Kirstin French, owner and soap maker at Be Clean Naturally, knows only too well the effects cleaning products can have on your skin. She suffered from severe acne for 18 years, starting when she was just 12. She tried everything from changing her diet to taking medication, but nothing worked and she resigned herself to having it for the rest of her life. And then she met her partner — a man who was allergic to everything!
“He’s very careful about what he puts on his skin. When we moved in together, he said, ‘This is the really expensive, all-natural laundry soap that I use. And here’s the shampoo, dish soap…’ Everything had to be unscented and preservative free.”
For a self-confessed coupon cutter at the time, his soap cost quite a lot more than Kirstin’s regular kind, but logistically it made sense to switch.
“And within three weeks my acne was gone!” she says.
Years later, inspired by a friend who was making her own soap at home, she gave it a go.
“I was spending $8 to $9 on a bar of soap. I thought, ‘I can make it cheaper than that!’”
In January 2011 she debuted at Squamish Farmers’ Market with just a handful of soaps, and has been a regular ever since.
She now makes everything from sunscreen to laundry soap and toothpaste. She even has dog shampoo. Everything is 100 per cent natural and uses delicious ingredients including honey, peppermint and tangerine.
But there’s more to Kirstin’s successful enterprise than handmade soap. She’s passionate about educating shoppers in making sounder purchases.
“It just astounds me when I go into a big store and I think about how much smaller it could be if there was no packaging. Think about how much of that is plastic. We don’t have the technology yet to turn it back into the primary ingredients.
“So every little bit of plastic that has ever been made is here somewhere. Mother Nature isn’t giving us indefinite use of all these resources without there being some sort of responsibility. And, for the most part, we’re not being very responsible.”
That’s why all of Kirstin’s products are refillable. Of course, some are easier to refill than others, but should you wish to top up your lip balm or toothpaste, you’ve come to the right place.
“Our vision for the business is to be completely sustainable, meaning that all our ingredients are formed in a sustainable way, that all of our packaging comes from sustainable materials and that we are running in a financially sustainable way.”
Be Clean Naturally is also a true Farmers’ Market success story. This September, Kirstin will open an herbal apothecary and soap dispensary on Cleveland Avenue, carrying local and B.C.-made products including naturally made makeup, wool dryer balls, skin care products, raw ingredients for do it yourselfers, and medicinal herbs.
Until then, visit Be Clean Naturally at Squamish Farmers’ Market every week or go online and check out their site www.becleannaturally.ca.
