Brand Focus: North Hill Soap Company

I love bar soap and find myself using it to wash my hands and, of course, my body, on a daily basis. It's important for me to support local soap makers that avoid the use of palm oil and any other questionable ingredients, and really put an emphasis on sustainability. When my friend Lisa, from Glam Goes Green, told me about North Hill Soap Company, I knew I had to try them out!

Welcome to North Hill Soap Company! We have been manufacturing hand-crafted, artisan soap since 2008. Our emphasis is on natural, sustainable ingredients, and 100% post-consumer recycled packaging. 

My name is Kelly Martin, and I am the soaper-in-chief at North Hill Soap Company, directing my family of four children and web-savvy husband in all their bubbly endeavours. 

Our family journey in soapmaking began with an innocent conversation. A family friend who owns a small-town art shop was lamenting her inability to find a soapmaker. I have always suffered from OCD- Obsessive Crafting Disorder. I have to try whatever craft is going by, and I thought, “I’m sure I can make soap!” 

I could never list all of the crafts I have dabbled in and moved on from, but soapmaking stuck. I fell in bubbly love almost immediately, and I haven’t looked back since. Not only do I enjoy the process, but once you start using handmade soap, you really can’t go back to store-bought. The difference in your skin is so obvious, you would never want to feel dry, itchy and rough again. Not to mention the confidence in knowing what you and your family are putting onto (and hence into) your body. 

Read more about NHSC here.

The packaging is absolutely awesome! I love the colours and design of each one, as well as the fact that they come in post consumer recycled packaging. Seriously, just look at those boxes! After reaching out to Kelly, she was kind enough to allow me to select a few bars of soap. I chose *Sea Goddess, *Happy Hippie, *Blackbeard's Booty, *Sex On The Beach, and *Earth Goddess.

*Sea Goddess: The Mediterranean Sea provides us with so many Gifts of beauty– it’s no wonder Aphrodite is pictured as being Born from the waves! Sea salt will polish your skin to glowing freshness, and Spirulina Algae is a tremendous source of Antioxidants. 

In theory, this soap sounds amazing and I was really excited for it. Sadly, it fell short. The scent and texture reminds me of soap that my grandma used, in Portugal, to wash her clothes. I'm talking the old school way of washing clothes; a bar of soap and bucket. I find that it can either be harsh or feel like you're dragging a dry soap bar on dry skin regardless of how wet both are. This is definitely my least favourite.

*Happy Hippie: Tempt your inner peace child with the earthy scent of patchouli, and enjoy the moisturizing benefits of hemp butter in our grooviest soap bar. Made with Organic Canadian Hemp Milk & Calendula Petals, you may have to find your love beads and flower crown after this far-out shower experience!

This is my favourite of all the bars. It smells in-freakin-credible, is ever so gently exfoliating, nourishing, creamy, and just lovely to use. I can't get over the scent and love that it fragrances my bathroom with a light hint of patchouli. I'm such a hippie eh?

*Blackbeard's Booty: When Blackbeard took his yearly bath, we’re sure this is the soap he favoured. Sail your pirate armada in your bath, while you enjoy the spicy sweet scent of bay rum essential oil straight from the Dominican Republic. Poppy Seeds add a gentle exfoliation.

How cute is the name and little pirate skull on the bar of soap?! This is my second favourite of them all. I love the (truly) spicy sweet scent of the bay rum, which is very unisex leaning towards masculine, and how lovely the poppy seeds feel on the skin. It leaves my skin exfoliated, nourished, and baby soft.

*Sex On The Beach: The fruit acids in our blend of tropical fruits encourage cell turnover, and help to dissolve the glue holding together the top layer of cells. Immerse yourself in memories of a Caribbean vacation. Notes of citrus will whisk you off to an island paradise, fruity drink in hand.

I'm sure you can all guess that what attracted me to this soap was the fact that it's supposed to be like a chemical exfoliant for the body, however, I'm not convinced it actually does much in that department. Usually with chemical exfoliants, your skin will tingle. This soap doesn't tingle whatsoever, not even on breakouts. I mean, obviously it's not meant to be an intense, all over body peel. Just thought it would be worth mentioning, in case that's the reason you decide to choose this particular bar. If you're looking for a soap bar that smells fruity, feels great on the skin, and leaves it feeling soft, this is the one for you! Out of the 5 bars, this one is in my top 3.

*Earth Goddess: Kaolin is the most gentle of all the clays, drawing impurities from your skin without stripping your natural oils. Kaolin clay is suitable for all skin types, and exfoliates gently enough to be used even on your face! This beautiful bar also includes Himalayan Pink Salt, which will draw out impurities while providing necessary minerals to your skin.
Lastly, we have Earth Goddess! This one is really nice and leaves my skin soft, just like the others, but it didn't live up to my expectations. I expected it to help with breakouts, because of its clarifying properities (pink and green clay). It doesn't. I also don't find it fragranced enough considering it contains patchouli and lavender, two dominant essential oils. Still really nice, just not one I'd repurchase.
All in all, I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to try out this amazing Canadian brand. Their soaps really are beautiful and reasonable priced considering the quality. I will 100% be purchasing Happy Hippie and Blackbeard's Booty once I run out and highly recommend.
Retails for: $5.99/bar and is available in 16 different scents (4 of which are unscented).
Get it here: North Hill Soap Company and these retailers. *Products provided for review consideration. All opinions are my own.