CRAFTSBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – This soap might look good, but it smells even better. That’s the case for all of the body care products made by the ladies at Green Village Soap Co.
”It just sort of blossomed out of just a love and a desire to do something really great for my family,” said Green Village founder Liz Keglor.
A couple of years ago, she found herself with a hankering for a new hobby. A bit of a history buff, she opted to learn what she calls a “pioneer craft.” “I just love the way people used to do things,” she said. It was soap-making that bubbled into her brain. “Started making soap and became obsessed with making soap, and excited… was making like 50 different kinds at one point.”
Perfecting the practice was a bit slippery, but this Craftsbury woman was determined to make it work. She put her nose to the grindstone to figure it out. “I read, I read, and I read,” she said. “I read tons and just did the research myself.” She also researched how to do it all naturally, citing a study that some 60% of whatever goes on our skin is absorbed by our bodies.
”If we’re absorbing what we’re putting on our skin and we’re not putting things that we understand what they are, even — or we can even pronounce them — then maybe we shouldn’t be doing it,” Keglor said. It’s a mission she’s looped her whole family into, working hand-in-hand with her daughter, Martha-Jane Keglor. “It’s like finishing each other’s sentences. She knows, she’s very intuitive.”
Coconut and olive oil, plus food or therapeutic-grade essential oils are the secret to these soaps. Those ingredients help give all the suds without any of the sneaky chemicals. ”Coconut oil helps… it’s one of the essential things in a soap because it actually helps create lather in the soap,” Keglor said.
Together, the team have expanded past soap to salves, balms, serums, and shampoos. “If you’ve never used a shampoo bar, it’s the way to go,” Keglor said. “It’s definitely a lot more work because your arms are in the air for a lot longer. However, you will thank me for your triceps.”
Since it launched, the business has garnered support from across the state, and even across state lines, thanks to 16 retail stores and a table at the Waitsfield Farmers Market. “We get a lot of tourists there. So, I feel like I get a lot of people from cities that come and they’re very intrigued by this idea of natural body care,” Keglor said.
Whether you’re a city slicker or come from the countryside, there’s something for everyone at Green Village Soap Co.