From Grandma’s Brown Soap to My Zero-Waste Bars
My grandmother, Anna, was born on Long Island, NY in 1918 - a time when the world was changing fast, especially for women. Over warm tea and toast, she told me about her childhood - feeding the chickens, collecting bones for soup from the local butcher, and watching her mother, Bobbie, make what they simply called “brown soap” in their tiny kitchen.
The Brown Soap
Bobbie’s homemade soap wasn’t fancy, it was a necessity. Made from rendered animal fats and lye, it was chopped into rough blocks and used for just about everything. Laundry, dishes, scrubbing little hands and faces - nothing went to waste, because there wasn't enough to waste. Soap-making back then wasn’t a hobby or a luxury. It was a necessary chore, and the result was a rustic, slightly caustic bar that did the job and kept the household clean.
Carrying on the Tradition
While my grandmother’s stories always fascinated me, I wanted to re-imagine her mother’s “brown soap” in a way that fit my own values. I’ve always hated waste, and soap scraps from my batches were too good to toss aside... that’s when it clicked! Why not create a modern, skin-friendlier version of my great-grandmother's brown soap?
How I Make My Zero-Waste Soap
• Every bar of my olive oil soap is hand-planed. I run the edges over a thin wire, which makes each bar feel smooth and comfortable in your hands.
• There's nothing wrong with those little curls and shreds of soap, so I don’t get throw them away, I collect them.
• I fold the soap shreds into a small batch of fresh soap batter, and pour the mixture into two long molds. Then it's “warm-processed” overnight in the oven.
These bars are left unfinished, so I don't create any new soap scraps. This method creates a rustic, old-fashioned looking bar that’s rich, creamy, and extra gentle on skin. The shreds offer a naturally speckled texture, and I add bit of ground oatmeal and walnut hull for a light scrub. I add some sweet orange, tea tree and patchouli essential oils - the tea tree helps deodorize (great for the kitchen sink after cooking) and they smell fantastic!
Perfectly Imperfect
No two batches are exactly the same - as is the nature of handmade - but that’s just part of the charm. Like my grandmother’s soap, it gets the job done. The big difference? This version is very mild, lather-rich, and kind to your skin.
It feels good to know that every curl and shred get's used, and even better to carry a little piece of family tradition forward, in a way that’s both sustainable and indulgent.
