Hope to see you there!

Lavender Mint

Cinnamon Oatmeal

Blood Orange and Honey

Clove Geranium Soap

Tomato Basil

(photo from here)

Well, Boh Bon officially turns 4 today and man the time has flown by! A lot has changed since we first started out and there are more changes coming our way… life in general is changing around here and we’re doing the best we can to roll with it. You won’t see us out and about quite so often peddling our wares, but the shop will be open online so when you need a fix, you can always pop in to see what is in stock and we’ll get your soap sent out just as quick as possible.

We do have one more show this summer, our personal favorite in Copper Harbor August 21-22…sure its a trek, but it is always worth the trip, come say hi if by chance you are in the area. The local ladies up there make the BEST pasties, I swear!

Now, onto the giveaway!  In honor of our 4 years of slinging suds, we are giving away 2 prizes to those who enter. Super easy, visit the store online and come back and tell what soap you haven’t tried but would like to OR your all time favorite. My personal go to soap scent is lavender and rosemary, so the 2 winners (randomly chosen of course) will receive:

1 bar of Lavender Rosemary, 1 bar of Lavender Patch Goat Milk, 1 Lavender flax seed eye pillow and a ladder soap dish

Leave a comment between now and Monday and stay tuned to find out if you’ve won. We’ll choose the winner Monday at around noon….thanks for 4 great years!

Enter now to win and we’ll randomly choose the winner on Friday, July 16!

Natural is a word that gets tossed around pretty loosely these days and its definition often times gets lost beyond the word itself. It goes hand in hand with words like “organic”, “green”, “eco” and has become a part of our vernacular as we become more conscious of the choices we make and the effects they have in terms of our personal health, wellness and environment. Slap the word “natural” on a label and sometimes we look no further as we assume what is inside must be good for us. There is plenty of greenwashing and inconsistencies that come along with buzz  words like “natural” and the truth is, natural isn’t always as natural as  it seems.

At boh bon, we’ve used the term natural for as long as we have been making soap, it is an important word that holds a lot of clout around here and we are committed to maintaining the integrity of it when referring to our products. As we approach our 4 year anniversary, I have been looking back on how far we have come, the things that have changed and the those that have remained.  The one constant is our commitment to using simple, fresh and natural ingredients in all that we do. “Simple is better” has always been the motto around here and that will never change, because using ingredients that are real and responsibly sourced is the simplest and best thing we can do for ourselves and for you.

I think that boh bon has always attracted smart and savvy consumers who appreciate the handmade and wholesome aspect of natural soap.  As we become ever more aware of the idea that what we put on our bodies being is important as what we put in  them, we hold fast to the simple ideas that started this whole crazy soap adventure we on. Our “natural” ingredients will always be just that and will come from sources we trust, local when possible, and organic when feasible. As we strive for simplicity in all aspects of life, at boh bon, we promise to never present you with an ingredient list full of things you can’t pronounce or that will make you want to bang your head against the wall.

In the next few weeks we’ll be highlighting some of our most important and favorite ingredients here as well as sharing a bit about the soapmaking process, so if that kind of geeky chemistry stuff or hippy natural stuff is your thing, then check back to learn more. Oh, and since I have been feeling all nostalgic about the litle soap co. turning 4 next month, we are planning a sale, stay tuned, it is going to be HUGE!

photo from here

(photo from here)

Our always popular short stacks just got a mini-makeover! Now with larger soap slices in each stack and new soap scents in the mix, short stacks are bigger and better than ever! We’ve kept the same fun names for the stacks, but have changed up the options a bit in each one… choose from the  Girly Girl, Fab 5, Earthly Delights and Every Man for Himself

Short stacks are a great way to try a few soap scents, are perfect for traveling and make great gifts and we’re putting them on sale for a limited time! Now through the end of June they are on sale for just $4.50 each down from the regular price of $5.25.

1. A Pretty Pedi – Instead of a whole palette of nail polish hues to get you through flip flop and sandal season try picking just one signature color. Choose a polish that is 3 free (no formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl phthalate (DBT)) and wear it all season long! Whether you paint your piggies yourself or head to the salon, take your polish pick with you and make it your own. (A few pretty polishes can be found here and here)

2.  Choose Better Packaging – By choosing products that are packaged in containers that are easy to reuse or recycle you can simply cut down on waste. Avoid products that are packaged in pvc  (plastic #3), look for bottles that are easy to recycle (#1 or #2), buy in bulk and refill/reuse packaging with products you can make yourself.

3.  Shop Local – That’s right, there are plenty of people (myself included) in your area (or  state) who are making products which utilize fresh and local  ingredients, are free of synthetic fillers  and contain no “junk” in general. Whether you seek them out at local art, craft, and green events, peruse their websites or use the “shop local” function on etsy, choosing products that are made in closer proximity to you can go a long way in greening your routine.

4. Choose products that multi-task – So you may not be ready to give up your liquid shampoo for a solid shampoo soap yet,  and that’s okay, there are plenty of other things to try that have mulitple uses. Use your bar soap to shave with – soaps with clay added to them can make for a great shave because the clay helps your razor glide smoothly.  Pick a body oil that can be used as a massage and bath oil too, or a body butter that you can  soften cuticles with and can double as a lip balm in a pinch.

5. Do it yourself – In trying to avoid many of the chemicals and synthetic ingredients that are so common in today’s marketplace we have learned that sometimes it’s just as easy to try a DIY version.  Whether you need a quick scrub or a shot of moisture, often times you need not look further than your kitchen cupboard. Some quick fixes that can be found at home are: coarse sea salt or raw sugar for exfoliation,  olive oil can double as body oil or eye makeup remover (you can also use grapeseed or jojoba oil),  ground whole oats are a soothing bath additive as is powdered milk or brewed green tea. Get creative and see what products you can re-create or replace!

(image by D. Sharon Pruitt)

Next weekend we’ll be back in full swing and participating in the Summer Art Fair at the Midland Center for the Arts, the fair runs from 10am-5pm on Saturday and Sunday, June 5 & 6. Stop by to say hi and stock up on soap if you are in the area!

Until then, enjoy the sunshine and weekend festivities!

(photo by katerha)

1/2 avocado (use a bit more avocado if you have long hair)

1/4 cup honey

Mash the avocado and mix in the honey, apply to wet hair and massage into hair and scalp. Let sit for about 20 minutes and rinse thoroughly with warm water.

(photo from here)