Excitement!

Yesterday, we didn't develop any new soaps, shampoos, scrubs, or products at all.

Instead, we made new batches of Fudge Chunk soap and Honey Chocolate soap.  We needed to replenish our stock because those two have been so popular in sales, but also because we have placed some in an actual retail location!  You can now find and buy several of our all natural products (soap, shampoo, scrubs, gift baskets) at Bruce's Floral Design, 311 Hackensack Street, Carlstadt, NJ.

In addition to our "indulgences," Bruce, a really personable and nice man, carries hand painted glass and other gift items.  Of course, he's also a terrific florist, creating his own form of art with his medium of live and silk flowers.

Definitely stop in, say hi, and  have a look around!

It Was a Blast!

Tonight, Eric and I took Reef Botanicals on the road for the very first time.  The event was Halloween in December, a fundraiser for Isaac Bonewits, a well-known Druid leader and author in the Pagan community.  He's got cancer and is undergoing chemo, and his family is having difficulty keeping up with bills.

So we packed up our soaps, sugar scrubs, and candles, and hit the road, down to the IHOP in Somerset, NJ.  IHOP graciously agreed to close its doors for this "private party," so the event organizers could collect $5 per person toward Isaac's recovery from anyone who entered.

The soaps went into these great baskets we found, that gave us just the natural feel for which we were looking.

I also made up three gift baskets.  One, a Chocolate Decadence basket, we donated to the fundraiser's silent auction.  The value of the basket was $40, but the lucky person who was the highest bidder got it for $20, half  price!  Even with the discount, the basket was the highest-paid prize of the auction.

The basket contained a small round pillar candle in our Chocolate Decadence scent, a 10 oz container of our Cafe Mocha sugar scrub, two large Fudge Chunk soap bars, and two Fudge Chunk hand soaps.

We have two more gift baskets still in stock.  There's another Chocolate Decadence basket, this one with a larger square pillar candle in Chocolate Decadence, a tea light in Chocolate Decadence, a 10 oz container of our Cafe Mocha sugar scrub, one large Fudge Chunk soap bar, and two Fudge Chunk hand soaps.

The other basket is Citrus Splash, featuring our square pillar in Lemongrass & Sage, a votive in Lemongrass & Sage, a 10 oz container of our When Life Hands You Lemons sugar scrub, a Lemongrass and Sage soap, and a Root of the Matter soap.

Setup of our table was... fun.  Actually, it was, but it was definitely a challenge.  We had a booth, so our wares were tough to reach at times, and soap tends to be a fairly hands-on item.  People want to touch it and smell it.  We worked it out, though.  Our baskets were perfect, and the signs I made for them turned out to be very pretty with the two-tone green.  Our candles were something of a hit; the Chocolate Decadence sold out immediately, and our blue Winter Wonderland candles were a hit as well, as were our pale yellow-green Lemongrass & Sage candles.

Our Lemongrass & Sage soaps sold out entirely, and our Honey Chocolate isn't far behind!  We'll be making more of both imminently.

All in all, we were very well received and very happy with our experience.  Even from people who didn't purchase immediately there was a lot of interest, taking of business cards, and inquiries as to our next appearance.  As a result, the remaining sugar scrubs are up on the site and ready for purchase, and the candles won't be far behind!

On top of everything else, we were glad to be able to help out a family in need.

A Clean Endeavor

I am Larissa, doing business with my husband Eric as Reef Botanicals, making high quality natural soaps. We knew we were right for each other early on, but didn't even realize until after we married in March of 2009 that we both loved to make things from scratch.

It was only natural for us to combine our talents for art, craft, and recipe development and step into the arts of candle and soap making.

We've got four recipe varieties so far:

Fudge Chunk contains Ghirardelli cocoa powder and has a subtle chocolate scent.

The Oatmeal Honey is made with precisely those ingredients, and smells amazing! We have it in both bath bar and hand soap size.

The Honey Chocolate is similar, but made with premium crushed cacao nibs, giving it a slight chocolate smell and exfoliating properties.

And our Lemongrass & Sage soap is made with lemongrass essential oil and dried sage. It has a great lather and an amazing citrus scent that wakes me up in the morning.

All of the soaps are made with all natural ingredients, nothing synthetic. Many of our soaps are also vegetarian or vegan-friendly. Those are noted in the descriptions.


Today, we're planning a coffee soap with fresh-brewed coffee and coffee grinds for exfoliation.

Each bar comes packaged in a beautiful organza bag, tied with a ribbon. They're perfect for gifts or to spoil yourself.

We're having a blast! Feel free to visit the site, email us with questions, and place an order.