Homemade Savon Bien Soaps Make for an All-Natural Option for Locals
Franklin resident Cheryl Stanger is the founder of all-natural soap company Savon Bien.
Originally from both Valleyfield and Ormstown, local Cheryl Stanger has lived on a farm since she was a young girl of ten. By day, she runs a quaint daycare out of Franklin. By evening, she is the creator of Savon Bien, a local soap-making company geared toward a greener way of living.
After attending the University of Toronto, Stanger returned to the Chateauguay Valley to settle into a country life. Following a particularly enlightening experience with an environmental doctor, Stanger felt a desire to move towards a more natural, sustainable and healthy way of living, applying this belief to her personal attitude and health choices, as well as her family’s farming practices. Due to her profession as a day care owner, she noticed that the winter months would make for cracked and dry hands (due to constant washing), which caused her to look for an all-natural way to moisturize. While she had been buying “all-natural soaps” she realized that the product she was using contained sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS). She then turned to making her own products—which included natural soaps and cleaning products free of commonly used chemicals.
At first, her soaps were a hobby—she made them for herself, her family and her daycare charges—giving the soaps out as gifts from time to time. Urged by her family to begin selling her products, Stanger’s popularity with the locals made for specific requests, leading to the creation of baby soaps and soaps designed for specific skin conditions (as well as her scrumptious soap “cakes”, which have become somewhat of a trademark for the artisan). Her soaps eliminate the need to use creams and oils, unlike commercial soaps, which leave your skin feeling dry. “Your body needs about two to four weeks to make the transition to start producing natural oils again…that’s why we’re called Savon Bien—it’s like food for the skin,” says Stanger with a laugh.
Over the past few years, Stanger has made the trek to local craft fairs and farmer’s markets. She has taken her wares to Montreal, where her products have been met with enthusiasm. Along with sourcing renewable resource oils and high quality essential oils and herbs to produce her soaps, her products are also vegan-friendly. While Stanger does obtain some of her ingredients from her own farm, she hopes to incorporate more local ingredients in the future. “One of my goals is to make a 100-mile soap, which is to only use ingredients that can be sourced within a 100-mile radius.”
“That's what I really enjoy—making something useful, unique, healthy and environmentally sound.” Stanger is in the process of developing her website, savonbien.com, and hopes to grow her business in the upcoming years. If you’re looking to sample some of Stanger’s beautiful soaps, Savon Bien will be present at the Howick Fair in November, as well as the Marche Fermier Christmas Market in Ormstown. Stanger also creates specialty soaps for non-profits from time to time, so be sure to inquire what she’s currently working on.