For the love of soap

Throughout the year I will be finding local businesses that I think might interest you and asking them to write a blog about what they do. Several years ago I had a booth at an event on Maxwell AFB. At the table next to me was Rachel from Naturally Rad. We started talking and I asked about her products. I tried them and loved them! In fact I have been using them on occasion as special thank you gifts to clients ever since.

For the love of soap

By Rachel Dickinson

My husband & I are a lot of things but we never thought we would add “soap maker” to the list. Now with Naturally Rad going strong for almost three years, we are just that, soap makers! We have a love for all things outdoors and music related. Therefore, all of our soaps, sugar scrubs & beeswax lotions are named after songs and in the large majority of our products we use the herbs and flowers we grow!

All photos courtesy of Rachel Dickinson

Our biggest goal is to make a quality natural product that is also affordable. There is a lot of trial and error involved when it comes to making soap, and we much prefer making natural lye soaps with no artificial colors or chemicals. We steer clear of your melt & pour bases for several reasons. They do not last as long as lye soap, do not suds up well, a lot people complain about feeling terribly dry after using them and finally, there are only a few melt & pour manufacturers in the US. It is also hard to find a melt and pour manufacturer that’s natural & organic. If you buy melt & pour from someone or heck any soap for that matter BE SURE to ask what’s in the soap.  If they can’t tell you or do not provide ingredient labels on their items walk away! That’s one thing we can promise you - you can pronounce every ingredient in ALL of our products and we can tell you exactly where ALL our ingredients came from. They may not be fancy shapes or bright different colors but we can guarantee you one fine and fantastic soap that once you use you will not want to go anywhere else.   We hand cut all our soaps. No molds are used to get that perfect rectangle shape you may see in other places. We wrap & label each soap before every show or before taking them to stores. It’s a true labor of love!

We’re also proud of sugar scrubs and beeswax lotions which are made with local beeswax and essential oils.  Beeswax lotion makes the skin feel amazing, like nothing I’ve ever owned.  We usually make a lotion and/or scrub to match our soaps.  Currently, we sell at Fanci Free in Prattville, The Company Story in Wetumpka, Le’ Spirit Salon, Cool Beans and Herb Chateau all in Montgomery. One part of Naturally Rad we are very proud of is our partnership with two local breweries – Back Forty in Gadsden and Rail Yard in Montgomery. We have used their beer to create some great items. For Back Forty we use their Truck Stop Honey in our Only the Oatmeal & Honey soap as well as in our Only the Oatmeal and Honey Scrub. They sell out of their brewery in Gadsden. With the Rail Yard in Montgomery we have created three soaps using their Y’all, Alabama Pale Ale and Red Clay Irish Ale. They also sell out of their restaurant in downtown Montgomery. You can also find us on Etsy, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Over the next few months we are proud to be part of some wonderful festivals! So come out and see us! On Tuesday, April 29^th from 7pm – 9pm we will be at Fleet Feet Sports in Montgomery at their Ladies Night Out. This should be a great event! Fleet Feet puts on some wonderful events and this will be no exception. Free wine, raffles, massage chair, vendors and of course expert advice from the folks at Fleet Feet. On Saturday, May 3^rd we are very very proud to be part of Southern Makers! If you do not already know, Southern Makers is a wonderful event that showcases “makers” from across Alabama. It will take place from 11am to 5pm at the Train Shed in downtown Montgomery. And finally, on Saturday, June 7^th, from 10am to 4pm at we will be at Chuck’s Marina located on Lake Martin. We will be part of the 12^th Annual Lil’ Calypso Art Fest! This is a fun event right on the beautiful shores of Lake Martin. So come see us & try some of our great products. We’d love to meet you!