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In Focus: Soaps from Scratch

Emily and Phill Christiansen create hand-made specialty soaps

By Greg Lindstrom
Chickadee Soaps in Kalispell on March 11, 2016. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon

Emily Christiansen first made soap a year-and-a-half ago while crafting with friends. She appreciated that the end result produced something practical and useful, and the project became a hobby she could work on while her two young children napped.

“It’s just a way to keep myself sharp and my interests continue to grow as I’m a mom with littles,” she said.

The hobby turned into a business nine months ago, and Emily and her husband, Phill, have now sold thousands of bars of soap.

Emily is the creative side of the team, mixing oils, fragrances and exfoliates to create the soap, while Phill uses his logical and technical skills to design the company website and sell the product.

“It’s fun to have something where our opposite strengths can work together,” Emily said.

The Christiansens are cognizant of the products they expose their children to, and made it a point to create a healthy soap. They use mainly food-grade oils as the base for the cold-processed soap.

“It’s not a bunch of chemicals, stuff on the side of a box that you can’t read,” said Phill.

For more information about the specialty soaps, visit www.chickadeesoaps.com.

Emily Christiansen cuts bars of specialty soap made with orange and peppermint essential oils on March 11, 2016. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Emily Christiansen cuts bars of soap made with orange and peppermint essential oils. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon