Blissful bars!

Bath Bliss is an online business that produces handmade soaps prepared using natural oils and fragrances and added with a touch of artistic talent that is revealed through its vibrant colours and designs. 

Bath Bliss Founder Nausheen Fauz makes the soaps entirely by herself and says the creations are driven by her love for colours, painting and art. As a value addition, each bar comes with a handy tip on maximum usage of the soap. 

The soaps placed at a table near us wafted a natural earthy scent as we spoke; it was a very different and pleasing aroma owing to the merge of essential oils like lavender oil and peppermint oil. In this interview with the Weekend FT Nausheen talks about the range of soaps she offers and her mix of essential oils to create unique end-products. 

Following are excerpts:

By Fathima Riznaz Hafi

Q: How did Bath Bliss come about?

A: Bath Bliss was started as a result of a gift of handmade soaps that I received. When I got this gift it was something amazing and I loved the product; it left me feeling really good – the skin felt really good and I wanted to get more once it finished but couldn’t find anything similar here in Sri Lanka.

It came with a little booklet that had instructions and information on their main ingredients and how they came up with the ideas, etc. I found it very inspirational and thought I should try making my own. I didn’t do a course; I read books, articles and of course the internet was very helpful. It was all completely self-taught. 

I’m very curious when it comes to how things are made and am always experimenting with beauty care products like face scrubs and hair oils. I made my first batch of soap in January last year. I launched the business in May on Facebook so I could reach a wider group. 

Q: Are there many ingredients involved and where do you get them from?

A: I try to source as many of my ingredients as possible locally. My main base for my soap is oil; mainly coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil and soya bean oil. Those are all ingredients you can easily get here but the more exotic ingredients like Shea butter, cocoa butter and mango butter are not available here so I get them all down from abroad. Even my fragrances are from abroad. 

I also like to play with different ingredients to see how I can improve the product; for example I like to use clay, which is really good for your skin and salt – these contribute to a different end-product.

Q: Do the soaps have moisturising properties as well?

A: Yes they’re very moisturising because they’re made with oil. All the glycerine is retained in the soap – that’s what gives the moisturising properties to the soap. 

Q: What are the kinds of soaps you make? Tell us about the range/varieties.

A: I have a total of 10 types as of now. Some of them have a basic mix of oils – the olive oil, coconut oil, soya bean and castor oil – but some of them – the luxurious ones – have the mango butter, Shea butter, cocoa butter and salts. 

Each of them is fragranced with a different combination of essential oils – one has peppermint and orange; one has lavender with rosemary and one with rose oil. I also have one with rosemary and peppermint.

It’s amazing because once you combine each of these essential oils you always get different fragrances at the end of it – it’s never the same. I prefer to mix and match and give a different experience each time. 

Q: Which soap is the most popular?

A: I would say the Himalayan Pink Salt is extremely popular – it just flies off the shelf! I think this is mostly because of the feeling it leaves on the skin; a lot of people love it for that. 

And my lavender soap is also extremely popular for the fragrance because everybody loves lavender, right? Those two are my bestsellers!

Q: Do you make gift boxes?

A: Yes I do gift boxes,party packs and souvenirs. I have a range starting from three soaps per box to six soaps per box. I make customised soaps and gift boxes based on different occasions and holidays such as Mother’s Day, Christmas and Avurudu. I also do mini soaps for events such as weddings, bridal showers and baby showers. 

Q: Do you deliver?

A: Yes we deliver within Colombo and suburbs and if it’s outstation we courier to them.

Q: What’s your main aim with this product? Are you aiming for texture, fragrance or something else?

A: It’s a mixture of both texture and scent. I try to make it something that’s pleasing – what feels good on your skin as well as the fragrance. I use a lot of essential oils in my soap – like lavender oil and peppermint oil – they’re really good – the fragrance itself is amazing. It’s used a lot in aromatherapy. 

I find commercial soaps are extremely drying. My soaps are made with oil so it’s really good on your skin and you see a noticeable difference; in two to three weeks you find that your skin is a lot softer and feels better after your wash. 

Most of my creations are driven by my love for colours, painting and art. I try to make it pleasing to the eye also. That’s another major factor – it has to ‘look’ good. 

I just want to give an overall pleasing experience to the user. That’s the whole purpose of it. 

-Pix by Gitika Talukdar