Less Is More: Why Your Skin Might Need a Break (And a Bar of Persimmon Soap)

I'm sure you have your own bathing routine. One you've stuck to for years or even decades. You may be pro-bath or pro-shower or swear by a refreshing morning shower or an evening bath. Great! Keep doing that! What I'm going to say next is not meant to change your routine or even question it. I've simply been researching the following questions for my own benefit and thought I'd share what I've found.

• How Often Should I Bathe?
• Should I Bathe More or Less as I Age?
• What's The Deal With Persimmon Soap? 

From what I've read, and from just common sense, how often you bathe really comes down to how dirty and sweaty you get. Naturally if you do hard work or exercise daily, you'll probably want to bathe daily. However if that's not your lifestyle, then bathing less could benefit your skin.  Your friends and family might disagree, but cleansing 2-3 times a week in warm (not hot) water is often plenty.

Normal, healthy skin has a protective layer of oils and good bacteria that protects your skin from dryness and germs. Bathing too often in water that's too hot, scrubbing too hard and using a harsh soap can remove this protection and leave your skin dry, itchy, and irritated. As we age our bodies produce less sebum, the protective layer of oil, and our skin gets thinner and more fragile so bathing too often could leave the skin dry and cracked opening it up to germs.

What about odors though? Nobody wants to smell and unfortunately, we can't always rely on our own sense of smell to inform us if indeed we do. This phenomena, known as nose blindness, happens when your brain stops noticing familiar smells. Your brain desensitizes itself to frequent, familiar scents so it can detect different scents as a survival instinct.

Additionally, starting around 40 years of age, our skin's oils and fatty acids start to break down and oxidize. This occurs with aging because older skin has fewer antioxidants in the skin that help neutralize fatty acids and stops oils from breaking down. Additionally, aging changes the chemical makeup of your skin, creating higher levels of omega-7 fats, specifically, palmitoleic acid which oxidizes more quickly.

When our skin's oils interact with oxygen, they break down into a chemical known as 2-nonenal. This chemical is what causes that musty, grassy, dusty scent. Because 2-nonenal is a waxy, oil soluble fatty acid, it does not dissolve in water. Normal soaps and cleaners simply wash around it. To truly remove it, you need to attack its chemical makeup. This is where persimmon soap comes in.

Persimmon extract contains tannins that naturally bind to and break down 2-nonenal molecules. Persimmons aren't the only source of tannins but the specific kind of tannins in persimmons, known as kaki shibu, are structurally resilient enough to survive the soap making process and remain effective deodorizers. 

After researching all of this, I decided to try my hand at making my own persimmon soap. I love a good technical challenge, and adding fruit to a batch provided a great excuse to experiment with the chemistry of soapmaking. Luckily, persimmons are in season this time of year and I was able to pick up a few at my local grocery store. 

Besides, these deodorizing tannins, persimmons and pretty much all fruit, are high in natural sugars which can speed up saponification—the chemical process that turns fats, oils, and lye into soap. To offset this some, I froze my persimmon extract (blended persimmon fruit) and added it last in the soapmaking process.

I'm quite pleased with the final result and the bars naturally cured to a warm, orange-brown hue.  I chose to scent these bars with a blend of lemon, orange and eucalyptus essential oils. These are not goat milk soaps. I removed the goat milk in favor of the persimmon extract, however, all the other skin soothing ingredients I use in all my bars are still present; olive oil, rice bran oil, castor oil, coconut oil, and cocoa butter. 

These soaps will make a fantastic addition to any skincare routine, whether you want them for their targeted deodorizing benefits or simply love a luxurious, nourishing bar!

A Quick Note: Great Deals and Everyday Savings on My Website

Just a quick note to let you know about some wonderful deals happening right now over on my website!

As you may already know, you can always find my products there for lower prices than on Etsy. Because ordering directly through my own site saves on platform fees, I love being able to pass those savings straight on to you.

Lately, I’ve also been running some great special sales, 

including square dish soaps for six dollars, select goat milk body soaps for six dollars,

hand soap gift sets for ten dollars, and now,

those beautiful handmade ceramic dishes for just twelve dollars!

