All of the soaps at High Tide Soaps are carefully designed, hand-made and tested by us, Jonathan and Sarah Rockel.

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We became interested in making our own bath and body products when our five-year-old daughter began having reactions to mass-produced bar soaps.  After she'd had her bath or washed her hands she would complain of tightness, itching and dryness of her skin.  Eventually from frequent hand washing her hands became so dry and painful, when we touched the skin it felt like she was wearing a hard glove!  The hardened skin would then split and crack, causing her a lot of pain and many tears.  The damaged skin eventually peeled off in strips and pieces leaving raw, painful skin behind.  We tried many different soap brands, but her skin still got irritated, hardened and cracked.  It was AWFUL.

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My husband and I decided to look deeper into what those soaps contained that could cause this type of reaction on her skin. 

We were shocked to find what mass-produced soap actually contained!  Further research showed us that most soaps you see in stores are usually detergent, not actual soap.  They're often labelled as 'beauty bars' or 'deodorant bars' instead.  They can contain some terribly harsh ingredients that can have awful effects on the skin.  We needed to find something different...

 

We started looking for someone who made soap from scratch, that used better quality ingredients; soap that would help skin instead of harming it.  When we compared the ingredients in the artisan soaps with those in regular bar soap from the store, they were MUCH different:  They contained no harsh detergents, no parabens, no mineral oils, no sulphates and no preservatives! When I used the soap on my daughter in the bath, for the first time she didn't complain of dryness or itching!  Within a couple of days, her skin began to look healthy and clean after baths instead of dry.  The hard skin on her hands began to clear up and went away.  The whole family noticed a huge improvement in how clean their skin felt and looked. As a bonus, the handmade soaps lasted longer than regular soaps, contained luxurious ingredients to pamper skin and were beautiful in both scent and colour!

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We tried our hands at making our own soap and were immediately hooked.  I have a background as a professional fine artist, so I enjoy the endless creativity of soap making; the different ideas, colour theory, shapes and scent combinations.  My husband, being more math and mechanics oriented, enjoys the physical process of making the soap and the chemistry involved in formulating recipes.  We have a combined interest in creating high-quality, safe, skin-pampering soap that smelled and looked as beautiful as it cleaned.  We started a small business to make our handmade soaps available to other families and all those who wish to avoid harsh mass-produced personal care products.  We named the business to reflect that it was started in our oceanfront home on the Minas Basin (Bay of Fundy) which is famous for having the world's highest tides.  Being on the ocean, high tide was also the most beautiful (and our favourite) time of day.

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As our business grew, we realized we needed more space dedicated to soaping, and in November 2022 we moved to Truro, Nova Scotia.

 

It's fun and rewarding making soaps for our family and yours, and we are very proud of each and every bar and variety we offer.

Thank you for supporting our small business!

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Jonathan & Sarah Rockel

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