Chipmunk Holding Chamomile Wooly Washer

What Is Felted Soap? Why Use It? 

Felted soap originated many centuries ago as a way to significantly extend the life of a bar of soap and prevent it from slipping through your fingers. 

Felted soap is a convenient soap and washcloth in one, however, wool is a more gentle exfoliant than a washcloth, and is appropriate to for use on hands, face, or body.  As wool is also antimicrobial and biodegradable, it can be reused and last for years, then composted in your garden.

What are Wooly Washers?

“Wooly Washers” are our version of felted soap. 

Each soap is wet-felted by hand for 20-30 minutes each. The process involves wrapping our artisanal soap in soft, 100% wool roving, then slowly agitating the soap + wool bundle in hot and cold water until the fibers become entwined and form a cohesive textile (felt) around the soap.

Designs are then meticulously needle-felted onto the surface by the artist, Ella Hauwiller. Depending on the complexity of the design, the needle felting process may take multiple hours to complete, making each beautiful Wooly Washer a unique piece of functional art. Wooly Washer Felted Soaps are thoughtful gifts, excellent for those with limited dexterity, and have been known to entice children into enjoying bath-time; they are also excellent for traveling or camping as you the soap will not become slimy in your bag.

How to Use Felted Soap?

Wet soap and squeeze until suds emerge through the wool, then scrub away. As the soap shrinks, so too will the wool, similar to a sweater in the wash. Just like any other soap, allowing your Wooly Washer to dry between uses is best practice. Each purchase of a Wooly Washer includes a complimentary hardwood soap dish for this purpose.

When the soap is gone, make a slit down the side of the felt and slide in a new (smaller) bar-you may wish to fill the wool pouch with soap slivers from partially used bars. Alternatively, continue to use the felt as a washcloth, or fill with wool and use as a dryer ball, a cat toy, or an ornament. You may also choose to fill your pouch with potpourri and place it in your closet or sock drawer--the possibilities for re-use are many! To maintain the softness of the wool, consider adding a drop of lanolin to the felt with each new bar.

Our Promise: we only scent our soaps with pure essential oils for a truly natural, aromatherapeutic experience-never fragrance oils. We shop organic and local when available.  

What Happens When I Order a Felted Soap? 

Each felted soap is made to order, so please expect up to 4 weeks for creation and delivery, though typical delivery is within 1-2 weeks.

Select your Scent:

1) Garrulous Gourd (orange, cinnamon, clove); 2) Cloudy Coast (lavender, lemongrass, clary sage); 3) Pompous Peacock (lavender, clary sage, palmarosa, geranium, peppermint); 4) Unscented

Select your Background Color:

1) White, 2) Light Grey, 3) Dark Grey, 4) Light Brownish Grey, 5) Cherry Red, 6) Orange, 7) Light Blue

Felted soaps are $36, $46, or $56 each, depending on the complexity of the design. A complimentary hardwood soap dish is included in the purchase of every Wooly Washer, and helps to extend the life of your soap.

Soap ingredients: Olive oil, RSPO palm oil, organic high oleic sunflower oil, organic coconut oil, organic shea butter, cocoa butter, castor oil, rosemary oleoresin, sodium lactate (a salt to increase bar hardness), & tussah silk.

Please email dirtydandelionsoap@gmail.com to discuss custom soap options, or with any additional questions you have.