Bath & Body: Soap Gallery Malaysia Natural Handmade Soap

Hellooo!

Today I'm going to review something I've never written about before... Natural Handmade Soap! And other natural handmade products. Thank you, Kim for inviting us to visit Soap Gallery and try out their products :)

Soap Gallery 皂工坊 is proudly owned and made in Johor, Malaysia. They have been around for about 3  years. Soap Gallery boasts products such as soap, shampoo, essential oil, lip balm and many others that contain NO animal fat, NO allergic substances, NO preservatives and alcohol, NO synthetic colour & NO Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS). What is SLS? A quick search on Wikipedia shows that it is an organic compound found in many cleaning products. It can cause skin sensitivity, ulcer and eye irritation. Ouch, sounds scary huh?

Soap Gallery uses Cold Process (CP) to produce the highest quality handmade soap using mostly vegetable oils, essential oil, herbs and grains. The soap is supposed to be rich, creamy and produces lather which is biodegradable. The herbs and spices are also how they achieve weird and wonderful colours & patterns on their soap! Their soap are so gentle on the skin, and their products are free from animal testing. PETA would be proud.

We visited the branch in KSL City Mall, but the head office is actually at Taman Molek. There is also a newly opened branch at Sutera Mall!

Tiny but pretty storefront. If you have trouble finding it, it is opposite Watsons.

 Pretty interior! The store is lighted with orange light and once you step in, there is a subtle soothing scent all around which makes the store a very comfortable and relaxing place to be.

The star of the place - Natural Handmade Soap! Look at all the pretty colours *.*

Each colour represents different scent of soap that performs different functions. We have rose soap, ginger soap, goat's milk soap, honey soap, etc. Some are for moisturising, some for curing eczema, removing bacteria, reduce pigmentation & wrinkles, antiseptic soap, restore elasticity.... Whew, and the list goes on.... From the brochure I found out that they have Hair Soap and even Pet Soap!

For more information, you may visit the website for a list of all the soaps & their functions!

You can choose to buy the soap in a box set of 4 for gifting purposes. A very useful and unique gift idea!

Box of 6.

The soaps don't only come in rectangular blocks, you can make them in all shapes and sizes too! Look at these cute colourful ones. You can even custom make soaps for company events or weddings to give out as souvenirs.

Besides soap, they carry other range of products too. All products are handmade and free from harmful materials as well. Let's take a look!

Natural Shea Butter + Jojoba Oil Lip Balm, used to protect dry, chapped and cracked lips. Sooo many flavours with so many different functions. Jojoba Oil is enriched with Vitamins A, E & F while Olive Oil helps to repair and moisturise damaged lips. The natural formula is absorbed by the lips quickly.

Essential Oil Rollers of different smells and uses. Usually used to calm the senses, reduce muscle aches and soothe headaches.

Floral Water which is used as body spray, facial toner and makeup remover.

The Raw Materials, Oils and Moulds used to make the soap! Initially I thought the oil was for cooking purposes but nooo -_-

Btw, this is how they extract the oil and fragrance from natural ingredients to be used in the soap. The seeds are soaked in natural oils like sunflower oil or coconut oil for long periods to extract its goodness.

You can get these Bath Salt (Rose, Lemon & Lavender) in a small tupperware (30g/ cup) or in a 300ml bottle.

 This is my favourite cos of the colours! Bath Salts can be used as an exfoliating scrub to help stimulate blood flow, promote good sleep and improve skin condition. If you have a bath tub, add some of this in for a relaxing and refreshing soak in the tub. 

This is also from the essential oil range but these 100% Pure Essential Oils are used for aromatherapy purposes. Inhaling the Lavendar oils are used for relaxation purposes and cures insomnia. To use this, you will need to add a few drops to an Ultrasonic Air Diffuser which Soap Gallery also sells.

There is also another type of essential oil which is the Massage Oil.

These pieces of Hand Soap can be put in a hanging pouch and is used for hand washing.

Hanging Pouches for putting soap or other items. 

They also have Bag Organisers and Soap Holding Dish too! 

The necklacec looking thing is actually a Fragrance Pendant. You can wear it as a necklace or hang it as a keychain on your bag. Just add a few drops of essential oil in the pendant and you can sniff it for soothing purposes or it may be used as an alternative to applying perfume directly on your skin. This will be a suitable piece of accessory to wear during CNY or you can gift it to someone.

Flower Tea made of dried flowers! Didn't get to try it but I think it'll taste very sweet and fragrant. Because it's natural, it promotes health benefits as well.

Wanted to get this tub of natural Aloe Vera Moisture Soothing Gel but it was all sold out! Aloe vera is a multifunction plant to me as it can be used to heal wounds, moisturise the skin and many, many other uses. Seriously, you can literally use this plant from head to toe. Just go google 'aloe vera' and you'll be amazed. Grandma always cooks aloe vera dessert for smoother skin and lets us apply freshly cut aloe vera to cure red and swollen eyes.

So you've soap for your body and face, what about the hair? Soap Gallery has Hair Fall Control Shampoo (and Conditioner) made of coconut oil for people with hair fall problem. It restores dull-looking hair to its healthy condition.

They carry Pure Shea Butter in a tub too for people with eczema and dry skin.

The Refreshing Balm which smells of peppermint is used to relief itching and irritation. It doesn't contain camphor, which is suitable for children and all skin types. The sales girl told us that it is goof to relieve headches and muscle aches too.

Spotted this before leaving. They have soap for your clothes and dishes too?! 

All-natural Laundry Soap and Dishwasher Cleanser which contains no harmful chemicals, preservatives, colouring are available too. So cool! They are gentle on the hands and clothes, anti-bacterial and biodegradable as well. Talk about an all-rounded, wholesome product!