If you haven't visited the website yet, I’d love for you to check it out. You just might find a great gift idea on sale or something special to treat yourself!

More Than Just Soap: Taking Care of Business Behind the Scenes

Last fall, I finally checked a major item off my to-do list: I created a living trust. For those who aren't familiar, a living trust is a legal document that lets you place your assets—like property, bank accounts, and investments—into a trust. It’s managed for your benefit during your lifetime and then transferred to your designated beneficiaries after you pass away, entirely bypassing the probate court process.

After losing my Dad in 2020 and my Mom in 2024, I had a very clear idea of what I did and didn’t want my heirs to go through. To be fair, my parents didn’t leave me a mess, but there were a few hiccups that could have been avoided with a little more foresight. These hiccups were what I wanted to address in my trust. I can’t tell you what a relief it was to finally make that last trip to the lawyer’s office to get everything notarized.

Lately, though, I’ve been thinking about the things my living trust doesn't address. Specifically, what happens to my Etsy shop and my website if something were to happen to me? I realized I needed detailed, immediate instructions to handle the digital side of my business. If you shop online from independent operators, you’ve probably heard of—or experienced—transactions getting stuck in limbo because a seller became incapacitated. I never want that to happen to my customers. Etsy does have a policy to close a deceased owner's account after executers contact them with the appropriate documentation. I imagine this could take days if not weeks to accomplish. In the meantime buyers may have their money locked up during that period. This is what I'm trying to avoid.

That led me to think about my partner. He’s a watchmaker who repairs antique American-made watches. People send him family heirlooms from all over the world, and it hit me: If something happened to him, how would I know which of the hundreds of watches in his workroom belong to whom? Where are their addresses? How would I make sure those precious items get back to their owners?

After a little research we determined the best way to address these questions was to encrypt necessary passwords and instructions on a micro SD max endurance memory card. This memory card is then stored in our fireproof safe. Instructions to decrypt the file have been given to our heirs. With this bit of business and our living trust completed we can now get back to the business of living

If you ever place an order through my website or my Etsy shop, please know that your order isn't going into a "black hole." I've taken these steps to make sure everything is handled with care, no matter what the future holds.

A Little Shop Update: Shipping News & New Ways to Save

It’s no secret that Etsy has been a huge part of my journey, and I’m so grateful for how it’s helped my business grow and allowed so many long-term customers to find me. While I’m definitely not leaving the platform, I want to be transparent about some necessary changes to my shipping policy.

Because soap is a relatively low-cost item that can be surprisingly heavy to ship, I’ve hit a crossroads. Since I first joined Etsy in 2019, postage prices have climbed over 40%, which means I simply can’t offer free shipping on the platform anymore. I’ve thought a lot about "baking" the shipping cost into the price of each item, but I honestly don’t feel that’s the fairest way to do things. It would mean customers who spend less than $35 would end up subsidizing the shipping for everyone else, and I’d much rather keep my individual prices honest and reasonable.

There is a silver lining, though! As I move more of my business over to my own website, I’m able to offer a better deal for you there. You’ll find lower prices on all of my items across the board, and I’m keeping the free shipping offer for any order over $50. If you haven't had a chance to visit the site yet, I’d love for you to head over and take a look!

Thank you so much for being such an important part of this journey. Your support as I navigate these growing pains means the world to me, and I’m so grateful to have you along for the ride. I can’t wait to see you over at the new shop!

Update: After testing things out for a few weeks, it became clear that removing free shipping from my Etsy shop wasn’t the right move. Etsy’s search algorithm gives significant priority to shops that offer free shipping, and without it, my listings were getting buried at the bottom of the results. To make sure you can still find my products easily, I’ve decided to bring free shipping back to my shop!

New Year, New Look, and New Treats at Lora’s Beauty!

Happy 2026! It is hard to believe we are already a few weeks into the new year. I’ve hit the ground running, and I have some exciting updates to share with you—including a major website overhaul and a brand-new product launch.

✨ Our New & Improved Website (and Better Prices!)

