FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

1) What is Relish Handcrafts?

Relish Handcrafts is a Nova Scotia–based small business creating handmade natural skincare and functional home decor products, including cold process soaps, soy candles, and handcrafted concrete vessels. Each item is made in small batches with quality ingredients and attention to detail.

2) Are your products natural? Quality? Fresh? Safe?

Yes! We focus on using a broad-spectrum of natural, skin-loving ingredients such as plant-based oils (Hemp Seed, Jojoba, Castor Seed, Tallow, Coconut, Grape Seed, Rice Bran) , butters (Shea, Cocoa, Kokum), clays, and essential oils whenever possible. Our goal is to create gentle, effective products without unnecessary additives.

Our skincare products are primarily sourced from Botanic Planet (Ontario) and you can read about their Quality Commitment here. The majority of ingredients used are replenished early in the year and labeled with shelf-life best-before dates of one year. Shelf-life is extended with preservative and anti-oxidant. 

Products containing water are preserved with a broad-spectrum (Paraben-free) preservative which provides for complete preservation against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, yeast, and mold. Products containing oils are stabilized with Vitamin E (Tocopherol), which is a powerful anti-oxidant that slows the oxidation of oils/butters and is also great for skin health.

 

3) Are your skin-care products sulfate-free?

Yes, all of our skin-care products are sulfate, paraben, and phthalate free! Our cold process soaps are made through traditional saponification using the most nourishing oils and butters. They cleanse without the harsh detergents commonly found in commercial body washes.

Some of our products contain sulfate-free surfactants, used to boost cleansing and foaming (like my foaming sugar scrubs, foot scrub, bath bombs, and soon-to-come shampoo bars). Customers commonly confuse these two s-words, so lets be clear: 

Surfactants are the ingredients that make a product clean. Sulfates are a stronger/harsher type of surfactant, while sulfate-free surfactants use gentler cleansing ingredients that won’t strip the skin’s natural moisture.

4) What makes cold process soap better?

Cold process soapmaking produces saponified-oils (surfactant) and glycerin, a humectant that helps draw moisture to the skin. Additionally, our handmade soaps are 5% superfatted, yielding a product:

  • Gentle and moisturizing

  • hard consistency and long-lasting

  • scented or unscented

  • Made in small batches for quality

5) