"The aromatic crush of herbs, the warm melt of butters and oils, the gush of cool distilled water, these are the sights and sounds of River Girls Silky Soap studio.
At River Girls, our motto is "Gentle Beauty... Artfully Handcrafted. Our products are rich and soothing and geared toward dry skin seeking to be quenched. We are decidedly vegetarian. Our popular big 5+ oz glycerin bars begin with a mild coconut soap base. They are made creamier and decadent with calendula infused olive oil and cocoa butter.
River Girls toiletries are freshly handmade. They are 97-100% natural, cruelty-free and never tested on animals. With the exception of our popular Botanical Bath Wash, which begins with a rich herbal extract base, all River Girls toiletries are made from scratch. We use no animal fat nor mineral oil, instead pouring and blending gentle apricot, avocado and other fruit and nut oils.
Our attention to fragrance, color and gentleness reflect a wish to evoke wonderful moods. From quiet serenity to playful romance to brazen flirtation, River Girls will take you there." ~ from RiverGirlsSoap.com
********************************************************** The Review
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I love when the description of a company and it's products so accurately and perfectly describes them. River Girls Silky Soap and Bath products truly are rich and soothing. The scents bring to mind a variety of moods, from romantic to playful. The huge bonus is that their products are cruelty-free, animal-free and made from scratch.
Of all the scents and products we were sent to try out, by far my favorite is Athens Orange Hill. It is spicy and enticing.. and always puts me in a playful mood.
What mood do you want to be in? I am sure that River Girls has created a scent just for you. A must MUST buy!!
~Trixie, September 2005
********************************************************** The Gallery
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********************************************************** The Interview
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The Basic Lowdown:
Girlposse.com: Who are you? Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: At River Girls Silky Soap & Bath, our motto is "Gentle Beauty, Artfully Handcrafted. Attention to fragrance, color and gentleness reflect a wish to evoke wonderful moods: from quiet serenity to playful romance to bold flirtation. River Girls products are rich and soothing and geared toward dry skin seeking to be quenched. We are decidedly vegetarian. Our popular big glycerin bars begin with a mild coconut soap base. They are made creamy and decadent with cocoa butter, avocado oil and virgin olive oil infused with locally grown calendula.
River Girls toiletries are freshly handmade. They are 97-100% natural, cruelty-free and never tested on animals. With the exception of our popular Botanical Bath Wash, which begins with a rich herbal extract base, all River Girls toiletries are made from scratch. We use no animal fat nor mineral oil, instead pouring and blending gentle apricot, avocado, aloe vera and other fruit and nut oils.
Girlposse.com: Where are you located? Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: In Washington DC, American University Park Tenleytown.
Girlposse.com: What is your creation / business? Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: I design, handcraft and create fragrant soap, healing balms, botanical bath gels and rich face and body creams.
Girlposse.com: Where can people buy your stuff? (links, stores, etc.) Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: The vast majority of River Girls sales are conducted on our web site at www.rivergirlssoap.com. Our products are also carried at Alchemy, an eclectic Washington area shop featuring the work of over 50 artisans. Products there range from River Girls soaps and toiletries to pretty pashminas, handmade silver jewelry, bold colorful purses and handcut stained glass windows. Locally, visit 8025 Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Girlposse.com: Tell us something about yourself - your personality: Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: Despite my outgoing demeanor, I am an incredibly private person. I crave space to create and to be quietly artistic. Our home and the River Girls Studio serve as oases. My credo is to see the beauty in the ordinary and the extraordinary in the seemingly plain and pedestrian. In addition to running River Girls, I am a wife and dedicated mother of two so that approach to life is doubly important!
Growing up I was an egghead with a very wry sense of humor. So, I am always amazed by the human ability to change and to grow, to be better: more spirited, more risk taking, more artistic. I am turned on by the notion of the curious self-taught individual ----of going from pure ignorance as I have done in this business to knowledgeable.
Night noises disturb me so I sleep very little and am usually awake when the world is asleep. I am moved by music, especially jazz violin and flawed cinema and book characters whose redemptions leave me hopeful.
The Nitty Gritty:
Girlposse.com: How long have you been doing this? Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: I began handcrafting soap and designing toiletries in 2000. I came to the artisan field after extensive education and training in public policy and child development. To some it might seem odd to go from Harvard trained policy writer to solo soap maker, but I view it as an irreverent marriage of soothing and challenging work.
Girlposse.com: What made you want to go into business for yourself? Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: I was spurred by the death of my mother. Her unexpected passing, months before she and my father were to celebrate their 44th anniversary broke my heart. It did this, not in a shrill way, but in a way that bore a cavernous place in my heart. It also challenged my inherent optimism, and an admittedly innocent view of the world.
River Girls began quite simply as a hobby. I would steal away to the basement, to be alone, to be creative, to pour soap and mix fragrances, to think of her. I am now in love with a business which is part chef, part chemist and part willful artist.
Girlposse.com: Did you have previous business experience - or was the business end new to you? Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: I had my first jobs as a teen, running a switchboard at a seminary for priests and scooping ice cream at Washington DC's first Haagen Daz shop. As a grownup, I have run two small businesses previously. The first was a freelance writing and consulting practice which worked with nonprofit organizations focused on child and youth development. The second was the creation and publishing of a quarterly zine for girls and young women. That was a creative effort which drew favorable reviews and a small academic and teen cult following.
Girlposse.com: What's your favorite thing about owning and running your own business? Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: I relish independence and a variety of tasks. Owning and operating a business requires numerous skills and talents. If you don't possess them inherently or have never been formally trained, you are constantly pushing to learn. The curve is enormously high. That makes me happy! River Girls also makes room for family life in ways that a traditional corporate job could never do.
