Simmons Soap Shop Part of the 60’s back-to-the-land movement, Dottie Simmons simmonsnaturals.com relocated to rural Northern California due to allergy/sensitivity problems aggravated by the San Francisco Bay Area atmosphere. In 1968, she started “homesteading”, raising goats, poultry, other livestock, and gardening. Here she met her husband, Dennis, raised three children and, in 1977, they purchased their own property. In 1979, … Read More

Barbara Downey- Earth Essentials Soap Barbara Downey wanted to learn to do something that would create greater self-sufficiency in her life.  She had been buying hand-milled soap at local stores and fell in love with good soap.  Since she had a love for cooking and appreciated following a good recipe, cold process soapmaking seemed like a natural choice. After much … Read More

Maggie Hanus, Soap Bartender http://www.awildsoapbar.com Maggie’s nostalgic story comes from reading Sandy Maine’s first book. It inspired Maggie to give soapmaking a try and over 14 years later she is hopelessly addicted to the craft. Maggie taught herself many handcrafted skills like crochet, beadwork, jewelry, pressed flowers, nature prints and even home building! The same with soapmaking, she just dove … Read More

HSMG Volunteer Spotlight  – Gran’ Nanny’s Goat Milk Soaps, Inc. – Pat Allen Goats got Pat started in soapmaking when looking for ways to use surplus goat milk. Introduced to goat milk soap by a neighbor, she started researching and in Pat’s words “Whooooo … I had no idea that goat milk had so much to offer.”  Coming from a … Read More

Gaily Rebecca Soaps – Jackie Thompson It all started with a runaway herb garden! Jackie was trying to find more ways to utilize all of her herbs and came across Susan Cavitch’s soapmaking book in the public Library.  Intrigued, she made some soap and the rest is history. Jackie now works with her daughter, Gaily, who is the President of … Read More

Athena’s Olive Tree Soaps – Rachel Timmerman Rachel first started out by making her own skincare products, mostly masks and scrubs, for her own personal use.  Amazed at the results, she started researching other products that could be made at home – like soaps! Initially dabbling in CP, HP, and MP, college dormitory life and rules narrowed her focus down to learning more about Melt … Read More

Like many of us, Lori Bettendorf had a family member in need to get started in soapmaking.  Her teenage daughter’s skin condition did not respond to OTC products.  Also discouraged by the chemical load in skin cleansers, she researched and was enamored by all of the advantageous qualities in natural base oils and pure essential oils.  Three years ago, she … Read More

Denaige is the owner of Bubble Hut  www.bubblehut.ca/ and bases her business near Edmonton, Alberta. She has been a member of the HSMG since January, 2007. Denaige was elected to the Nominating Committee in 2008 and served there briefly before being appointed to the Board of Directors.  She is currently Chair of the Policy, Procedures and By-laws Committee. Denaige Shanks – … Read More

Taking a Higher Path to Soapmaking Cathleen Timberlake joined the Handcrafted Soap Makers Guild in 2002. Six years later she became one of our Board members and now Chairs the Membership Committee. What’s so special about that, you may be wondering? (After all, lots of Guild members catch the “servant leadership” bug and end up chairing a committee or serving on … Read More

Board of Directors Member and Policies Procedures and Bylaws Chair Meet LaShonda Tyree, BoD, Chair of PPB Committee of the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild and the owner of Nyah, a Patterson, New Jersey-based natural soap and beauty company. Like so many of us who read this blog, La Shonda began making soap out of curiosity. Later on, she learned that her … Read More