I have FINALLY finished redoing the Lora’s Beauty website! While I made a few aesthetic changes to the front end, the biggest work happened behind the scenes. This new setup makes it much easier for me to manage inventory, add new products, and offer you special deals.

You’ll notice that almost everything on my website is priced lower than in my Etsy shop. Because I don’t have to pay Etsy’s platform fees when you buy directly from me, I can pass those savings right back to you! My goal for 2026 is to move more of my business to the website, and I’d love for you to come take a look.

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👋 The "Last Chance" Sale: $6 Bars

As part of my yearly business check-up, I’ve decided to streamline my inventory. To make room for new creations, I am discontinuing several bars. Once they are gone, they’re gone for good!

You can snag these for just $6.00 on the website ($6.90 on Etsy):

• Spearmint Loofah Bar

• Cedar, Fir, & Cinnamon Bar ( If you are a fan of the Cedar, Fir, & Cinnamon scent, don't worry! While I am retiring the smaller body bar shape, I’ve kept this favorite scent alive in our brand-new 10oz Dish Cube (details below).

• Pink Ribbon Unscented Bar

• Safflower Anise Orange Bar

• Square Dish Soaps 

I am also narrowing down the scent varieties for all solid dish soaps to just the top four best-sellers, including an Unscented variety, per shape. If you have a favorite scent not in the new lineup, now is the time to stock up!

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📦 New Product Alert: The 10oz Dish Cube

I am so excited to introduce a new shape to our dish soap lineup: The Cube.

This is a powerhouse of a bar! While my standard bars range from 2.75oz to 4.5oz, this new cube weighs in at a hefty 10oz. Measuring 2.5" on all sides, it looks beautiful and fits perfectly on my handmade square ceramic dishes.

The Cube is available in these four scents:

1. Cedar, Fir & Cinnamon

2. Orange Ginger Poppyseed

3. Lemon Eucalyptus Calendula

4. Unscented

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Thank you for continuing to support my handmade journey as I grow and evolve in 2026. Head over to the new site and let me know what you think!

Portland Weihnachtsmarkt Recap & Holiday Sale!

What a festive weekend! Last Saturday marked the annual Weihnachtsmarkt at the German American Society in Portland. It is truly one of my favorite holiday events. The air was filled with the scent of roasted nuts and Glühwein, and the halls were buzzing with holiday spirit.

I always look forward to this market, and this year was a highlight! A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by my booth. It was wonderful to share the joy of handmade soap with you all. A special shout-out to my amazing daughter-in-law for lending a hand—we had the best time!

I know many of you are not local and couldn't make it to the market, and after the fantastic response to my last promotion, I wanted to extend the savings!

From now until Christmas, all of my handcrafted body soaps are 20% off in my Etsy shop.

This is the perfect opportunity to stock up on all your gifting needs! Handmade soap makes thoughtful gifts for teachers, stocking stuffers, hostess presents, or just treating yourself!

The sale runs from now through Christmas, so head over to my Etsy shop to grab your favorites before the holiday rush! December 17th is the last day to ship First Class to make it in time for Christmas. As always, I'll get your package in the mail within one day of ordering!

Happy Holidays!

I'm Back! And Get Ready for My Biggest Sale EVER!

Hello, wonderful friends and customers!

I'm officially back from my much-needed vacation, feeling refreshed, inspired, and incredibly excited to be back in the studio. I hope you all had a fantastic October, and for those who stopped by the shop during my absence, thank you for your patience!

Now, let's talk about something truly special. To celebrate my return and to kick off the holiday season with a bang, I'm launching a sale like no other I've ever run before! 20% off EVERTHING! Seriously, this is THE SALE you've been waiting for, and it's the perfect opportunity to stock up on your favorites or get a head start on your holiday gift list.

This spectacular "Welcome Back & Holiday Kick-Off" sale runs from now until November 15th. That gives you just under two weeks to take advantage of these unprecedented savings. 

I'm so thrilled to be back and even more excited to share these amazing deals with you. Head over to my Etsy shop and let the holiday shopping (or self-indulging!) begin!

Happy Shopping!