This year, we’re introducing an additional ability to purchase ALL our products on a wholesale basis, without any need for messy calculations or emails back and forth (although we do enjoy engaging with you!). Here are some of the things you’ll notice in our product pages:

• Tiered pricing based on quantity purchased
• Price changes are clearly displayed on the product page itself
• You’ll know exactly what you’re paying for, the moment you change your quantity
• For items where packaging is optional (e.g. soap bars), you will still enjoy savings whether you purchase them naked, or wrapped. Our existing No-Frills Soap Packages only offer naked soap bars.

With this being made available to you, we’re hoping that it makes it easier for you to

• bulk-buy regularly used soap bars or other skincare items in your household
• stock up on hostess gifts
• gift a lot of people the pleasure of nice-smelling things that also pamper the skin, while minimising our impact on landfill waste through superfluous packaging
• save some cash (we know that every little bit counts)

Let us know whether you found this feature useful! Fingers crossed.

Love, Michelle and the Kinder Soaps Family

We will be partnering with them for our Kinder Seas Project, to contribute to them financially for their coral restoration work in two sites in Malaysia, namely on Tioman Island in Pahang, and Mantanani Island in Sabah. I’ll be writing a longer blogpost about this project at a later date.

For now, you can watch the interview on IGTV, or listen to the podcast here.

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But there are other things to consider apart from product notification, on the part of manufacturing, and record keeping – and this is where we’d like to help offer some clarity. I wrote a short article on what it takes to notify cosmetics in Malaysia, including the kind of costs you need to consider, and you can read it here on Medium.

If you are a handcrafted cosmetics maker reading this, and are interested to find out whether we can help make things easier for your business, do write to me anytime at michelle@kindersoaps.com.

Here’s a dead giveaway hint: it comes right out of your tap, at home.

Yes, we’re talking about plain old WATER. In urban settings, most people don’t consume enough of water in its plain form on a daily basis. Sure, we may be getting it in the form of our coffees, teas, fruit juices, as well as from our food. But drinking enough plain water is probably best for making sure the body functions as it should.

Best of all, it costs practically NOTHING.

So today, I’d like to quickly share how water plays a huge role in our body’s overall wellbeing, its effect on our skin health, and finally, throw you a super easy challenge that shows how you can visibly improve your skin’s appearance in just 10 days, from the inside out.

All without you spending a penny.

…you can visibly improve your skin’s appearance in just 10 days, from the inside out. All without you spending a penny.

(Read: 4 Supplements That Gave Me Better Skin And Overall Health)

What does water do for our body as a whole?

I’m sure you’re probably quite well-versed with the benefits of being sufficiently hydrated. Before I get into the effect it has on skin, let me highlight just a few things that this precious, but seriously overlooked resource does in your body:

1. Water enables cell functions to be carried out normally, because the exchange of nutrients and toxins happen efficiently, with water as the metabolite.
2. Improves cognitive performance (translation: helps you think more clearly)
3. Allows the liver and kidneys to function optimally to cleanse the blood
4. Makes it easier to clear the bowels, and regularly.
5. Prevents bad breath (goodbye halitosis!) – a dry mouth is almost guaranteed to smell bad.
6. Keeps your body from overheating on a hot day.
7. Your muscles are less likely to cramp, especially during workouts.
8. Could possibly reduce water retention around your body, by helping prevent a build-up of excess sodium from the food that you eat.
9. Could potentially reduce your weight! There is a school of thought that your body retains water if it senses it doesn’t get replenished regularly, which means you carry added water weight if you’re dehydrated. I can’t find any scientific research to back this up, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence to suggest that there may be some truth in this notion.

How does water influence our skin’s wellbeing?

1. When toxins are routinely flushed out of the body, it helps to prevent inflammation, to a large extent. With regards to the digestive system, inflammation in the gut tends to show up on the skin in the form of eczema.
2. When skin cells are properly hydrated, they give the skin a plumper, more luminescent (brighter, fairer) appearance.
3. Plumper skin means less visible wrinkles!
4. If you have oily skin, dehydration tends to make this even worse, because the skin tries to compensate for the lack of moisture by producing even more sebum to coat the skin. Getting your ideal level of hydration for the skin will cause sebum production to normalise.

Can you imagine – the water that you drink, that you get mostly out of your tap at virtually ZERO cost – does ALL that for you and your wellbeing. No expensive skincare / weight-loss products required!

How Much Water Should We Consume?

The quick answer is – it depends. For most adults, it is recommended that we take 3-4 litres of water daily – that’s roughly 12 cups (1 cup = 250ml) for women, and 16 cups for men. If you’re more active or live in a dry, or hot and humid climate, you’d need to have a slightly higher water intake.

Personally I go for 4 litres a day, which for me seems to be the “magic” tipping point where it makes a remarkable difference in my overall sense of comfort and wellbeing during the day. I tend to move around quite a bit, and live in a warm, humid climate.

Okay, Now What?

All that head knowledge is all well and good to know. Now, let’s just say you have a nagging thought that you aren’t getting enough water, and you KNOW you should do something about it. You’ve tried and failed to sustain this practice in the past, for whatever reason.

That’s okay, you don’t have to feel badly about it. It’s never too late to flip the proverbial switch in mindset, and try again.

So instead of beating yourself up about not sticking to yet another new year’s resolution, how about you try this little 10-day challenge so you can see for yourself just how quickly your skin can change, just by consuming enough plain water regularly.

We’re going to get you started on building a new (good) habit, and give you tips to set yourself up for success.

Are you ready?

The 10-Day Water Challenge For Visibly Better Skin

I did this for myself over a year ago, and it easily turned into a habit – something I don’t have to even think about, and yet it’s yielding benefits ALL the time – because I could SEE, and FEEL the difference it made in just over a week.

I’m sure you’ll be delighted with its results too (and perhaps even get some unexpected side benefits).

Things You’ll Need

• A notebook / your journal / whatever tool you normally use to record things on a daily basis
• A refillable water bottle (optional, but highly recommended)

What To Do

Step 1: Establish Your Baseline

1. In your notebook, write down how you currently feel about your skin’s appearance, and your overall health. (E.g. “My skin is dry and requires constant moisturization; I feel groggy in the mornings and it takes a while to become fully alert” etc)
2. How many cups / bottles of water do you currently consume? Write that down.
3. Optional: note down your weight.

Step 2: Set Your Target Daily Water Intake

1. I’d recommend 12 cups for ladies, and 15 for men, for best results. But in the end you just decide on a reasonable number to stick to.
2. For example, my target is to drink a minimum of 4 x 750ml bottles of water every day.
3. To kickstart your day, keep a cup of water next to your bed, so that you can drink it first thing in the morning when you wake up. That’s one cup accounted for already, without you even trying!

Step 3: Track Your Progress Daily

To borrow a quote from the father of management thinking Peter Drucker:

What gets measured gets done.

1. Find a way to mark your progress though the day
2. For example: In my journal, I draw 4 little water droplets for each day of the week, and every time I finish one bottle of water, I colour one water droplet in. I get a sense of satisfaction every time I colour one in, and even more so when all four are filled!
3. Repeat daily. Don’t worry if you missed your target for a day or two – the idea is to aim for overall improvement, not perfection.
4. See how good you are at reaching your daily water target. If you’re falling behind in a day, it’s easy to catch up!

Step 4: Evaluate

1. At the end of the 10 days, look back at your Baseline and observe any changes you notice since then.
2. Some questions you can ask:
   • How do I feel in the mornings now?
   • How is my mood throughout the day?
   • Has my skin condition changed at all? If so, in what way?
   • Has my weight changed at all?
3. Most importantly: Was this challenge worth my time and effort?

Step 5: Celebrate!

You completed the 10-day streak of increasing your daily water intake, congratulations! Your skin’s appearance should have improved noticeably by now – how’s that for a reason to celebrate? Then again, feel free to find other fun ways to mark your accomplishment (and tell us about it!)

Tips To Help You Stay On Track

We understand – sometimes the wheels fall off for even the most enthusiastic and well-intentioned attempts to hit certain goals. Life happens. That’s okay. Here are some ideas to help you get back up:

1. Do you keep forgetting to reach for a cup of water throughout the day? Set up reminders for yourself – use your phone’s alarm, set calendar notifications, find an exercise app that has this built in (I noticed the Fitbit app on my Android phone had a water tracking function too, that was quite fun to use – but that was over a year ago)
2. If you’re the kind of person who gets antsy if you can’t keep a promise to someone, consider getting an accountability partner – tell a friend that you’re doing this challenge, and ask them to check up on you about it. Or better yet, ask them to do this water challenge along with you too!
3. Bring a water bottle with you everywhere you go. Glass or stainless steel is best, so that it doesn’t get affected by the sun if you happen to leave it in your car.

