A Bar of Hope

Do you ever wonder what happens to those tiny bars of soap in hotel showers after they have been used only a few times by a guest? Does it get thrown away? Not if the non-profit Global Soap Project can help it.

The Global Soap Project reprocesses and distributes those barely used bars to vulnerable communities in Afghanistan, Ghana, Haiti, Kenya, Uganda, Cameroon and Swaziland, preventing millions of avoidable deaths due to poor hygiene. To date, 75 tons of that soap has been saved and distributed worldwide.

Kalliste Soap Shop, a local Scarsdale soap manufacturer and retailer, is joining in GSP’s ongoing efforts and is kicking off its collaboration by hosting a Cocktail Party to raise awareness and funds for GSP.

“The resourcefulness of this project is remarkable. We are behind them 100% and will do whatever we can to help.” says Marie Labropoulos, owner of Kalliste. As part of its ongoing contribution to GSP, Kalliste Soap Shop will introduce a new scented bar, Bar of Hope, as part of its collection of gourmet, organic, and vegan handmade soaps and will be donating 50% of the profits to GSP. “I’m really excited about the opportunity GSP gives us to help out those less fortunate, and eager to play a role in eradicating preventable disease around the world,” says Labropoulos.

The event will be held on August 11th, 2011 starting, 5:30pm till 8:00pm at Kalliste’s retail store on 30 Garth Rd., Scarsdale, NY 10583.

www.kallisteshop.com

An Original Party Favor: Personalized Organic Soap!

Finding a gift for your special event can be a daunting task but can also be fun, creative and inventive. As a gourmet hand-crafting business, we understand the importance of that personal touch, the attention to detail and creating a beautiful and memorable product, as we perceive each and every soap we create to be its own work of art. In skilled hands imagination is the only boundary when it comes to soap-making.
Kalliste soaps are all handmade using a traditional, generations old process and contain only the finest natural ingredients. Vegetable and Fruit oils and butters provide a luxurious lather which cleanses and moisturizes the skin, while Natural Extracts and Essential Oils provide fragrance and wonderful Aromatherapy properties.

Scrumptious and colorful Cupcake Soaps, lively and bright Popsicle Soaps, Heart and Star shaped soaps, Chocolate and Vanilla Cake Soaps, Individually Wrapped guest bars with a personalized message... these are some of the favors Kalliste Organics has crafted but are definitely not the only options. If you have a special event coming up and would like to create a custom soap we would be happy to share with you our portfolio of designs or discuss your own idea. Presentation, Packaging, Shape, Size, Color and Scent are all things that can be custom made to your needs so please do not hesitate to Contact Us with your request.
Sharing a keepsake of personalized organic soap with your friends and family is innovative and original and will be appreciated and enjoyed by all. We hope to help in making your experience memorable.

Antibacterial Soap a Health Risk

Natural soap has long been used in effectively getting rid of germs and bacteria, but in recent years there has been a rise in the use of household products containing antibacterial agents. The American Medical Association (AMA) has been monitoring the use of these household items and warns against them, stating that today's elevated uses of such products could create bacteria resistant to both antibiotics and the antibacterial soaps themselves.
When antibacterial products first appeared on the consumer market there were only a dozen sanitizing products available. Today the market for antibacterial products has grown to hundreds of consumer household products from hand soaps, lotions and toothpastes to even food container packaging, pillows, mattresses and full bathrooms outfitted with Tricoslan, an anti-microbial agent. While bacteria become resistant, scientists fear that a germ-free household environment may result in our immune systems becoming weakened. A number of studies have shown that the development of allergies, asthma and skin problems in children is linked to their having been raised in household environments that are too sterile.
Some may argue that the use of an antibacterial soap may not even have the antibacterial effect which it is intended to. Dr. Stuart B. Levy of Tufts University School of Medicine states "To achieve a 90% death rate, wild-type E. coli required exposure to 150 µg/mL of triclosan in soap for 2 hours at 37ºC... Most importantly, the time, temperature, and amount needed to kill the bacteria greatly exceeded the average 5-second hand washing performed by most people."
Much of what is available and popularly used today is called soap but cannot in fact be categorized as soap. According to the FDA these detergent bars, comprised of chemical cleansers, foaming agents and surfactants, cannot be called soap and are otherwise named beauty or bath bars. Real soap is defined by the FDA as being "of an alkali salt of fatty acids and whose detergent properties are due to these alkali-fatty acid compounds". Soap's soluble fats (vegetable, fruit or animal) are introduced to an alkaline substance and undergo a process known as saponification over a period of time in which the fat molecules turn into the hard sudsing alkaline bar called soap! The long chain molecules of soap are lipophillic (non polar) on one end and hydrophillic (polar) on the other, thereby attracting and dislodging both dirt and oils as well as water to the molecule and then rinsing clean off the surface and down the drain.
The pH scale which measures the acidity or alkalinity of substances measures from 0 on the acidic end to 14 on the basic or alkaline end with a neutral pH at 7. Natural soap measures between 9 to 9.5 on the pH scale making it too alkaline an environment for bacteria to live in and multiply. At the soap shop plenty of people ask whether keeping a natural bar of soap at the sink for hand-washing can spread germs and bacteria. The truth is that a natural soap bar is not a suitable environment for most microbes and carries less personal and public health risks than pH balanced detergent bars and antibacterial hand washes and is indeed the better option for your hands and your environment.

New Items, Father's Day & Upcoming Events!

Some new items at the shop to look out for: Oatmeal Vanilla Soap and Rose Soap topped with baby rose buds.

Coming soon: BEER SOAP!
Father's day is around the corner and we're preparing something special for the special guys in our lives! Not to worry though, this soap smells of wonderful Bay Rum, Lime and Bergamot! Shaving sets with a natural bristle brush and moisturizing beer shaving/bathing bar will be available starting June 6th and shipping is available on all in-store as well as online shop.

Coming up soon are 2 local fairs you may want to check out.

Saturday, June 4th, 2011 @ Scarsdale Village Hall - Health Fair 2011. We'll be cutting up some fresh bars for the fair and discussing the benefits of using organic & natural products vs. commercial bath products and the health benefits/risks associated.

Saturday, June 11th, 2011 @ Eastchester Town Hall - Green Day Celebration. We'll be there celebrating with our fellow Green Day members with a selection of soaps, sliced fresh for each person. Greenburg Nature Center will be bringing animals, Eastchester Public Library will be hosting an eco-story time, live music and lots of other fun events.

Kalliste Organics Inc. Receives PETA Certification

We are very happy to share with you our latest news! As of yesterday May 23rd, Kalliste Organics Inc. has been certified Cruelty Free and Vegan by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
We are honored to be a part of this great organization whose animal rights campaigns have reached out to millions helping educate and bring to the forefront issues like the killing of animals regarded as pests, the keeping of chained backyard dogs, cock fighting, dog fighting, and bullfighting.
Thank you PETA for making the world a better place for our us and our friends. We plan to continue producing high quality cruelty free and vegan products for all who share the love and respect for all creatures, great and small.
Our cruelty free and vegan products can be found online at our website or at our shop in Scarsdale, NY.

P.S. Eleanor Rigby says Hi!!

New Soap Shop in Scarsdale!

We had a blast at the Kalliste Opening Party on 5/7/11! To all who came, thank you for making it a special and memorable day, to those who couldn't make it, there will be more good times to be had in the near future! Sign our Mailing List to receive news on upcoming events and promotions.
News: We are making our organic handmade soap available for wholesale. Due to a growing demand in product we are moving from our limited Irvington workshop to a larger space in Westchester to accommodate the higher production needs. If you are a retailer and would like to know more about our soap please Contact Us for a sample, quote and literature.

Olive Soap Shampoo Bars - Remedy for Dandruff

It is an old tradition for the ladies in Greece to keep long hair, usually in a braid down the back or braided and turned in a bun at the base of the head. My hair growing up was always cropped short as it was slightly curly, rebellious and a disaster to de-tangle but the older women in my family kept this hairstyle and I was always envious of their long, strong, beautiful locks. Their trick to keeping long hair? Olive Soap!
As discussed in the previous post, for most families in Greece and in other areas of the world, Olive soap was and is the only cleanser needed for a household. It is used to bathe, wash the hair, the laundry, the dishes and anything else that requires cleaning around the house. Olive soap, however, is not only a super efficient powerhouse of a cleaner but its natural beneficial properties are unparalleled. Known to be the mildest soap around, Olive soap can be used by anyone and all skin/hair types can benefit from its gentle moisturizing properties. It is also known to be a mild anti-inflammatory as it calms and soothes the skin, an anti-oxidant as natural olive oil contains Polyphenols and Vitamins A&E, and improves elasticity.
Taking what I learned from the elders and incorporating some other medicinal herbs and oils I decided to spice up the family soap recipe and make it even more beneficial as a shampoo bar. As I have long hair myself now, no more chopped crop for me, I needed to develop something for breakage, dry scalp, dandruff, and something to tone and strengthen the roots of my heavy hair. The following herbs were incorporated with the olive bar adding to its already long list of beneficial properties:

Rosemary - Conditions, stimulates hair growth, strengthens hair root, clarifies the scalp and eliminates dandruff
Bay Leaf - Restores life and shine, stimulates hair growth, promotes scalp health
Sage - Stimulates hair growth, darkens grey hair, restores shine
Cedarwood - Tones the scalp, eliminates dandruff

The results were great for this shampoo bar so we've gone into production and will be posting them up on www.kallisteshop.com soon. Please contact us if you would like to pre-order or have a special order request!