Making Soap Sexy ~ Sarah of Bell Mountain Naturals
In this maker-to-maker interview series, we chat with Sarah about the inspirations behind her ethical + sustainable soaps and skincare products.
Annie (SKUE): Hi Sarah, so glad that I get to do a quick Q&A session with you! What made you decide to start an all-natural skincare line? What were those first few months of the business like?
Sarah: Starting Bell Mountain was a pretty natural progression for me. I was already making soap and other skincare products for myself and family and friends.
I have always felt at home making things and I loved that soap making gave me the artistic outlet I needed while still having a practical application(which I also needed).
The first few months were a roller coaster ride and I spent most of my time trying to figure out and quickly realizing it was way more than making pretty things! 😂 definitely a big learning curve for me!
Annie: Those learnings in the beginning are so important! You mentioned that your products are inspired by places you lived and travelled, what is your favorite example of this in your inventory and what would you like store owners to know about the product?
Sarah: Yes! All the soaps are inspired from places I’ve lived and traveled! I think our Terlingua bar reflects that the most for me. We took a trip out to Marfa, TX a few years ago and I fell in love. It’s this small (I mean tiny) town in the middle of the desert in West Texas. We went to visit Big Bend (a definite must) and along the way was this ghost gown called Terlingua.
The whole experience was magical for lack of another word. As soon as I got home, I made my first iteration of this soap. takes me back every time I use it! It has a cleansing, ceremonial, deep, floral scent profile… definitely unique!
Annie: I love Marfa! West Texas is definitely an enchanting place and it’s amazing that you made a soap from your experience there. Bell Mountain Naturals has quite the collections of soaps, how do you put your own twist on a product that has been around for millennia?
Sarah: I love that soap making is a practical art that has been around forever. There’s so much history! When I started, I had a hard time finding soaps that were modern and natural using ingredients that lined up with my beliefs about sustainability and ethical production. I wanted to help make that happen!
Through simple designs, natural color palettes and unique scent blends… we’re making bar soap sexy! 🙌 (at least trying to😂).
Annie: Thank you so much for your insightful thoughts!
Sarah: Thank you so much for including us in these interviews! 💕💕💕
Every week we do live interviews on Instagram with our makers before featuring them here. Are you interested in joining our wholesale collective? Apply at skue.co/makers
