Hi, I am Adriana, the beekeeper from South Mountain Bees, and in 2014, a couple of years after getting our first bees, I started accumulating beeswax in our freezer. Beeswax is a natural byproduct of harvesting honey. The bees turn flower nectar into honey through a process of mixing the nectar with enzymes and dehydrating it to go from a watery nectar to the thick texture of honey. When the bees get honey to the thickness they like, they seal it with a paper-thin layer of beeswax, and that’s what we collect when we harvest and extract honey. We shave off that thin layer of beeswax, to expose the liquid gold we call honey.
I was trying to figure out what to do with the beeswax, and after a few experiments making an amazing furniture polish, (I’ll tell you more about it some other time), I decided it was time to learn the old-fashioned way to make soap. After refining my formula with a blend of oils and beeswax the honey soap was created.
Fast forward 8 years, and the honey soap is one of our best sellers. I often come across people around town telling me how much they like the soap, and what a game changer it has been to their skin care routine.
Here's a review from Mary Kate, one of our clients:
"I received a bar of this soap in a lovey gift box full of south mountain bees treats and it was my favorite component. The bar lasted a long time in my bathroom, which saw us washing our hands constantly this summer. The soap never dried out our hands, it actually provided a welcome layer of moisture. It has a nice, light scent. I highly recommend this soap!"
And this one is from Lisa:
“Today I pampered myself.
I indulged in a long hot bath and tried my first bar of silky glorious and luxurious lemon balm soap made by Adriana from South Mountain Bees - a delight to the senses and so very magically moisturizing. All grown and made in South Orange just like Adriana’s delectable award winning raw honey.
I need more days like these and more of South Mountain Bees amazing products.”