“…but drinking plain water is so BORING…”

Ideally, swap out your sweet fruit juices and carbonated drinks for plain water, just for these 10 days. Remind yourself that you can go back to taking them after this challenge in done – but for now, just stick to plain water.

If you really find plain water a chore to drink because it’s tasteless, you can steep fresh fruits in them overnight, and keep them in the fridge if you prefer something cold and tasty (but I personally prefer, and recommend room temperature water. I tend to cough and feel tight-chested if I drink something that’s cold). Common and easy to find ingredients include lemons, mint leaves, cucumber and apple slices.

Notes and Precautions

Be prepared to go to the bathroom more frequently than usual. This is fine, and it’s normal – especially in the first few days of your challenge. Your body is actively flushing out excess water (remember what we mentioned about water retention earlier?). You will find that the frequency of bathroom visits will normalise after the first 3-5 days.

Oh, and imagine all the waste and toxins being carted out of your body so efficiently in those few days… isn’t that a great feeling?

Also, the irony is that your lips may seem drier than usual, because more water is passing over that skin over the course of each day. If this is the case, just apply a little of your favourite lip balm or lip gloss to keep your lips moisturized and protected. We have our own Double Duty Balm, if you’d like to consider an unscented option.

Although the general recommendation is to drink more water on average, please don’t go overboard – there is such a thing as water poisoning! Fatal cases involved people drinking too much, too quickly – one girl died from supposedly drinking 7.5 litres of water, just to win a game console. Talk about first world problems…

Are You Excited To Start? Because We’re Excited FOR YOU!

Sometimes the path to lasting improvement starts with the simplest little tweak in our daily lives. I do believe that taking this water challenge can only do you good (as well whoever else you encourage to join in!) – not just for your skin, but your overall wellbeing.

And I hope this will be the start of a lifelong healthy habit that you will find effortless to maintain.

We’re looking forward to hearing how this water challenge impacted your skin! Tell us your stories in the comments below.

Now get started on the challenge and –

Go Claim Your Healthier, Happier Skin For Yourself!

With all my best wishes for your journey to better skin.

But these days, in my household all of them have been entirely replaced with soap bars. Our own kids find bottled liquid soaps to be a novelty and a luxury treat, rather than a daily feature in everyday life. I am well aware that this is not the case for the average household in Malaysia.

There are a couple of reasons for this switch. The first is that we already make our own soap so I don’t see the need to buy it from supermarkets anymore. Secondly, the formulations of most liquid shampoos on the shelves involve quite a laundry list of synthetic ingredients, which I would like to avoid.

Well, why don’t you just make your own liquid soap then, you might ask? To which I’d say, we have, actually. Made lots and lots of batches, not only to figure out a good formulation for the skin, but also the most energy efficient way to go about making them.

Although we’ve come up with some really nice formulations, I would say that we’ve run into roadblocks to full-on production time and time again. While we acknowledge that liquid soaps are truly terrific cleansers when formulated well, there are three main reasons why we’ve held off on making our own, all this while.

1 – We don’t have the cash to invest in the right equipment for making it.

Can’t you make liquid soap the old fashioned, hot process in a crock pot method? Yes you certainly can. To make it economically viable, however, we’d have to invest in more cooking equipment, and the batch sizes are just too small to justify the cost of getting them. Sure, they could be put to other use as well, but our product range is just too limited for the time being, and we like to keep things simple.

There are also specialised liquid soapmaking equipment, which makes it SUPER easy to make liquid soap – you literally have to just add all the ingredients in, flip a switch, and wait for a few hours. All the stirring, temperature monitoring etc is automatically done for you, and the end product is consistent in quality every time. Again, it’s a hefty investment for a small company like ours, where we have to prioritise meeting regulatory requirements over everything else (or at least, that is my personal perception of how things are…!).

Then there is this next issue that bothers me:

2- Half the weight of liquid soap is purely WATER.

Here’s the traditional method of making liquid soap: we add a certain amount of potassium hydroxide to oil, in order to form a soap paste. After that, almost an equal amount of water is added to the paste in order to dilute it down into the liquid soap consistency that is familiar to customers, before bottling them.

And every time I make a batch of liquid soap this way, I keep wondering to myself – why would I want to ship water to our customers?? Especially since we are specialists at making solid soap bars, when we wait for 4 weeks for our soap bars to cure, in order to dry them out as much as possible, so we end up with harder soap bars that last longer in the shower.

I know, I know, water is of course an integral part of liquid soap, and it lends to its distinctive character of being easy to disperse on the skin and hair.

But really, between sending you a 100g bar of soap that takes up much less space (and weight), and lasts just as long as a 250ml bottle of liquid soap, I would rather do the former. It just makes much more sense in terms of efficiency on so many fronts – how we pack your parcels, handling by the courier companies, and even how you were to store your soap once it reaches you.

Which brings us to my last, and most troublesome point:

3 – Liquid soap = plastic packaging.

This, is the nail in the proverbial coffin for me. You might correctly suggest that there are other packaging options, like aluminium bottles or even glass or ceramic ones. Aluminium bottles are indeed made from recyclable aluminium, but the inner coating that comes into contact with the product, is usually some form of plastic, which is not recoverable nor recyclable.

As for ceramic or glass containers, they definitely can hold liquid soap very well – but transporting them is a delicate affair. And we all know just how “gently” most parcels are handled, especially on longer trips in the post. Not to mention the safety aspect of using these materials in the bathroom, where things get slippery, or knocked off the shelf…

In this respect, plastic is the perfect packaging material, for being able to withstand hard bumps and drops safely, and being so lightweight for efficient transportation. It’s just a pity that it doesn’t degrade safely into the soil, and contributes to so much pollution both on land and at sea.

Here’s another thing – empty packaging takes up waaaaay too much space in our tiny studio. I’d be happy to consider expanding into a larger space, but preferably not to accommodate excessive packaging that will most likely NOT be reused or recycled properly. It’s just how things are – our society is generally not in the mindset of actively taking responsibility of recycling or reducing waste. I’m not free from guilt on that front either – despite our own family’s efforts to reduce waste from our daily purchases as much as possible, sometimes we still do throw away plastic packaging into the bin, knowing full well where they will end up.

So at Kinder Soaps, our way of tackling this issue of packaging waste is to just do away with packaging altogether, as much as we possibly can. If we don’t put our products into plastic containers, then our customers won’t have to take on the responsibility of recycling them either.

So what’s the best alternative to liquid soaps?

This brings us back to the idea of compromise… what is the next best thing to liquid soap that accomplishes the main functions that we desire in a natural skin cleanser: a) to clean, b) nourish, and c) moisturise?

The answer is glaringly obvious – we feel that soap bars do the job just as well, and at a lower cost to the environment.

Other thoughts and possible solutions

Despite my firm stance on not wanting to produce liquid soaps (at least for the time being), I also actively consider other perspectives and points of view that are definitely valid in their own right. So here are a few things that were raised by people I’ve discussed my concerns with, and some thoughts I’ve added to them.

1- Selling ONLY in bulk to address packaging waste issue

This was one route that we were considering, if we were to introduce a liquid soap product. However, hygiene is a valid concern as well, especially since we do not use preservatives or antimicrobials in our products. How willing is the public to bring their own containers to be refilled, and how much responsibility are they willing to take to ensure that their containers are clean enough to prevent bacterial contamination? There is still much to be done in terms of consumer education.

2 – Is there a niche of people who absolutely MUST use liquid soap?

Could there be people whose skins are truly too sensitive to use soap bars? And does liquid soap make for superior shampoos, compared to solid shampoo bars? Perhaps these pain points can be addressed via other means, instead of the liquid soap route – e.g. through medication, dietary considerations, or even adapting usage habits to accommodate existing skincare items.

3 – There are already so many good liquid soaps in the market

This is one question that I have repeatedly asked myself in the past: Does the market need yet another liquid soap? Do I know that our product will be better than them in any way? Right this moment, my answer is “No”.

I personally know of other local Malaysian brands that are already making some really great liquid soaps, so I feel that there is no real need for us to come up with another formulation right now.

Going Forward

We are keeping our eyes and ears open for news within Malaysia and from abroad, for developments that would make us feel more comfortable with the idea of producing liquid soap for sale. Here are some of the issues that could nudge us in this direction:

1. Local municipal councils establish compulsory recycling initiatives in residential and commercial areas
2. Technological advances in truly biodegradable materials that can replace petroleum based plastics, e.g. mushroom plastics, that are available for mainstream use
3. Advancements in the area of plastics degradation that is environmentally safe

(On a separate note – there is a super exciting story about a pilot project being run in the US by a company called Loop, where consumers are given the opportunity to buy big brand products, and then return their empty product packaging to be cleaned and reused by manufacturers, without any change to their current consumption habits. It is so heartening to know that huge companies are finally flexing their financial muscles and far-ranging influence to work on truly sustainable solutions to reducing single use plastic waste. Read about it here.)

Until then, we feel that the right thing to do is to just give liquid soaps a pass – no matter how much our customers say they want it (sorry!). Plastic pollution is an issue that we just cannot ignore, and we have chosen not to participate in this segment of the cosmetics market until concrete solutions and systems to keep plastic waste from contaminating our environment are set in motion.

We hope you’ll still be contented with our humble offering of soap bars in biodegradable beeswax wraps (or no wraps at all!) for the long run.

Thanks for reading! If you would like to receive these kinds of articles in your email (and also get 10% off your first purchase with us), do sign up for our newsletter. We promise you’ll only get useful information from us, and we’re not spammy.

Walk into any pharmacy and one of the first things you notice shelves that are almost overflowing with health supplements for practically every kind of health concern. You want better eyesight? Try bilberry extract. Menopause? Check out the herbal blend over there. Improved sleep, better concentration during the day, liver detoxing… everything.

So what kind of supplements would be helpful for supporting skin health?

I’m sure you’ve come across some articles about all sorts of them, but perhaps have not yet found the chance to experiment with them for yourself.

Here, I’ll offer some of my personal suggestions and observations, plus some actionable steps for you to consider. Please note that these are supplements I am actually taking myself, so I do have first-hand experience with them.

I read research papers so you don’t have to (but you’re most welcome to follow the links to some of them if you’re curious to know more). As someone who grew up with eczema as a child, grew out of it as an adult, and then despaired when it returned – I was also desperate to find a cure. Now that I have figured out what helped to get my skin back to normal, I’m hoping that sharing my experience will benefit you too.

Fish oil

I’ll start with my favourite, because it practically erased my dishydrotic eczema on my left hand once I started taking it religiously for 15 days. You can see how bad it was and how it transformed, in my original blogpost.

Fish oil contains two types of Omega-3 fatty acids: docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). DHA is linked to supporting healthy brain function, and together with EPA, have shown promise as therapeutic agents in a number of inflammatory skin conditions, by helping the skin form a robust and healthy lipid barrier to prevent moisture loss (translation: your skin becomes better at staying moisturized on its own).

The recommended daily dosage for fish oil is 3,000mg, according to the American Heart Association. Personally I tripled the dosage during those 15 days, and then tapered off to the 3,000mg dosage once my skin went back to normal.

Be aware though, that fish oil was found to have some possible unintended side effects, including compromising chemotherapy drug treatments (no kidding).

Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) Extract

This one is a very recent discovery (on my part, anyway). I began taking it about 5 weeks prior to writing this article, and it seems to have fixed my dry skin issue.

Horsetail extract contains a high concentration of plant-based silica, which the body can absorb easily. Silica is essential to the formation of collagen in the skin, which in turn ensures that the skin’s barrier functions run optimally. What I noticed was that I don’t need to rely so heavily on moisturizers, especially for my legs, which used to be dry, and sometimes flaky in the past. Now I can actually forget about applying any oils on my legs on a daily basis, because they still feel comfortable, and don’t have that powdery white surface from being dehydrated.

Poking around the web, I also found a research paper where a double-blind clinical trial in Iran showed that a 3% horsetail extract ointment was effective in speeding up wound healing as well as offered pain relief after episiotomy procedures. That was interesting to know.

Right now I am taking 3 x 500mg tablets a day, one with each meal.

Be aware that there are some concerns about the side effects of taking too much of horsetail extract orally, over an extended period of time. You can read more about that here.

Vitamin C (time released) with rutin and rosehip (rosa canina) fruit extract

All these are potent antioxidants, which among a myriad of other actions, help scavange free radicals from around the body. In the context of the skin, this helps to mitigate premature ageing from the destruction of collagen and elastic fibres in dermal tissue, usually from over-exposure to UV light (i.e. sun damage).

As with most antioxidants, vitamin C and rutin curb inflammation around the body too, which is generally a good thing.

I usually take 3 x 500mg tablets a day, together with the horsetail extract. It is a water soluble vitamin, so any excess that the body doesn’t need is easily flushed out (so long as you drink plenty of water).

B-Complex and Zinc

I have found that B-Complex supplements make a real difference in my day-to-day mental functioning, and to keep me in a generally buoyant mood. Apart from that, numerous B vitamins play critical roles in promoting optimal skin health. For example, thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3) and pantothenic acid (B5) all help to reduce redness in the skin and strengthen its barrier function. Some even have proven effects in reducing acne breakouts.

