Ah, I love small businesses. Custom-order-custom-made-obsessed interior designer aside, a number of times in my life I have been able to tackle a personal-challenge with the help of a small business willing to learn just what I am looking for and tweak things to my needs. When I called Sparrow Soaps recently, it was entirely with one of these personal problems in mind.
I have a dear friend who I'll call Sam who is chemical, VOC, and perfume sensitive. Well, that may be putting things lightly. She's so allergenic, she can't go into most public buildings anymore because of carpet, paint, and construction VOCs. She has used the same unscented shampoo for fifteen years because she knows it's the only one that hasn't made her sick. And she can't have people who use scented laundry detergent or fabric softener enter her home. You can imagine how difficult it was when she suddenly found out that the unscented soap she used in her home for the previous two decades was discontinued. She tried unscented soap after unscented soap, each time breaking out in a different horrible list of symptoms that immediately told her she needed to keep searching for a new product. Each soap had its own chemical concoction, and with so many ingredients one was liable to not agree with severely sensitive skin.
I recently came across goat's milk soap. Sound gross? Okay, I'll admit, I'm not a goaty person. Some people are; I'm not. So I had no idea what to expect when I was gifted an albeit gorgeous bar of handmade goat's milk soap. But how happily surprised I was! With no goaty smell, I suddenly found myself enjoying washing my hands, feeling fancy with my handmade little treasure next to the sink. It was so smooth, my dairy-free brain had a strange desire to eat the glossy, creamy yellow bar that felt like thick heavenly custard! (Shh, don't tell anyone.) If you're like me and have enjoyed a mouthful of soap or two as a kid, you know how quickly I put that thought out of my mind! 
My thoughts began to turn to Sam whenever I washed my hands. Could she use a product like this? Was there any way I could contact this small local business and beg them to make a batch for Sam with no dyes or perfumes? Maybe if I promised them she'd buy a certain amount... What an awesome thing to be able to call a local small business and ask for their help.
I called Sparrow Soaps, a locally loved goat-soap company snuggled in the Quiet Corner of Connecticut. Though I'm sure the two fantastic ladies that make this soap probably would have bent over backwards to accommodate Sam, in the end they already had without knowing it! Acutely aware of the fact that not everyone could handle their amazing menu of scented varieties, Sparrow Soaps already had a line of unscented soaps in place that was just the answer to all of Sam's problems at the sink and in the tub. I was directed to Sparrow Soaps' website for not only one unscented product, but six!
Much to the awesome advantage of people like Sam, small businesses often offer products that are more hypo-allergenic and chemical-free. Being closer to the goods that are used to make their products, employees of small businesses are more likely to use less complex-processing in their goods, trading chemical concoctions for simpler materials. Sparrow Soaps may say they make "Old Fashioned" Goat's Milk Soap but in my book they are really quite ahead of the industry!
Thanks to Sparrow Soaps on behalf of Sam and myself. We have both been converted to the goat's milk soap camp for sure!
Want more info on the incredible benefits of local goat's milk soap? (Who knew there were so many?!) Click here!