I saved the best for last. These are not bouquet of flowers, but bouquet of SOAP!

It'll be a pretty cool Valentine's Day gift, don't you think? I love how the soap is cut to resemble roses and each bouquet smells so good!

They are so eye-catching, of course I have to take a selfie. :p

The girls fooling around w the pretty bouquets. :)

You can read their reviews on Soap Gallery on their blogs!

With pretty Audrey!

Cute Kim. 

The lady boss, Ms Perris Eng, could not make it to speak to us that day due to traffic jam. It's ok, she has two very capable staffs who are ready to answer your questions anytime!

This is the friendly and knowledgeable staff, Wei Bin (I hope I spelled your name correctly). Thank you for patiently introducing and explaining all the functions and usage of the products to us! <3

The room for carrying out Soap Making Courses! They offer courses in making Cold Process Soap, Melt & Pour Soap Art, Baby Soap made from mother's milk, Liquid Soap or Skin Care Products. You can choose to attend these classes as a company activity or just a private session with your family or loved one. After that you can bring your all natural soap home to use! A booking of about 2 days in advance is needed so that they can prepare the required materials.

For more information, log on to the website.

Before leaving, we were allowed to choose 4 products to test out. Had a tough time deciding what to get cos everything was so pretty and useful!

Here's what I got.

Honey Nourishing Soap (RM29.90/ pc of 100g).

Ingredients: Pure coconut oil & various vegetable oil, pure honey, pure sweet orange & essential oil. 

Honey has the ability to help the skin absorb and retain moisture. It is great for revitalising tired skin and filled with antiseptic qualities.

I chose this mainly because it is the best smelling of the lot. :p Smells as sweet as honey! The soap is even cut to resemble a honey comb. Quite a big piece for the price, I'm sure I can use this for a long time.

 It is recommended to use on the face and body but so far, I've only tried it on my body. After two weeks of using it, I feel my skin is softer, less flaky and more moisturised. Good for someone like me who doesn't apply body lotion regularly. The soap doesn't have much lather, but the skin does feel squeaky clean after use. I love the subtle honey smell that lingers on my skin!

Lavender Bath Salt (RM25/ 100g)

Ingredients: Salt, sesame oil, herbs, lavender essential oil

To use this as an exfoliant, add a small portion in water, massage oil or cream then rub gently in circular motion and rinse off with clean water. I like that they provided a small wooden spoon to scoop the salt easily! I use this on alternate days after body soap as an exfoliant, it really helps my skin feel more refreshed after that! As I have cold feet which causes very bad period cramps, I do soak my feet regularly in warm water. Adding this bath salt is calming to the senses as well. Similar to the soap, it gives off only a very subtle smell when used.

LerLer! Hope I blurred your face enough XD

Rose Bulgarian Hydrosol/ Floral Water (RM38/ 50ml)

Ingredients: Rose Damascena

Used to treat acne & skin irritation, nourish & hydrate facial or hair mask, balance skin PH level, has anti-aging and rejuvenating effects. Wow! So many functions! You can use it as a toner, body spray, make-up remover, in clay facials & masks or baby care. I used this as a mist mostly on hot days. The rose scent really stimulates the senses and cools you down. Only concern I have is that it is in a glass bottle, making it heavy and fragile to carry around.

Relax Essential Oil Roller (RM18/ 6ml)

Ingredients: Eucalyptus essential oil, peppermint oil & various vegetable oils, vitamin E.

I wanted the one for relieving headaches but it was sold out. Oh well. Usually I don't like to apply any kinds of oil, especially medicated oil. I can't really describe this smell but it's bearable. Suitable for relieving headaches by rubbing some oil on the sides of your forehead and wrists using the ball roller. It helps to promote blood circulation. Apply the roller on your shoulders or waist to relief muscle soreness after sitting in front of the computer for long hours.

All in all, I would say the products are really worth a try. It may be a little bit pricey, but they are definitely healthier and safer to use than conventional soap or skin care products found in the market as they are all natural. Even just by stepping into the shop makes you feel happier. 

Soap Gallery is currently running their 4th Anniversary Sale and there are discounts up to 20% from now till 31st January 2014. So do visit any of their three branches this promotional period to stock up! On normal days, members are entitled to 10% discount on handmade soap, 5% discount on pure essential oil and other privileges. Membership is free for the first year.  Psst.. A tip here is to shop online as I found that the prices are cheaper for registered and soap card members. Log on to their website or head to the stores to shop now!

Visit their website and Facebook page for more updates!

Website: http://naturalsoap.my/store/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naturalsoap.my

Soap Gallery & Marketing (HQ)

Address: 25, Jalan Molek 2/1,

Taman Molek,

81100, JB, Johor.

Tel: 07-3516448

Fax: 07-3546744

Opening Hours: Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm

Branches:

KSL City (LG-15)

Address: 33, Jalan Seladang,

Taman Abad,

80250, JB, Johor.

Tel: 07-3313514

Opening Hours: Mon-Sun, 10am-10pm

Sutera Mall (East Wing L4-027) 

near the newly opened library

Address: 1, Jalan Sutera Tanjung 8/4,

Taman Sutera Utama,

81300, JB, Johor.

Opening Hours: Mon-Sun, 10.30am-10.30pm

Love,

Carinn

Disclaimer: Even though the products are sponsored, the review is based on my personal thoughts, experiences and preference after trying out the products.

Follow blog  . Google+ . Facebook . Twitter . Instagram . Bloglovin' . NetworkedBlogs . imotiv . Carousell .  Dayre