Frequently Asked Questions
Our Philosophy
We truly believe in making our products safe for you and the earth. All of our products are 100 % natural and free from sodium lauryl sulfates, phthalates, parabens and never tested on animals. Our raw ingredients are sourced from responsible and sustainable companies in the United States and Canada. Our palm oil is Certified Sustainable Palm Oil by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. All of our soaps are also 100% natural and vegan, and made with the finest plant based botanicals, essential oils and natural fragrances. We use both the traditional cold process method and glycerine method to create our soaps. Everything is handmade in small batches here on the farm to ensure maximum freshness and quality. We design and print our own labels on recycled paper, hand wrap our soap in recycled tissue paper that can be composted, use recycled tins & glass containers and all of our products are safety assessed on our own bodies!
What is Cold Process Soap?
Cold process soap is a traditional folk way of making soap, where you mix oils and fats (like olive and coconut oil) with an alkali called sodium hydroxide (also known as lye or caustic soda). Combining these ingredients creates a chemical reaction called saponification which creates soap! The real magic of this process is that if you carefully calculate the amount of lye used, there is no trace of it in your finished bar of soap. Instead you are left with skin nourishing glycerine. Glycerine acts as a humectant which helps maintain moisture and stops that dry feeling you get after using soap. The reason you might feel like your skin is too dry after using soap is because many manufacturers extract this skin loving glycerine from their soap to add to lotions and creams. Our soap is packed full of natural glycerine which will keep your skin feeling moisturized and hydrated. We also use low heat to melt the fats and oils in order to maintain the oil's beneficial properties.
Why is sodium hydroxide not listed on the ingredients list?
Even though we use lye in the making of our soap, the lye is changed during the saponification process leaving no trace of it in our finished bars. Only our 100% natural ingredients are left. The law states that you are only required to list the ingredients in your finished bar of soap. As their is no lye in the finished bar, there is no need to list it.
What is Glycerine soap?
Our Glycerine soap is made with pure glycerin that comes from the fats and oils that have already been saponified with sodium hydroxide, this is why it doesn't appear on the ingredients list. Certain essential oils and fragrances change in the soap making process and we have found that these essential oils and fragrances come through better using a glycerin base. Our glycerine soaps include Citrus Blossom, Coconut, Hawaiian White Ginger, Spring Lilac and some seasonal soaps.
Wholesale
We love to have our products available in independent stores and farm shops. We can also provide a discount for large orders for weddings, special events and holidays. Please send us an email to deerhavenlavender@gmail.com for more information.
Refunds/Returns
Due to hygiene reasons we are unable to offer returns for any of our products. However, if for any reason you are unhappy with your order please contact us so we can resolve the matter for you.
Are you open to the public?
We sometimes open for U-pick, usually the last weekend in June depending on the bloom. After that, we harvest all the lavender for drying and making essential oil, the fields are empty by the end of July. As a family farm we have 4 generations living on the premises and value some privacy. Thank you for understanding!