(However, it is worth noting that there was a study that looked into acneiform eruptions caused by vitamin B12 , also known as cobalamin. Although the breakouts were pretty gruesome, the patients made a full recovery between 3-5 weeks of stopping the oral B12 supplements.)

The B-Complex supplement that I take is also combined with zinc, which is said to contribute to regulating the body’s immune responses, by activating T lymphocytes. And here’s something I’m quite proud of – I am rarely ill, even though I may occasionally be surrounded by coughing, sneezing children (schoolyards are fantastic bacterial breeding grounds, aren’t they?). Prior to taking B-Complex supplements, although I would generally consider myself as healthy (I exercise and eat moderately), I would still succumb to coughs and colds that my kids bring home from school. Now, no longer.

All in all, it’s a good combination of vitamins that work in tandem to enhance the body’s natural resistance to infections, with a pleasant additional effect of giving your skin a healthy glow.

I’m taking 1 tablet a day, as recommended on the product label.

What You Can Do Right Now

1. Do your own research

You must want to understand how and why a particular supplement works, what its recommended dosage is, its side effects and safety considerations. You might find that it may not suit you, or you may stumble upon something else that makes more sense to try, in your particular situation.

2. See your physician and seek his or her advice

This is especially important if you have underlying medical conditions, or are taking any medications routinely. If you can’t make a trip there personally, even a phone call would be better than no communication at all. Even though these supplements are very common, and may be very familiar to you, it would be best to consult your doctor if you intend to start taking these to help with your skin condition. You never know if any of these seemingly harmless things could interfere with the efficacy of your other medications, or even bodily functions.

3. Be observant, and be patient.

Once you get the go ahead to start taking a supplement, always observe for any unwanted side-effects, especially within the first 1-3 days. Then if you choose to continue, you will need to allow for several weeks, or even months to pass before you assess its efficacy for you. Don’t give up after just 2-3 weeks. Some effects take longer to develop than others. Be patient.

4. Avoid taking a whole slew of new supplements all at once

You won’t be able to tell which one is yielding what effect! Instead, try one at a time for 3-4 weeks and observe any changes to your body or skin in that period, and make a judgement call about whether you would want to continue taking it.

Conclusion

Balanced nutrition and some supplementation of essential vitamins and minerals is going to give your skin its best shot at getting into its healthiest possible state. Regardless of your skincare regime, no matter how much money you spend on expensive cosmetics, it will all be for nought if you don’t look into the fundamental conditions needed for healthy skin, through nutrition.

It may take time for the effects to kick in, but I can personally vouch for the notion that the long-term benefits of nourishing your body well, will be worth the wait.

As I mentioned at the start of this post, I am no medical expert and I am not making explicit recommendations for you to take these supplements to fix your skin issues. This list is by no means exhaustive. Please consult your general physician or dermatologist to get his or her advice that is tailored to your specific condition.

What I do hope is to at least offer you some insights into the possible routes you can consider in taking charge of your own skin’s wellbeing, based on my own experiences.

Was this article helpful for you? Please share it with your friends and family! You can also leave a comment below, or write to me anytime at michelle@kindersoaps.com. I’d love to hear from you.

Wishing you all the best on your journey to better skin!

On 5th December 2018, the Soapful project by Sunway Hotels and Resorts was announced to the public at a media event, where it pledged its commitment to fulfilling the 12th of 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which is to do with responsible consumption and production. Specifically, with regards to addressing the usual practice in the hospitality industry which is to discard used hotel soap bars after just a handful of uses.

(Read the story that was carried by The Star in their Metro section.)

In this particular project, Sunway Hotels is partnering with Ecolab (a global company that provides water, hygiene and energy technologies to all sorts of industries – you should visit their website, their range of services is astounding), and Kinder Soaps to undertake the recovery and repurposing of used hotel soap bars collected from its various properties around Peninsular Malaysia, and then distributing it to the Selangor Youth Community (SAY) as a possible means for them to engage in entrepreneurship training amongst young adults.

Kinder Soaps took the first delivery of roughly 100kg of Sunway’s used hotel soap bars, cleaned and repurposed them, and produced 1,000bars which were then presented to Pertubuhan Kebajikan Anak Yatim Darul Ehsan Malaysia (PKAYDEM) at the media launch.

