinnamon is also  one of the best ingredient to promote blood circulation.  This is an essential bar for any guest bathroom. I was so reluctant to use this bar up as I absolutely loved it and the way it glided down my skin with every wash leaving my skin feeling coffee fresh and day ready. The coffee bar lathers well and leaves your skin feeling luxurious. The coffee aroma is just WOW!

Ingredients: Olive, castor and coconut oil.Shea and cocoa butter, clay, cinnamon, essential oil and freshly ground coffee.

 140g-R45

The Chamomile mint lady shave: We all settle for shaving using our normal bath soap. Its easy and convenient but what we do not realize is by using any odd bar for shaving, we are left with chicken like skin and far too many nicks and cuts. This shave bar contains peppermint, spearmint and chamomile oils which assist in healing skin whilst you shaving. Chamomile essential oil is known to reduce inflammation and thus there's no inflammation or redness whilst shaving.French clay in the soap allows for easy gliding of the razor on the skin's surface.

Ingredients: Olive, Avocado, Coconut and castor oil. Avocado, shea and cocoa butter. French clay, chamomile, spearmint and peppermint essential oil.

140g-R65

The Activated Charcoal Bar: Beauty bloggers like me would have realized how essential charcoal is for your skin.Charcoal is known to take bacteria, germs, chemicals and dirt away from the skin. Charcoal is also known to combat acne. I used my activated charcoal bar mainly for my face to keep my skin cleansed and free from access make up and dirt. The soap lasted me a good two weeks of morning and evening usage. I love the feel of the charcoal bar on my skin and the exfoliating pieces that would release when lathering causing my skin to get exfoliated in the process. The charcoal bar was heart shaped and so cute for any bathroom. It left my skin soft and feeling great plus pimple free.

Ingredients: Butter soaps infused  with unrefined shea and cocoa butter.

170g -R110

The laundry bar: I was most excited to try this as  as i'm used to the normal green bar for laundry. The one from Sonal's artisan soaps is a grainy cream in colour bar. The bar is ideal for laundry but I've been using it to clean my dishes. Guilty as charged! Its incredibly foamy and works to get rid of muck and residue. I'm sure it would work even better on my clothes.

400g- R75

Gilly's shave soap

Since Naby is reaping the benefits of being married to a blogger (me) he got to test out the brands Gilly's shave soap. He was given nature boy and unforgettable to try. Naby had to go back to old school shaving and luckily his friend gifted him one of those old school shaving brushes for him to use. His been messing our bathroom carpet quite a bit  with the shaving paste his been mixing (not pleased but his forgiven). He seems to be spending a great deal longer in the bathroom since his received his shaving soap. The shaving soap smells great and allows his razor to glide easily on his skin. He seems to be pleasantly pleased with the smoothness of his face and the way that the shaving soap feels cool on his face during the shaving process (probably due to the cooling property of aloe vera) . He also adds that there's no irritation on the face after a shave. In his words, "The Gilly's shave soap makes you look forward to shaving again".

Ingredients: Unrefined shea, avocado & cocoa butter, castor oil and stearic acid, French clay,  glycerin, aloe vera and plant-based essential oil to name but a few.

Soap, Sonal and glory.  I am happy to return to natural old fashioned soap which works better than commercial soap. The company's ethos and brand has me sold and I know visitors will be surprisingly pleased when visiting me and enjoying the soap usage in my house be it when washing their hands or  when helping with the dishes. I would recommend you visit their online store https://www.sonalsartisansoaps.com/ to start your soap shopping.

Plus Sonal's Artisan soap is not tested on animals.