Edible Notable
The tradition began with her grandmother, who made her own laundry soap, and continued with her mother, who began making bar soap—with Jana Hester right beside her.
Back then, the mother and daughter consulted catalogs and found oils and butters at restaurant supply and grocery stores. The idea of adding glitter was unheard of. Molds were made of used milk cartons. Additives were limited to botanicals, petals, pollen, and clays with essential oils for scent. Because they both have sensitive skin, unscented versions were made.
While her mom made soap as an “extreme hobby,” Hester decided to make it a business. “At the time I decided to take the plunge into full-time soaping I was working retail … I took the chance because I was getting up at 1 am to begin the day, but—day in and day out—it became too much.”
With Little Cabin Soaps, Hester still makes soap much the way her mom did: from scratch, cold process. She mixes fats and oils with sodium hydroxide, then incubates, cuts, and cures the soap for a minimum of 4–12 weeks. Additives remain all-natural. Her soaps are preservative-free and she intends them to be used.
Soap naturally lathers and cleans. Chemicals that remove dirt or strip your skin of natural oils sometimes do more harm than good. “Natural oils are created on purpose to protect your skin! Leave it there in some fashion so the body can do its job. I don’t use parabens in my bar soap because it’s an overuse of an antimicrobial. Our bodies have lots of little helpers all over at all times. Let them be; remove the grime from the day, not every single molecule,” Hester says.
Over the years, Hester has added her own twists. She uses orange wax along with lanolin and makes salt brine soap, which has a different texture but shares the soothing and hydrating benefits of salt soap.
“Soaping is chemistry, science, Mother Nature, raw ingredients, experience, know-how, gusto, patience, and passion,” Hester says. “It’s someone’s skin. That means something to me.”
Visit littlecabinsoaps.com to order or find a retail location near you.