(Pauses to take a mental breath)

This is a something significant to us, as it involves Kinder Soaps in a movement that extends far beyond what I imagined our company could achieve on its own. We have been working on this project since July this year. Actually come to think of it, the whole thing began in May – and it very nearly didn’t materialise at all. Here’s what happened (the story you won’t find reported in the media):

Amidst the slightly more frenzied pace of work in the middle of the year, I took a call from one of Ecolab’s staff who told me about this soap recycling project they had in mind. After finding out who Ecolab was, and understanding the size of their typical client (they had yet to mention who their client was for this particular project), I suggested that they try to look up a bigger soap manufacturer in NPRA’s list of cosmetics manufacturers – because I thought Kinder Soaps was far too small to take it on. They accepted my suggestion, and I thought, that was that.

June rolled around, and yet another email arrived from Ecolab from a different member of staff, enquiring about the possibility of collaborating on a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) project related to soap recycling. Again, I found myself suggesting them an alternative to working with us, because we had no excess soap to offer them for their original CSR activity (plus, that was the period when we were preparing for our GMP audit, so we were all a little flustered from making sure that we had our paperwork etc in order before the auditors were due to visit the studio). I thought it was such a pity we wouldn’t be able to work with them, but I also felt we would not be in a position to effectively help them in the long run because of our limited supply of soap scraps to recycle. If you are a regular customer with us, you’d know we only make as much soap as our customers require – and we often find ourselves out of stock for the more popular ones.

Finally however, in July I met with Ecolab Singapore and Malaysia’s Managing Director, Mr Ong Kian Tick, where he revealed who their client was, and what they had in mind for the CSR project. He introduced Kinder Soaps to Sunway Hotels and Resorts’ CEO André Scholl, its Regional Senior General Manager Kelly Leong, and Group Director of Brand Marketing & Communications, Farizal Jaafar. At that first meeting, I still remember feeling like I was in an out-of-body experience, not quite believing what we were discussing around the table, and who I was with.

We were essentially presented with a long-term opportunity to actually do something to recover perfectly usable soap, and save them from being tossed into landfills. Packaged in paper, the way I would be happy with. No plastic shrink wrap. Everything done by hand, and we would be able to pass along our know-how about soap rebatching to the disenfranchised, which would hopefully give them access to a skill that could potentially stir up their entrepreneurial spirit. While it isn’t the perfect solution to curbing soap waste from the hospitality industry, I think it’s still a step in the right direction to get society thinking about what it really means to adopt more sustainable consumption habits.

What noone else realised was that I had been thinking about soap recycling as a service for Kinder Soaps, for years. But at the back of my mind, I also knew we just didn’t have the kind of network nor resources to actively pursue it, especially since we are already so caught up with business-as-usual. And yet somehow, someone took a gamble on contacting us, connected all the dots and eventually made my dream a reality – even after I had voluntarily turned down the opportunity twice.

I can’t think of a better Christmas gift for Kinder Soaps (actually, I can – it’s that we rapidly reach more new customers so we can sell more soap in the long run, haha…! XD You can check out our soap bars here).

Seriously though, I’m so grateful at how things have panned out so far for the Soapful project. It has been quite a challenge to reach this stage (many rounds of trial and error to figure out the most efficient way to rebatch the used hotel soap bars – it’s pretty tedious work, I can tell you that). Our production crew pulled many long days and nights to ensure everything got done and delivered on time for the launch. Hopefully there won’t be any more 2am soap wrapping sessions after this…! And we had the privilege of working with a bunch of lovely people from Sunway’s PR and Communications team, namely Farizal, Stephanie, Chandrika and Jen Mun – thank you all for the hard work you did to make everything come together. I’m sorry I gave you a heart attack by getting the delivery numbers wrong at the last minute. :”) Looking forward to continuing to develop the Soapful programme through the year with you all.

As always, I believe we wouldn’t be where we are today, were it not for the continued support from our suppliers, customers, friends and family all these years. Thank you so much.

Speaking of family, the 5th of December is also my father’s birthday! So that same evening as the media launch, my family all got together to celebrate his 68th trip around the sun:

I attribute my optimism, curiosity and sense of idealism to my dad. It’s genetic, perhaps somewhat perplexing to people who don’t understand our brand of humour, and it’s contagious. Happy birthday Daddy, this “win” for Kinder Soaps is dedicated to you, and Mummy. <3

More writeups, videos and blogposts on the event:

Newspapers

• The Star Online
• Berita Harian

Blogs

• Hans Hanis (Thank you for making the effort to insert your own commentary on the event, I enjoyed reading it!)
• Sunshine Kelly
• Malaysian Foodie
• Tall Pisces Girl

News Portals

• Selangorkini.my
• SelangorTV.my

Videos

• Sienny Loves Drawing 
• eRayn3 Channel

Instagram

• Tags: SunwaySoapful

In Petaling Jaya

Foh Peng Medical & Trading Co

No. 9 SS 22/ 23 Damansara Jaya,
47400, Petaling Jaya,
Selangor
Phone: 03-7727 3258

Opening hours: best to call to enquire

This place is just downstairs from our shop. If you’d like to collect your online orders on a day when we are closed, you can ask our Sunshines to leave your order with Foh Peng’s staff. Just be sure to collect it promptly.

Nude The Zero Waste Store

3G, Jalan 19/29, Seksyen 19
46300 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor

Opening Hours: Tues-Sun 11am till 7pm

In Kuala Lumpur

The Hive Bulk Foods

Bangsar

2A, Lorong Maarof, Bangsar Park,
59000 Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Phone: 03-2202 0707

Opening hours: 9am till 7pm daily

Ampang

1F, Hock Choon Supermarket,
241 Jalan Ampang,
50450 Kuala Lumpur
Phone: 011-1144 3887

Opening hours: 9am till 7pm daily

A Bit Less Bulk Store

20, Jalan Ambong 4, Kepong Baru,
52100 Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur

Opening hours: 10am till 7:30pm daily

And here is a terrific little café that I personally frequent, which has a lot of heart:

Rubberduck

60 Jalan Sri Hartamas 1, Plaza Damas,
Lot K-0-8B (Ground Floor), Dorchester Service Apartment,
50480 Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Phone: 03-6206 1832

Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 8am till 8pm; Weekends 8am till 6pm

Stray Folk

137b Jalan Aminuddin Baki,
Taman Tun Dr Ismail
60000 Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur
Phone: 03-7494 4276

Opening Hours: 10am till 9pm daily

For the first time ever, Kinder Soaps will be hosting an Open Day, where you can come and meet the handful of people who make, inspect, package, ship and answer questions about our products. We’ll also be conducting mini “tours” to our production area, and have some light snacks and drinks for you. You can also stock up on soap – there will be a one-day, in-store-only special offer available.

We aren’t expecting a huge crowd, so this is a good opportunity for those of you who would like to ask us pretty much anything about Kinder Soaps, and get responses right away, in person.

We’d love to welcome you! Please RSVP to ask@kindersoaps.com as soon as you can so we can have a better estimate on how much food to prepare.

Date: Saturday, 28th July 2018
Time: 11:00am – 4:00pm
Venue: 11A-A (First Floor), Jalan SS 22/23, Damansara Jaya, 47400 Petaling Jaya
Phone: +603-77320955

So this is what we’re going to do, from now on:

• All our parcels will be going out in kraft or manila paper envelopes or cardboard boxes, with our items wrapped and protected with paper GEAMI wrap.
• We will forgo using the outer plastic sleeves that courier services provide us.
• We are replacing cellophane tape with paper tape.

And yes, we’ll still be able to hold our consignment notes to the odd-shaped envelopes, without relying on clear plastic windows.

Here’s how we’ll do it, and you can follow along too!

Step 1: Gather your materials

You will need:

• An envelope, roomy enough to fit your item(s) in and wide enough to accommodate your courier’s consignment note / airway bill,
• Scrap paper
• Scissors
• Good quality glue

Step 2: Make paper corners

Cut 2 strips of paper, about 2 x 4 fingers wide. They need to be fairly wide, in order to hold your consignment note securely on the envelope.

Fold each end down to make a 90º angle in the middle of the strip. This is your paper corner.

Cap diagonally-opposing corners of your consignment note with your paper corners, if you are only using 2. Otherwise, cap all 4 corners.

Step 3: Position your consignment note on envelope, glue down paper corners

Step 4: Insert contents and seal envelope

…et voilà, your plastic-free parcel is ready to go!

Also, it would be a good idea to write your addressee’s details directly onto the envelope, and include the courier’s consignment note number too.

We’ll do the same paper corner trick with our parcels that go out in boxes, or at least glue the whole consignment note down onto the parcel and cap the corners where the duplicates open up, just to make sure the paper doesn’t flap around during transit.

I hope this gives you an idea of how you too can go plastic-free with your shipments.