Natural Living - Homemade Soaps

Evanley Naturals - Meet Tori 

Some of the fantastic samples she sent me to try out! 

This past fall when I learned that my thyroid was off the charts and out of whack my doctor talked with me about removing anything that I could from my lifestyle that contained chemicals. She talked about using all natural soaps and lotions because many of the products you buy in stores can cause an imbalance in hormones. She also suggested removing many other environmental factors that could take effect on my condition. My doctor is what I would call organic and natural and I sort of love that about her. She is very into clean eating and holistic wellness. She's a great fit for me since I am too.

I began my quest this past fall to get rid of the "bad stuff" and it has been a gradual process and I have lots of ways to go before I am where I want to be but all in all I am getting there. I did little things like switch out our household cleaning products and I try my best to store all of our foods in glass dishes along with switching out my water bottle to glass. Little things...and now some of my soap products.

Well now it's time to talk about Tori and how we connected. We were in a moms group together on Facebook. I had noticed that she had been fighting breast cancer and her story resonated with me since I went thru my own struggle back in college. (See my past blog post) Why I Wear Pink

We didn't really connect until later this year she had posted about wanting some help with meal planning. I messaged her and let her know that I would be willing to help her. It never turned into anything in regards to my business that I run on the side but it did turn into a friendship over a shared belief in products. She told me about her soap business. I talked with her about my interest in switching over to organic natural soaps and just like that things sparked from there. She ended up sending me a boat load of samples to test out. She is too sweet! I absolutely love them and especially love that she uses such high quality ingredients. Not only does she do soap but many other luxurious products too! I am a huge fan of the lip gloss she sent me! I asked her to share her business story with me so that I could feature it on the blog. Here is a little bit  about how she got into the soap business.

"My love affair with soap began an unusual way. I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2013. What was the worst day of my life, has taught me so much about health and the important things in life. There are many things I cannot control in life, but what I put in and on my body is not one of them. Shortly after this diagnosis I was given another one of a pulmonary embolism. My life was spared from this blood clot, but it precipitated a lot of research on healthy living. As my chemotherapy progressed so did my knowledge of what we put in and on our bodies. As life would have it, I was given a miracle baby which ultimately led to the name of my business- Evanley Naturals. Evanley is a combination of my children's names...thought it was fitting.

I have spent hours upon days of researching soaps and their beneficial properties. The most important ingredient in my soap is an ingredient that is not tangible...research. I use only organic oils, butters and essential oils. I do not use GMO's and I only purchase from reputable suppliers. All of my soaps are palm free...I love nature and harvesting palm oil or kernels is not good for the environment (this is debatable with some).

In order to make soap I use goats milk, a lot. Goat's milk is packed full of essential nutrients and vitamins like vitamin D, C, B1, B6, B12, and E. These feed the skin and are absorbed into the body. I also use olive oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil, castor oil, Shea and mango butters, clay's for color, and essential oils for scents. I never use fragrances or mica's (synthetic materials). In some specialty soaps I use rice bran and hemp oils. I also love to use the resources around me such as dandelions and mint (grown in my yard)."

If you are interested in purchasing some soaps from Tori you can contact her thru email  or check out her like page on Facebook.