The
Story of the Hawaiian Bath & Body Brand and the North Shore
Soap Factory
It all began in 1996 when Debora and Jerry Driscoll were given some homemade
natural soap. This is their story:
We were hooked! Since then
we haven't used any other "commercial soap.” When
the organic chemist who created these all natural original recipes
was moving off the island, we bought this small soap business
to keep the natural soaps here in Hawaii and on the North Shore. And the Hawaiian Bath &
Body brand was born. Debora thought it would be a great weekend hobby
but Jerry had other plans. Our house became our first official
natural soap factory.
A
year later, as we were quickly growing out of our house, we
decided to lease the iconic “Bagasse Bin” in the
Historic
Waialua Sugar Mill. You can see her from the top of the
pineapple fields when coming down the hill from Honolulu. We’ve
nicknamed her “the Lady of Waialua” because her
full skirt dances before the background of mountain and sea that is the North Shore. With a full functioning
factory, we had to come up with a great name and the North Shore
Soap Factory was it! Soon to follow was our spa inspired boutique
(about 2.5 years ago already!). With the help of our formulator
we've created more original recipes to expand our Hawaiian Bath
& Body skin care line to include Body
Wash, Aromatherapy
Body Mists and Bath
Salts, Lomi
Lomi bath oils, after-sun Lip
Moisturizers and more.
Our
lobby has somewhat turned into a mini museum packed with plantation
days memoribilia donated by generous neighbors. When
the mill power plant was being torn down we were lucky enough to rescue
some relics. Once the “old-timers” who worked at the sugar
mill realized we had moved in and seen we were collecting items, they
started dropping by and either donating or trading for soap their
own sugar mill memoribilia. What an amazing experience that has been
sitting and “talking story” with all those guys!
Many
people ask us what makes our products unique. The first reason is that we make soap “the old fashioned way."
Cold process soap making is a labor intensive process that takes up
to six weeks to produce a finished bar of soap. We use a special combination
of base oils to create a rich luxurious spa-quality bar with full,
long lasting lather. Because our soap is aged, the bar is very hard
and lasts about twice as long as a “commerical” soap.
Oils
such as Hawaiian
Kukui Nut Oil & Macadamia
Nut Oil add moisturizing properties which nourish the skin. Pure
Essential Oils are blended with the Hawaiian Kukui Nut & Macadamia
Nut oils to not only scent the soap but to add properties that are
beneficial for each individual’s skin type.
The
second reason is that Quality Ingredients make the difference!
Our products are carefully formulated without using any detergents,
harsh chemicals, or petroleum based ingredients. What we don’t
put into our products is just as important as what we do! Handcrafted,
one batch at a time, each product features island-grown ingredients
such as Hawaiian Kukui & Macadamia Nut Oils, honey, papaya, tangerines,
coffee, & guava. Many products also feature organic ingredients
such as organic oatmeal, rice flour, blue cornmeal, & organic
spices. (read more about
ingredients)....
We
only use natural preservatives such as Vitamin E & Grapefruit
Seed Extract. We use no Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Cocamide DEA, TEA,
Parabens.
The
end result is a balancing skin care line which is excellent
for all skin types. The gentle ingredients that we use
combine to make an effective and gentle treatment for
sensitive, problematic skin. For our dedicated team
it’s about offering the highest quality natural
products on the market. (back
to top)....
