- About our products and our commitment-
A few of our goals and product facts at The Farmer’s Daughter:
We offer excellent natural products: We use what we sell and if we can't (we don't currently have a bathtub—only a shower and sink for the little one if she wants a bath,) we try them out on friends and family (thank you friends and family!!) If they or we don't like a product, we figure out the problem, modify it and try again if it's worth it, or get rid of it completely and move on to something entirely different that is more beneficial. When we say “natural”, we actually mean it. It is a word that is overused, diluted in its meaning, but at The Farmer’s Daughter, we only use what is good for us, and we offer the same to you.
We do no harm. There are so many ingredients in many store-bought products that are harmful and unfortunately, often the general public is unaware and keeps on buying, and so manufacturers do not experience pressure from the public to improve the safety of their products. We will never knowingly offer a product with a harmful ingredient. If we can't create a product like one that seems wonderful on the general market in a safe and healthy way, we don't offer it. For example, bubble bath. Sorry, folks, but the simplest and most effective way to create bubble bath is to use sodium laurel sulfate or similar ingredients—they are harmful to the human body and we won’t use them. If we find that an ingredient is harmful we stop using it. For example, recently clients expressed concerns about certain oils they are allergic to. We are currently reformulating some soap recipes so that there will be more choices for these folks and others like them.
We use the best possible ingredients we can get our hands on. We are not a multimillion-dollar corporation and so we can't always afford the absolute top of the line ingredients but again we use these products for ourselves too and are therefore motivated to put in the best ingredients we can. As with every other aspect of our lives like any normal human being, we are on a learning curve with these products and we will continue to learn and grow and improve. For example, until recently, we were unaware that the demand for Palm Oil has increased so dramatically in recent years, that most Palm Oil is harvested with no regard to the environmental damage or the native people in the area. We have therefore invested in organic, ethically harvested, fair trade red and white palm oils for our future soaps, some of which are currently curing. We are still offering the soaps that we've made with non-ethically harvested palm oil because the oil itself is not harmful to us or you, but when those batches are gone, they are gone. You will see clearly in the ingredients listings with our new soaps “ethically harvested” and so you are of course free to choose which soaps you prefer.
Natural products sometimes have special needs…Many preservatives are used in factory made body care products in general, and most of them are not beneficial, at least not to our bodies. They are beneficial to the products by keeping shelf life lengthy, and therefore beneficial to the bottom line. We use a minimum of preservatives and the ones we use are non-synthetic and non-harmful and natural, such as grapefruit seed extract and rosemary oleoresin. Simpler ingredients that are included for another purpose are often antibacterial and assist with shelf life as well such as tea tree oil, salt, and cloves. Simply speaking, natural means shelf life is shorter, perhaps even a month or two. We are still in the process of figuring out how to let you know the estimated shelf life on individual products, but we want to make you aware in general of what to expect. Soap tends to last an extremely long time, rarely spoils, and usually is better with age. Bath products that we make do not contain water, which helps with shelf life, but even so most have a limited life span of up to several months, longer if kept in the refrigerator. Another factor in soaps with herbal colorants, is that they do fade, especially if exposed to strong sunlight. An unfortunate fact, but in this case, not a definition of quality in our opinion. Essential oil fragrances also fade with time, especially if exposed to heat. There is a natural order to life and living things. They don't last forever. The things that do seem to last forever, at least in the case of what we put in and on our bodies, are actually the ones whose qualities should be in question. Our sincere hope is to create wonderful, helpful products that will last well at least until you use them up, and that you'll want to come back for more!!
We are small. Small means personal… Sometimes small takes a bit longer, sometimes it is faster because there aren’t so many layers to go through, but it definitely means a real, actual person to talk with, to help you, and discuss what your needs are. We are very busy with our homestead, helping our parents and neighbors, our lives in general, making soap and trying to run a business-- but first and foremost it is about what is good for our family and our clients so if you have a problem that could be solved by a customized soap or skin care product we want to discuss the solution with you. So many people are suffering because of chemical exposure--so many types of toxic substances that we are surrounded with every day that affect our health and our lives. And if a handmade product made simply and honestly can help you, we want to be a part of that. In the process it might help someone else too.
We are real people…Although professionalism is important, we would much rather be your good neighbor, helper, and friend than a store front or a billboard. It is much better to discuss and work through ideas and issues and it is our hope that whatever comes up, good, bad, or otherwise, a solution can be created that works for everyone. It may sound corny and overused, but we really would like to do our part to make a little corner of the world a better place, one conversation, and one good bar of soap...at a time.
We are artists and enjoy the creative aspect of things. This is where the beautiful part comes in. Soap has been around for thousands of years, as far as we know, and is an amazing, wonderful, and practical thing. Sometimes the simplest rustic soap bars are best left alone with their own unique beauty--we need simplicity in our lives, don't we? Other times, we like to have a little fun creating a soap that is a bit out of the ordinary. We hope you enjoy the variations in our products, and rest assured, no matter what it looks like, it’s got only the good stuff in it!
By the way, we don't just make soap...From time to time, you will see additions to the website with other products or services. As we say, "Whatever bee in our bonnet buzzes!" We hope you will check back regularly.
Committed to Healthful, Helpful, & Beautiful
