Look Smart: Hand Wash
Image courtesy Red Leaf
See if you can relate: Chris Poile loved bath and body products but hated all the fussy, cumbersome packaging. It was winter and his skin was dry, so he took matters into his own hands, pouring water, olive oil, rosemary, and orange peel into a spray bottle. He loved it, his friends loved it, and thus, his hydrating facial spray — and Red Leaf, his Seattle-made skincare, pampering, and bath and shower line — was born. That was seven years ago.
Not that enterprising yourself? That’s okay; it’s enough that Chris is. Even with the recent influx of quality, organic products, a guy (and a girl; there are great options for all of us and most are unisex) can’t be too careful about what he puts on his skin.
I used a couple of Poile’s products for a couple of days — long enough to know that they do what they set out to do, and that I dig the subtle, natural scents.
Here, two of my favorites and a word or two from our local armchair chemist and dedicated potion-maker about each of them.
The Shave Soap (I like it in basil lime; refreshing, but in a temporary, nicely fleeting way; I don’t think bath products should be so strongly scented that they follow you around all day.)
RED LEAF: This soap is made specifically for shaving and is a cube shape so it’s easy to hold, and any flat side can be applied directly to the area to be shaved.
Prepping hair for removal is really important, but there are other factors as well such as: glide (the ease in which the blade glides over the skin), moisturizing properties (shaving is derm-abrasion and so, very drying) and lastly, irritation (shaving bumps, nicks and cuts). So there’s a lot to consider when making a good shaving soap!
It’s first four ingredients are: coconut oil, palm oil, castor oil, safflower oil. These all make for excellent glide and moisturization. The next major ingredients produce a rich lather that penetrates the hair quickly to soften it for a smooth shave. This soap is very different from a hard milled bar soap or a glycerin soap. It creates a very creamy lather that is like a foaming lotion made for shaving. The consistency of the lather is rich and thick. This is one of my favorite products!
Oatmeal, Milk and Honey bar soap (Nothing like washing up with a freshly baked cookie.)
RED LEAF: I love that scent and it’s very popular with my customers! It’s base is an almond scent blended with several others that produces a very comforting, warm and relaxing aroma that’s sweet and toasty.
One of my core business principles is to be green and leave a small footprint. There are literally hundreds of ways to do that but getting ingredients locally is a big one. I do source locally, absolutely. For some, I take the bus to pick them up. The longest haul any of my ingredients or packaging components is 40 miles. I have decided not to produce certain products because I could not find local vendors for the ingredients. Within a few miles of my shop I can easily get glycerin, baking soda, purified water, mango extract, olive oil, shea butter, almond oil, grapefruit seed extract, beeswax and the bulk of my packaging. Local sourcing is obviously good for the environment, but it’s also a very basic business decision if you rely heavily on outsourced supplies.
Red Leaf products are available on Etsy (use the links above) and at Seattle Soap Works in Pioneer Square. There are lots of ideas and options. Do go explore.
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You’re looking smarter already. You smell pretty good, too. Here’s more:
