By Liz Gordon-Hancock
Bluffton Farmers Market is the place to be on Saturday mornings in town. According to the Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce, our town "boasts the best farmers market in northwest Ohio." 

In celebration of our small but mighty farmers market, the Icon will be featuring a market vendor each week over the course of the summer.

This week's feature vendor is Eileen's Natural Soap.

Shiela and Kevin Musser started Eileen's Natural Soap eight years ago. Eileen happens to be Shiela's middle name (and was far easier to spell).

Kevin Musser said "What started out as a Christmas gift one year was so well received that we were advised to start a business. We uncovered the perfect product for Eileen who loves to create and make homemade. What we discovered was a ginormous hunger for products that were real, safe, fun, colorful and personally made."

Eileen's Natural Soap sells handmade soaps, lotions, facial bars, shampoo, poison ivy soap, insect repellent, pain relief cream, headache relief roll-ons, sunscreen, bath bombs, shower melts, pet and baby products, laundry soaps, facial scrub, lip balms and beard oils.

All their products are handcrafted, with safe, natural ingredients. "Everything is real, even down to the colors, which are Mica and not dyes." said Musser.

The soap is made using the cold-process method, with lye and water and then oils. The fragrances come from essential oils. This traditional process guarantees the ingredients and not only natural, but healthy for your skin.

Originally, the Mussers were making their soap out of the kitchen sink at home. But as the business expanded, it started to take over more and more of their house. They decided to build a garage, with a ten by thirty foot "soap shop" on the back end, but outgrew this space within two years.

The Mussers took a leap of faith and bought an old grocery store nearby, with 3500 square feet of space, where 98% of their products are made today.

With this expansion to their business, Musser said "we have discovered how many people are interested in natural, safe, effective and affordable products."

Eileen's Natural Soaps are currently sold in 38 stores across Ohio, mostly supermarkets, including Bluffton's Community Market (see picture below).  For a list of stores which carry these products, check out their website.

Bluffton's farmers market is the only market Eileen's currently sells at, and they've been selling for six years.

To find out more, go to Eileen's Natural Soap on Facebook, or contact Shiela at 937-620-4181. Eileen's business is based at 80 S. Main St., Fort Loramie.

About the Bluffton Farmer’s Market
This story is part of a summer series on Bluffton Farmers Market vendors. The market is open each Saturday through the end of October from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Citizens National Bank parking lot, 102 S. Main St. For vendor information, contact Greg Probst, market director, at blufftonfarmersmarket@embarqmail.com.

Next week's vendor featured will be Seasonal Sun Farm.