Girlposse.com: What was (is) your biggest obstacle in selling what you create? Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: The average individual is accustomed to paying little for a bar of soap and a bottle of lotion. In some ways, River Girls had a hurdle to clear, but you have to know your market. A delicious smelling bar of soap is less expensive than a bad movie and the soap lasts a lot longer! It's a bit of luxury but not outrageous luxury, even for our many customers who bathe and slather up strictly with River Girls products.
The market for handmade and handcrafted soap ebbs and flows, but there is significant and definite competition. In five years alone, I have witnessed many other small operations come and go. This is a highly labor intensive endeavor. It requires energy and a keen eye to attention and detail.
Girlposse.com: How do you choose your products and scents?
Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: Scent can really move you. Truly passionate people can turn a mood merely by smelling, inhaling--experiencing through the nose. I choose a product foremost on its ability to affect how customers "feel", both in mood and in their skin. There is no greater thrill than when customers close their eyes, inhale, and for a lost moment, simply smile.
Girlposse.com: You have a variety of items you offer. What are some of your favorites? Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: The ones I treasure are numerous and their use depends on my own mood! My favorite soaps are always the ones whose fragrances are complex, ones that I torture myself blending, pouring and inhaling over and over again. These are This Bliss ~ Signature 2004, All the Pretty Earth ( a Lemon Verbena and Lavender blend), Greenleaf Chypre and Tangerine Patchouli.
My favorite toiletries are Amazing Face which was commissioned, believe it or not, by a veteran Washington DC firefighter looking to soothe and moisturize his chaffed face; Lovely Limbs Sugar Scrub because the trio of sugars makes my legs two year old soft and All Better Balm which has rescued every burn, cut and pre and post-adolescent zit in the River Girls family.
Girlposse.com: How do you decide which scents will be used in your products? Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: I have an acute sense of smell matched only by my superior hearing. I jokingly attribute these to my horrible eyesight. Consider it overcompensation.
For me, a scent has to really speak. It has to have it's own voice. That means it must evoke a time or tale, a period or place in my life. Happy to be Peony recalls my father's prized blush peonies in our Michigan Park home. Williamsburg Night conjures up memories of strolling spice and flower shops during my honeymoon and This Bliss, an unexpected kiss at a Santa Cruz farmers market.
Girlposse.com: Are there any plans to expand your product line? Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: I am always dickering around, conjuring a new scent or product. At major holidays I usually unveil these efforts. This year, I have been experimenting with highly fragrant soy candles and large bath oil truffles.
Girlposse.com: What keeps you going on a bad day? Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: The simplest things can pull me out of a slump and make the day suddenly worthwhile: the way my daughter tilts her head when she is telling a knock-knock joke, my son plopped down on the living room sofa playing Blue Danube on his violin; witnessing my blue hydrangea bloom after my amateur pruning job the prior season.
I am also a very visual and tactile person. A walk on a foggy morning or after an unexpected snowfall is certain to do the trick. Persons and circumstances that inspire me are so seemingly minor. A whisper of just the right timbre in my ear or a hand grazed across my back. These can both buoy and affirm life.
Girlposse.com: What was the best piece of advice you've been given? Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: Worry less about the competition and more about what makes you and your product special or unique. If you can't distinguish yourself, you can't succeed.
Girlposse.com: What advice do you have for women who want to start their own business?? Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: Even in the early stages, try to exhibit professionalism and a degree of precision. Watch the bottom line. It's too easy to get trapped in the euphoria of a nascent effort and overspend. All R&D (Research and Development) should have a clear goal. Otherwise you're merely playing and that's money and time lost.
Make peace with your creative drive. When persons take unorthodox paths and opt out of mainstream careers, this is not always well received. Business can sour; red ink may bleed. You will meet with your share of raised eyebrows. Find an internet community or persons to nurture and support your creative effort. Work hard; try to be happy.
~ 2005
********************************************************** Your Chance to Win!
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This month of is giving you a chance to win a
The Prize: River Girls Favorite Things Collection:
River Girls Lovely Limbs Sugar Scrub
Athens Orange Hill Body Beautiful Cream
White Citrus Lily Botanical Bath Gel
All Better Balm in Lavender and Tea Tree Oils
All the Pretty Earth and Paris Nightfall soaps
PLUS: To Welcome Autumn 2005 we will also include a bonus gift of the spectacular new soap, Sapphire Falls, "a pure guy soap!"
Thank you and good luck!
Rules:
Contest ends September 30, 2005. Open to U.S. residents aged 18 and over only. One entry per person. One winner per person, e-mail address or shipping address per month. Winners will be drawn at random, and will be notified via e-mail. Winners have seven days to reply. In case of unclaimed prizes, an alternate winner will be drawn at random.
(By filling out this form this giveaway, you are agreeing to be placed on the sponsor's mailing list for updates and product information. Girlposse.com is not responsible for prizes that are shipped from outside vendors or sponsors.)
Name:
E-mail address:
Your Age:
Your Gender:
Your Yearly Household Income:
How frequesntly do you purchase items online?
State:
Zip code:
Comments/ Questions:
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Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: At River Girls Silky Soap & Bath, our motto is "Gentle Beauty, Artfully Handcrafted. Attention to fragrance, color and gentleness reflect a wish to evoke wonderful moods: from quiet serenity to playful romance to bold flirtation. River Girls products are rich and soothing and geared toward dry skin seeking to be quenched. We are decidedly vegetarian. Our popular big glycerin bars begin with a mild coconut soap base. They are made creamy and decadent with cocoa butter, avocado oil and virgin olive oil infused with locally grown calendula.
Wanda of RiverGirlsSoaps.com: The vast majority of River Girls sales are conducted on our web site at 
Girlposse.com: How long have you been doing this? 
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