Who are we? It's simple really. We are a (husband & wife owned & operated cottage-based) natural soap & bodyworks business located in Deep South Louisiana. It all started with a hope, a dream, necessity, and of course a garden.

 

Our hope & dream was for a more simple quality life, and the necessity for natural, non-toxic quality products (with ingredients we can actually pronounce) for our babies, children, family and ourselves. As a medical professional, we were increasingly concerned over the tormented state of her families' skin. It seemed that each new chemical filled product meant to help, brought on a new set of problems. As we both come from a long line of artisans, it was not surprising when we took measures into our own hands, and after much research began making our own natural soaps and fresh-made body care products. Since we have started the awful eczema is gone, adult & baby acne have subsided, irritated sensitive skin has been at peace, and our skin has never looked healthier. And since we cant keep those pesky relatives & friends from begging so we decided to share with everyone!

 

Cottage Garden? Cottage Gardens, having old English roots, were an intrical part of the lavish Southern Plantations estates that surround our community. Small gardens were grown outside of the separate Kitchen Cottages where they flowered herbs and botanicals for cooking, teas, and medicinal purposes. After tending our own garden, we realized the huge benefits of the wonderful things grown right under our noses. And the rest is history!

 

Our soap, body products and candles are handmade by us in small batches (most often fresh made upon order) to insure quality and freshness. The process may take a little longer, but the goodness is worth it! Our natural soaps & body products are often inspired by our favorite Austin spa & body treatments we missed so much! As busy as we sometimes feel, we LOVE the fact that we can do this and raise our family at home! We support work-at-home moms (& dads too), local farmers and culturists, artists, small and Louisiana based business.

 

All of our natural artisan bath & body products are handcrafted in our country kitchen from the very finest ingredients available to us. We use only the best of everything from the oils, scents and bases to the packaging. Sometimes when others ask why we make our smooth herbally soaps, aside from the health benefits, it is like trying to explain why we bake our cookies from scratch with lots of added goodies instead of buying a plain mass produced package at the grocery store, why we brew our Community coffee & drink fresh made expressos instead of drinking instant...

 

You may be surprised to learn that most commercial soaps you buy are not really soap at all but, technically chemical filler based detergent often referred to as body bars (take a look next time)! Ever asked why? Detergent based soap got its start in the industrial era when oils where scarce & detergent vs. oil-based soap could be made and processed though machinery quite cheaply. The skin is our largest organ, absorbing 60% of what we put on it. This is concerning for us label readers! Detergent commercial soaps can be linked to an array of skin conditions including dry & itchy skin, eczema, & psoriasis. All of our soaps begin with a saponified blend of natural plant based oils and butters (organic & Louisiana when available) and retaining their natural glycerin (a humectant and natural soap byproduct often removed by commercial soap makers for resell for lotions and conditioners). They are not made with animal fats (tallow or sodium tallowate most common in commercial soaps), nor are they animal tested (just family & friend tested!). As with all our products, they also do not contain harsh detergent, foaming agents (SLS), or petroleum (mineral oil) products. What are you putting on your skin?

 

Essential oils & botanicals are used to naturally scent, for their wonderful aromatherapy effect and the additional beneficial properties they provide. Each bar of soap is individually wrapped in deli paper, packaged in a cardboard box, elegantly labeled and sealed with a custom fleur d'lis wax stamp seal of approval. (thank you MamacitaBeadworks)They are a great gift for a friend and the perfect reward for yourself. We still get excited every time we unseal and unwrap a box of smooth silky soap, inhaling the fresh, uplifting aromas that dance out and around the room.

 

Since we believe in going back to the basics, we think you will be pleased find soothing goats milk, wild harvested honey & beeswax in our goodies. We believe in the nourishment and protection these wholesome ingredients provide our skin. Our honey is likely even flower by some of the botanicals used in our products! Some of our older Market customers laugh and tell us milk & honey was the beauty regiment Grandma would use & how she "had the skin of Cleopatra", then quickly make their purchase. You are sure to fall in love with the soft, silky spa quality feeling our products will leave your skin just as we have.

 

Outside of ETSY we can also be found locally every Saturday morning at the Livingston Parish Farmers Market in Denham Springs, Louisiana, 24/7 on our own website CottageGardenTherapies.com, MySpace.com/CottageGardenTherapies, Trunckt.org/CottageGardenTherapies, and various craft fairs & boutiques throughout the US.

 

* Antique Village Spring & Fall Fests in Denham Springs

 

* 42nd Year of the Canton Flea Market & Craft Fair Spring & Fall in Historic Canton, Mississippi (2nd Thursdays in May & October) in the Square

 

UP-to-DATE ESSENTIAL OIL SCENTS

 

Milk & Honey (Almond Signature Blend)

Oatmeal Milk & Honey

Lavender

Lavender Vanilla

Lavender Chamomile

Lavender Mint

Sweet Orange Chamomile

Jasmine Rose

Orange Mint

Outrageous Orange

Eucalyptus Mint

Rosemary Mint

Cucumber Green Tea

Cedarwood Sage

Hippie in a Bar/Bottle

Frankincence & Myrrh

Patchouli

Patchouli Orange

Celtic Sea Moss

Orange Ginger

Orange Clove

 

Make Suds & Enjoy,

Leslie & Cory

www.CottageGardenTherapies.com

www.CottageGardenTherapi.ETSY.com