Is it laziness that I don’t take the time to put a body wash on my shower scrunchie anymore? These days it feels like an unnecessary step, especially when I have a deliciously smelling, beautifully lathering bar of soap at the ready. Not to mention there’s no waste of plastic tubes or bottles with bar soap whose packaging is easily recycled.
Handmade soaps from etsy are a great place to start if you’re interested in boosting your bar soap inventory, but after some etsy soap searching you’re sure to feel overwhelmed. So let me introduce you to my favorite soap of the moment, Tranquility by Urban Eden. All of Urban Eden’s soaps smell wonderful and have an exceptional lather and I bet you’d be hard pressed to find one you don’t like. But there’s something about Tranquility with its soothing sandalwood, vanilla, and cardamom blend that creates one sublime showering experience. Lemon, ginger and vetiver give this soap a touch of sparkle, but Tranquility stays true to its overall sandalwood impression.
You might have noticed that Tranquility’s ingredients read like notes from a perfumer’s website which is the case for all Urban Eden soaps. For example, here’s Urban Eden’s description of Vetiver Lime:
“…the refreshing tang of Mexican lime contrasts with the sweet earthiness of vetiver and patchouli. Allspice and black pepper add intrigue; French tangerine slightly sweetens the lime; lavender acts as a bridge between the vetiver and citrus. Lime is the predominant note, but instead of a summery lime, it’s like lime wearing a fall coat.”
Such a lovely and utterly accurate olfactory sketch of this yummy soap! Shahrazad is another soap whose following list of notes would be worthy of a luxury perfume: tangerine, blood orange, bergamot, tuberose, ylang ylang, amber, frankincense, myrrh, cardamom, clove, black pepper, coriander and nutmeg. There’s a lot going on in Shahrazad, but the end result is a rich, spicy citrus scent that is subtly floral.
In addition to the gorgeous essences, there’s olive oil, shea butter, coconut oil and organic palm oil in these 100% natural bars which make them hydrating and long lasting. At $5 per bar ($6.50 for the costly tuberose in Shahrazad) they make for inexpensive gifts or a guilt-free treat for yourself.
Urban Eden is available at etsy.
Posted by ~Trish
Disclosure: Samples were sent to me for consideration by Urban Eden. The opinions in this review are my own. I was not financially compensated for this review or any other.
thefloraesthetic.com 
I’m always on the hunt for a good bar soap. I prefer bar soaps over shower gels despite soap scum. Tranquility sounds like a nice bar for fall.
Coming from a hippie raised commune upbringing, we weren’t allowed to have “corporate” soaps because of environmental waste (bottles/boxes, etc). I never really got used to shower gel and find that I always go back to bar soaps.
I did not know that about your hippie upbringing! How very Oregon 🙂
You should definitely try Urban Eden, a treat for the rainy weather that will be upon us soon. Shahrazad and Tranquility are perfect for this season!
~T
LOL, and yes, not very TN. That’s why I’m out here!
We had a very rainy day today. It’s here…dah, dah, nuh.
I want to try the shave soap! My legs hate razors. Since I’ll be making an order anyways, need to order that too 🙂
Trish,
I love that you did a review on Laura’s soaps, she is so kind and makes fantasic products. I have become addicted to her shaving soap called Smooth legs. It is devine with sandalwood, benzoin and rosewood and it works like a dream too. I have sensitive legs and never have had a reaction due to her high quality ingredients. Her bars last forever too, I cut her smooth legs bar into quarters and it has lasted over 4 months with daily shaving. Definatly worth every penny. Laura is so gracious too, she was nice enough to send me some seconds of her smooth legs until she able to make more, along with the seconds she sent a sample of her Shahrazad and I agree it smells so luxurious. I will need to order a bar soon. Also I have tried her deodorant lemon myrtle and I love it. Lemon myrtle smells great and I stay fresh without all the nasty chemicals. Angie
Angie,
As usual you are two steps ahead of me on the etsy finds 😉
I need to get more Shahrazad as my husband has poached it from me, and your description of Smooth Legs makes me want to place an order ASAP!
Thanks for your helpful comment,
Trish
Trish, thank you so, so much! Your supportive reviews are such a gift. And I’m really tickled you think my scent notes are like a perfumer’s. Someday, someday I’m going to grow up to be a botanical perfumer. I hope. — Laura
I was thinking perfumery might be in your future….I certainly hope so! 🙂 I am so glad you contacted me as I am in love with your soaps and thanks to Angie above, I now need to try Smooth Legs!
I LOVE Urban Eden’s soaps! They are nothing short of amazing. I have been shopping with Laura for years and have urged her to make perfumes. Each soap blend begs for one! In the meantime though, I have been enjoying every single bar from her. Although she is a soaper by trade, she is a true perfumer. She transforms your usual Lavender soap (for instance) into something quite magical and spectacular. And her prices are stellar! Her deodorants and shaving soaps are also excellent. Both work without irritating. Laura is a genius, really.
SS, fabulous blog you have! I just added it to my blog roll. Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting 🙂
~Trish
Awww, Angela and Scentual Sountracks, thank you so much for your kind comments. I’m feeling all warm and silly now. It’s amazing how we’ve come to know each other through our shared passion for scent, even though we’ve only met online.
These sound incredible, I’ll have to check them out…sound like perfect hostess gifts for the upcoming holiday parties too! That’s so funny that you mentioned laziness b/c I’ve recently started to worry if it’s a sign of supreme laziness on my part that it’s so much easier to reach for the bar of soap vs the 4 different liquid soaps I have in my shower!! ha! Thanks for making me feel not alone in that concern!
Jordan,
I tend to use my body washes as shaving cream now. Weleda’s are fabulous for that!
~T
Trish, I love reading your reviews
There is a lovely store in florida that is going to carry my perfumes and they asked me to recommend some soap that they could carry. This sounds like a lovely brand and I would be happy to give the store their name. Do you have any other natural artisan soap that you could recommend. They might like a few options?
Thanks
Mandy Aftel
Mandy,
You would love Olive and Oud’s (Urban Eden) soaps. Laura pays great attention to the scents and I feel like they are the perfect soaps for perfumistas! 😀
http://www.etsy.com/shop/OliveAndOud?utm_source=toolsforetsybuyersse&utm_medium=api&utm_campaign=api
Justine Crane of The Scented Djinn also makes lovely soaps in addition to her natural perfumes and I’ve also been impressed by Jackson Sage’s bar soaps as well.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sapobubbles
http://jacksonsage.com/
Thank you Trish. I will pass this information along to the owner of the shop! I hope I see you again before too long.
Terrific! And you should give this soap a try for yourself:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/73128865/scheherazade-soap-with-amber-spices-and
You will love it!!
XOXO
T
Hi Mandy,
Thanks for passing my name along! And I’m looking forward to hearing what store in FL will be carrying your perfumes. My parents live near Naples, and my Mom–who already wears Tango–would love to sniff some more of your creations. 🙂