Out of all the personal care products out there, soap is perhaps one of the most important products. We use it every day, and at that several times a day.

Yet if you explore the ingredients on the average soap, you will notice a whole bunch of chemicals names, fragrances, and artificial colors. This is not what we should be putting on our face and body, or skin just in general.

Many people undermine the fact of what all these chemicals do to our skin and how much of them are absorbed. Yet our skin speaks for itself. We have people today with more dry skin than ever, and all sorts of skin conditions.

This is where a natural soap comes in not only handy, but is the smart choice. If I am going to put something on my skin several times each day, everyday – than I want to make sure it is as natural as possible.

Mountain Sky is a company that specializes in natural soap, and one that I had recently had the chance to try. Mountain Sky is a small, Canadian based company that stands by making a natural and eco friendly product. You can learn more in the Mountain Sky featured write-up I did on them.

Mountain Sky not only features great natural ingredients, but their soaps even stand out as superior when compared to commercial soaps in how they are made. Their soaps are made using the cold process method, where oils are heated just to the melting temperature and mixed with an alkali to create saponification. This in turn ensures that the soaps do not need chemical preservatives because the oil is not boiled and the glycerin is retained.

Mountain Sky natural bar soaps come in 14 varieties: anise, Caribbean citrus, glacial clay, lemon ginger, pine eucalyptus, honey almond, kali spice, lavender dream, mama’s oats & milk, wild rose, tea tree & mint, vanilla cream, rasta hemp, and olde windsor. The variety I had a chance to try was the Caribbean citrus. To learn more about each soap, check out the Mountain Sky bar soap directory.

All of their soaps are vegetable based, with essential oils to add fragrance, as well as natural colors. All of the soaps are vegetarian friendly, and most are vegan friendly, aside from the mama’s oats and milk, as well as the honey almond, which contain the animal ingredients, milk and honey. The soaps are not tested on animals, and are both biodegradable and river friendly. They do not use organic ingredients and you can find out more about this from co-founder of Mountain Sky, Nina George in the interview here.

So how did I like the Caribbean citrus variety and the soap in general?

In terms of ingredients, I was very satisfied. In terms of how the soap worked, that was also wonderful as the soap lathers/bubbles very well and is very easy to use. What is important here to mention too, is that the soap does not form that soft, slimey coating upon its use, like I have seen some other natural soaps do. The scent was super pleasant, and not at all overpowering. It just gave one the hint of a nice citrus experience. The soaps claim to be nourishing in nature. My skin is not really dry to begin with, but I definitely saw a significant difference in how this soap left my skin, especially on my face, as opposed to commercial soaps that I have tried in the past, which are extremely drying.

What impressed me most about these soaps, is that they have a homemade feel to them, while being wrapped and presented in a very professional manner. They really do smell as good as they look, and look as good as they smell.

They can make a wonderful everyday face and body soap, and can even be used to wash hair. They can also make a wonderful gift. What else is good about these soaps, is that I would use these for children or babies, before I would ever touch the typical commercial baby cleansers out there. Their only big drawback I would say, is that there is no unscented variety for people who do not want any scents for allergy, sensitivity or other reasons. As well, I do not recommend the vanilla based soaps, as they do not use essential oils, but artificial fragrance. Other than that, I am sure most of us can find the type that best suits us out of the 14 amazing varieties and enjoy its wonderful benefits.

Ingredients

  • Cocos nucifera (Coconut Oil)
  • Canola oil
  • Aqua (water)
  • Sodium Hydroxide (alkali)
  • Citrus aurantium dulcis (Orange Peel Oil)
  • Citrus aurantifolia (Lime Oil)
  • Citrus medica limonum (Lemon Peel Oil)
  • Citrus grandis (Grapefruit Peel Oil)
  • Butyrospermum parkii (Shea Butter Fruit)
  • Mangifera indica (Mango Butter Seed)
  • Daucus carota sativa (Carrot Seed Oil)
  • Natural Color Annatto

Packaging

The soaps come packaged in post consumer paper stock, cardboard like boxes. These can be recycled or used as a plant starter pot.

Price (as of this posting)

  • $3 – 6 CAD per bar at health food stores across Canada
  • $4.99 CAD for 135g/4.8oz bar directly from MountainSky.com (+ shipping)
  • $4.29 CAD for 135g/4.8oz bar from (free shipping)
  • $5. 99 CAD for 135g/4.8oz bar from HealthHarmony.ca (free shipping with min order)
  • $3.49 CAD/$3.42 US for 135g/4.8oz bar from FeelGoodNaturals.com (free shipping with min order)
  • $4.01 US for 135g/4.8oz bar from Amazon.com

Availability

  • Selected health food stores across Canada – see here for specific locations in your province
  • For US and Canadian customers, online stores like Well.ca or Amazon.com
  • For international customers: FeelGoodNaturals.com

The Good

  • Excellent lathering
  • Pleasant and not overpowering scent
  • No artificial colors
  • No artificial preservatives
  • No SLS or other foaming agents
  • Made with natural and safe ingredients
  • Naturally moisturizing
  • Not tested on animals
  • Biodegradable
  • River Friendly
  • Suitable for all skin types
  • Vegetarian Friendly (some vegan friendly)
  • Great packaging
  • Made in Canada

The Bad

  • Not made with organic ingredients
  • Some varieties include animal products and/or synthetic fragrance