In the news Orange Peel Gazette

Article featured in Five Star Review Soap by Sylvia's Hands by Jolie Kretchman Loeb Take time for tub time and make a sanctuary in the suds. The practice is timeless, the experience spiritual, and the application enabled by Soap by Sylvia. Sylvia’s her name, whipped up soaps, her game. Sylvia’s rich “butter bar” formula combines the best of all worlds, humbly putting them in the palm of your hand. Cocoa and shea butters blend to moisturize, heal, and protect your skin from weathering elements, while the fragrance spectrum is downright intoxicating. Inventive blends of coconut and clary sage, ground organic coffee and oatmeal, honey and sweet almond, combine to create handmade blocks of emollient soap with an old world charm, and a quality I’m confident will rival your cleaning agent du jour.	Some scintillating samples. The Citrus ‘n Crème bar blends organic peel, sweet orange oil, rosemary and shea butter to enhance the skin’s elasticity while leaving it scented with a sun kissed citrus squirt. Double bubbles of pleasure for the Lavender aficionado (present and accounted for); two garden varieties of lavender infusions. Exhibit A: The Lavender and Goat Milk bar. A creamy soap beaded with loads of lavender flowers allowing you the Provencal cleanliness of lavender, with a milky rich lather. And if you prefer your lavender straight up, the Luscious Lavender bar, triply infused with lavender hydrosol, lavender oil, and fresh lavender, will delight you wash after delicious wash. But alas, nothing in Sylvia’s line had the unique potential to win me over like her Dawg Soap. This bar is clearly the creation of someone who understands the unparalleled talent dogs have for getting relentlessly, hopelessly, inexplicably dirty. Our family dog is a walking mop. God love him, but he is. Hard to say who enjoyed Sylvia’s Dawg soap more, my mom, or Charlie himself. Charlie, an exceptionally longhaired Pembroke Welsh Corgi, looked so dashing after being bathed with Sylvia’s soap, we couldn’t wait to share the discovery with his groomer. She too, couldn’t get over how fluffy his fur felt, how clean it washed out, and how good he smelled prancing out of her salon. She wanted to keep the bar, but we wouldn’t let her. Soap by Sylvia’s hands takes the greatness of natural elements and mixes them up right. With a European charm and a remarkably forgiving price-point, I welcome you to embrace your new addiction. Visit www.soapbysylvia.com, and discover how much better butter in the bar can be.
In the news Orange Peel Gazette SOAP BY SYLVIA'S HANDS Vol. 5, Issue 4 June 17, 2004

Soap making is an age old industry which started from the master soap makers in the 17^th centaury to pioneer women who came together once a year as a community event to make soap for the season. Until recently, consumers have given over their skin care to manufacturers where soap is made at vast speeds, with fillers and synthetic ingredients that provide very little value to the overall skin conditioning effects. Making homemade soap from more nourishing ingredients is a small but growing cottage industry. Being a vegetarian for 25 years, I was inspired by the idea of using aromatherapy, herbs and natural products. Soap making involves the combination of three basic ingredients: water, acid and a base. When an acid (lye) and a water solution is mixed with oils(base), a reaction takes place between the hydrogen, oxygen, sodium and fatty acid molecules. This is called saponification and the end result is a substance that is made up of five parts soap and one part glycerin (a rich emollient prized for its ability to soften the skin) It is retained in handmade soap but in commercial soap it is extracted, leaving behind the hard, drying bars of soap we purchase in stores today. Further I can add extra nourishing ingredients at various stages such as botanicals, herbs, and essentials to increase the value of the soap on the skin.		Why soap? Bathing can be a ritual even a sanctuary. A place for relaxation and comfort. Candles, salts and a *fine bar of handmade soap* are universally pleasing. Handmade soap has character with natural ingredients and essential oils as its personality. Handmade is unlike store bought that has mass-marketing & heavy advertising with little or no attention to ingredients. Handmade soap provides a smooth emollient that leaves the body feeling soft. My soap can be found via my website, at craft and market shows in Florida and by calling us direct. I have an array of amazing products from simplistic formulas to more complex. My line includes what is called “scent memories”. “Scents memories” invoke a memory, a place in time, a familiar smell or memory of a person. Some are Patchouli, Rose, Oatmeal, Lavender (a favorite), Peppermint and others. To purchase or for more information go to: www.soapbysylvia.comSylvia is also available for fundraisers, craft shows and classes. FIVE STAR REVIEW We were also featured in the Five Star Review and won in two categories.