Today I am coming to you with a big news: it's something I have been working on for a whole year, and I can finally share it with you: I wrote a book!
Botanical Soaps is currently available as a Kindle version as we are working on a reprint, order your digital copy here!
I want to give you a bit of an overview on what's included in the book but also the journey and the behind the scenes of writing this book. Before we start I want to thank you and your support from the bottom of my heart, because this book is here really thanks to your incredible support and also kindness, because seriously, our community is just so full of positivity and respect and I feel so honoured and blessed for this.
So thank you.
My Zero Waste Journey
I started my journey with soap making by accidentally making over 3 KG of soap the first time I tried, and apart from this funny episode, I was completely hooked: to me, soap was literally the closest thing to magic.
From there, I started experimenting, developing new recipes, testing a lot and sharing everything I was learning with you guys on here on YouTube, on my Instagram channel as well as with my Online School which currently over 500 students from all over the world!
The Beginning of Botanical Soaps
Before dedicating myself to this project full time, I actually worked on Bottega Zero Waste while working full time in client services for a big auction house, for about two years. It was then, in February 2020, that I was sitting in the kitchen area of my old office, having lunch and trying to catch up on emails and social media before I had to go back to my desk, that I received the email.
The Editor from an important publishing house called Quadrille, which is part of Hardie Grant, contacted me to ask me if I was interested in writing a book about natural soap making. I could not believe it. Was that for real? It took me a few minutes to pinch myself and realise I was not dreaming. I think I freaked out for a moment and called my mom and dad, and then replied saying of course I was interested!
Botanical Soaps: One Book, 19 Zero Waste Swaps
However, as much love for soap making I have, soap is not the only zero waste swap you will encounter in your zero waste journey. That's why I asked my editor if she liked the idea of including natural recipes that cover each aspect of your zero waste bath and beauty routine, from body-care to skincare and haircare.
From that moment on, there were months of testing, research, writing, an amazing team helping me out in every step of the process which I am incredibly and eternally grateful for. Once the recipes had been finalised, we spent a couple of weeks just doing a photoshoot with a super talented photographer and a stylist whom I am learned so much from.
Zero Waste Recipes for Everyone
It's truly being such an incredible experience and I have learned so much. My goal for this book was to make sure that it would be suitable and approachable. No matter what experience you have with formulating your own products: you can literally start from zero from learning about every single ingredient, which we have detailed in the introduction of the book.
Would you like to learn more about formulating your own zero waste bath & beauty recipes from scratch, using a few, simple ingredients?
Join my FREE weekly email series, the Makers Letters!
When you are ready you can jump onto very simple recipes such as a facial cream or a deodorant, to then tackle more complex recipes such as a coconut milk soap, a spirulina shampoo bar or a avocado solid conditioner bar. And, of course, each recipe uses very few ingredients, most recipes don't have more than five ingredients, plus recipes are given both in unit of measures but also % so you can resize them.
As it's more than 19 recipes that cover every thing you need to switch to a zero waste beauty routine, it's important that you don't feel like you need to do all the recipes at once: Botanical Soaps has been designed to be your zero waste making companion, a guide you can refer back to at any time during your journey.
Let your intuition and creativity guide you to decide which recipe to try out first while you enjoy the process of discovery. If you have any questions about the book, anything you’d like to chat about, let me know down below or reach out to me via Instagram.
Once again, thank you so much for your support which I am so eternally grateful for, I really hope you will enjoy Botanical Soap and I cannot wait to see what you will create with your own hands.
*Photos taken by Luke J Albert and styled by Lucy Attwater.