Success in soap: Stourport business is going from strength to strength

They enjoyed their new-found hobby so much that they began gifting surplus bars to family and friends as well as to residents in care homes.

The positive response to their soaps prompted them to take the next step of getting their recipes assessed by a chartered cosmetic chemist, enabling them to sell their products to the local community and further afield.

From their homes they make small batches of soaps using essential oils and other natural ingredients and traditional methods.

"We started in 2019 when Xime bought me a gift voucher for a soap making workshop and we learned how to make soaps from products you can find in your kitchen," says Karen.

"I suffer from eczema and have incredibly dry skin so it was nice to use something made from natural ingredients and not have a reaction," she adds.

Their business, named 7Soaps after their hometown of Stourport-on-Severn, quickly grew and they are now stocked in 12 shops across Worcestershire as well as online.

Karen and Xime both share a passion for the environment and were keen to make their products as eco-friendly as possible.

"Xime is a biologist and has worked in the rainforest. She was worried about all of the chemicals found in regular soap and shampoo and the effect it has on the environment," explains Karen.

Their natural collection range of soaps contain a blend of coconut, olive and sunflower oils which they say nurtures and moisturises the skin.

Fragrances come from essential oils such as lemongrass, coconut, metha piperita and tea tree as well as other natural products such as cinnamon leaf.

Karen and Xime try to use local ingredients as much as possible and have a range of soaps containing Droitwich Salt, which is sourced from naturally occurring brine springs.

The salt is harvested by hand at Churchfields Saltworks in Droitwich Spa where the gentle process of crystallising the natural brine to pure salt is done using renewable energy.

The 7Soaps packaging is made from recycled cardboard and is 100% compostable. Their clamshell soap box can double up as a soap dish, meaning it can easily be taken anywhere.

To make their small batches of soap, the friends use two different methods; cold process and hot process.

The former sees the oils combined with lye at room temperature to cause a chemical reaction called saponification.

In hot process, hot oils and lye are combined to begin saponification, and then introduced to heat via a slow cooker to speed up the cure time.

"We make all of our soap at home using buckets and a hand mixer. Hot process soaps can be ready to use after 24 hours. Cold process soaps need around six weeks to cure. Making soap is very therapeutic," says Karen.

"My favourite is our orange and cinnamon bar. I take some cinnamon sticks and crush them in the pestle and mortar. I put this through the soap for gentle exfoliation. It has a lovely aroma when you use it in the shower," she adds.

As well as catering for humans, they also have products for our canine friends too.

Their dog shampoo bars, which contain coconut oil that repel fleas, neem oil to help with itchy scalps and castor oil to reduce any inflammation, are proving very popular with customers.

"If the dog has rolled in something nasty, you can wash them with that and know it's helping them and the environment.

"When I used to wash my dog before, I would get really itchy hands. It's nice to pamper my pooch now," says Karen.

They create all of their own recipes, which are assessed by a chemist before they are made available to customers to buy.

"I will say to Xime 'can we make this?' and as the biologist she will say 'yes but to get that you need to put A, B and C in'," says Karen.

Earlier this year, they were commissioned to produce bespoke items for the Severn Valley Railway to sell in its shops.

Launched at the Engine House at Highley, they are available in two scents - rosemary and charcoal and lavender and charcoal.

The soaps are also made using Droitwich Salt and the packaging was designed by Sally Chambers at Kidderminster-based Venalicium Creative Marketing.

The charcoal is a nod to the coal used in the fireboxes of the locomotives on the line and red clay represents the red rock around Highley.

Karen and Xime also have plans to work with Churchfields to create a cosmetic range and will be joining forces with two local beekeepers to create products using bees wax in the near future.

They have also come a full circle as they now offer their own soap making workshops and courses giving people the chance to try their hand at the craft.

"It's nice to teach people how to make their own soaps. We teach them the basic recipe and their can choose their own essential oils," says Karen.

The pair have been blown away by the response to their creations and say they are delighted by the opportunities that have arisen since starting the business.

"We enjoy making our soaps because it's theraputic and we're both crafters, so we enjoy creating things. We still can't believe people keep coming back to buy our soaps. We get lovely feedback from our customers," says Karen.

For more information about Karen and Xime's soap making workshops, see www.7soaps.co.uk