Meeting with Harmonie GUERET, in her small workshop in Saint Christophe.
If I sing to you: “mix it all up, and what do you get? bibidibobidibou”…. You know that the magic will not take long to operate of course! In her small workshop in Saint Christophe, the sparkling Harmonie makes her soaps with unique and long-worked recipes... with a hint of magic. Without a fairy wand but with organic or local ingredients, chemistry works to obtain soaps that are gentle on the skin. The name of his workshop sounds obvious: Magikabou.
It was during her travels (especially in Asia and South America) that she became aware of the surrounding pollution and decided to create her own DIY products. Added to this is the allergies of a loved one to a component present in almost all toiletries. Harmonie therefore decides to embark on this new challenge, which she likes to the point of creating a soap factory. She then trained with Nature and Limousin 3 years ago.
Based in the town of Saint Christophe, it carefully prepares each recipe, then validated by a toxicologist. It now has 2 ranges of soaps: a body and face for all skin types, with or without essential oils (sensitive skin, goat's milk, exfoliants, shaving, etc.) and a household range where you will of course find a superb Cinderella soap! A soap-shampoo will soon be added to these creations.
Harmonie and her Magikabou workshop in Saint Christophe©Aimée Communication
WE love :
Seeded paper packaging, which will then flower your garden!
It uses a very special process, that of cold saponification, which respects the raw materials. Instead of being heated to high temperatures, the mixture rises to 45° or 50° degrees, which preserves the quality of the ingredients. Mixing the heated butters and the liquid mixture based on caustic soda will give a paste that is sometimes light, sometimes thicker. It stays in the mold for 24 to 48 hours. Then comes the demolding and cutting, with a very special machine, quite similar to a musical instrument since the cutting wires are guitar strings!
Drying is long: it takes between 1 month to 5 months, depending on the oils used in the soaps. In 1 month of drying, the soap loses almost 10g of water; but this makes it a product that keeps for years if kept dry and airy.
Harmonie likes to share her magical recipes, and offers workshops on site (limited number of participants) or at home, from 16 years old, to those who wish. Soon, parent-child courses will be offered for the little ones.
You can find its products at the Au Pré des Saveurs store in Marans, at the Oeufs d'Antan in Andilly, at the Epiculien in Landrais, at Plume de Créateurs in Surgères or at Kaboom in La Rochelle. Its soaps will also be in the ephemeral shop of our local counters in Surgères and Marans from June 26 to July 31, 2023!
Upcoming workshop dates:
Wednesday June 14 at St Christophe from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Wednesday June 21 (parent/child workshop) at Villa Nymphea (La Jarrie) from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Wednesday June 28 at St Christophe from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
