About Me

My name is Melanie Teegarden, I'm the owner/operator of Althaea Soaps.  I should probably just change my name to Althaea for the sake of clarity, but so far I continue to explain that Althaea is Latin for the Marsh Mallow plant and that my name is actually something else which is apparently equally difficult to remember or spell. 

I make all of the products that you see here, with the exception of the soapdishes and the photographic art cards.  I also don't actually melt and mold my own plastic bottles and jars.  I don't blow the glass atomizers for perfume, either, nor do I distill my own alcohol.  Okay, I make *most* of the stuff on the site.  I make the soap, I blend the Skin Oil and the Sugar Scrub, I whip up the lotion and the solid lotion bars, I blend the fragrance combinations and make the perfumes.  I also make the Facial Cleansing Oil and the Soy Lotion Candles.

People have been asking me for a while about my personal skincare issues and how I use my products to cope with them.  I have lots of annoying skin glitches.  My skin is pale, prone to ruddy, uneven, freckled, covered in sun damage, sensitive to many things, unable to tan and prone to scarring.  I'm also 33 years old as I write this and my skin has definitely begun to lost elasticity, not that it was ever the springiest skin around to begin with.  I still get occasional breakouts if I don't keep my pores well cleared.  If I go too far in the other direction and cleanse my skin too much, I am rewarded with an irritation reaction which means that my skin gets dry, tight, itchy and within minutes can become covered with a layer of flaky white skin.  Luckily I have figured out a way to avoid all of these things, and at 33 my skin looks better than it ever has at any other point in my life, except perhaps for very early childhood.

1.  Facial Care:  My skin care regimen varies a bit with the weather, as my skin tends to be oilier in warm weather. 

In warm weather, I use the Facial Cleansing Oil each evening, removing with a warm, wet cloth and then finishing with a cold water rinse.  I then apply a few drops of fresh Facial Cleansing Oil to my still-damp skin as a moisturizer.  In the mornings, I wake up with a light washing with Pure Olive Oil soap (or Just Soap if I'm having any breakouts) and cool water.  Then I use a few drops of Facial Cleansing Oil on my still-damp skin as a moisturizer.  Once my skin has completely dried, the oil has soaked in well enough that I can use my mineral powder foundation, if I'm doing that. 

In cold weather, I use the Facial Cleansing Oil both morning and night, as my skin is a bit drier.  I always follow any cleansing routine with a few drops of Facial Cleansing Oil applied to damp skin, which acts as the perfect moisturizer without leaving any noticeable film and without exposing my face to the potentially irritating preservatives that must be added to a lotion.

2.  Body Care:   My body is a little less finicky than my face, but not by much.  I exfoliate regularly to prevent flakiness, but I have to be careful not to overdo it or risk a sensitivity reaction.  As I'm pretty uninterested in bubbles, I smooth my soap on without benefit of a scrubber, bath pouf or washcloth.  After soaping, I either use a Sugar scrub pretty much all over from the neck down or I apply a bit of Skin Oil to a washcloth and smooth it over arms and legs, et cetera, to exfoliate gently while leaving behind a moisture barrier.   A final, quick rinse before exiting the shower...That's it!  No huge, complicated routine.  3 or 4 products for the whole body, max.  I use my soy lotion candles when I'm able to convince my husband to give me a backrub, or before going to bed to give my hands and feet an extra moisturizing treat.  Plus it's nice to burn a candle for a bit while reading a book and unwinding for bed each night.

I keep a bottle of Skin Silk lotion in my purse to carry with me during the day.  While most of my skin rarely needs an extra moisure boost after the morning routine, my hands do tend to get exposed to harsh stuff both in the workshop where I make soap and whenever I need to go out and have to use the horrible antibacterial soaps in public facilities.  Carrying the Skin Silk helps to rehydrate my besieged hands before they get to the point where they get rough, itchy, and begin developing cracks and bleeding from the exposure to harsh detergents and bactericidal chemicals.

3.  Allergies and special concerns: I am allergic to latex, which is why I don't use Shea Butter (karite nut butter) in my products.  I'm also sensitive to tomatoes, although occasionally I do a lovely loaf of Tomato Leaf soap because I can't bear NOT to do it, it is so wonderful.  I'm a little senstive to the fruit acids in strawberries, but since I use the freeze-dried fruits in my Strawberry Smoothie soap it doesn't cause a problem.  Propylene Glycol gives me a rash.  I'm allergic to the natural deodorant salt stones sold in health food stores, sadly.  Actually I'm allergic to pretty much every deodorant sold except for plain, unscented Mitchum.  So far I haven't been able to pin down exactly what element is the problem there.  A lot of fragrances and essential oils irritate my skin if not diluted enough, so I have to be careful.  For my products that I sell, everything passes the 'face test' before I sell it.  That is, I apply everything I make to my face and watch for a reaction before I sell it, including the delicate eye area.  If I don't react, that's pretty good.  There will be folks more sensitive than I am, but if it can pass my face test it's pretty gentle with the exception of very specific allergies and sensitivities.

If you have any questions you'd like to see added here, just email them to me!  althaea at althaea dot biz.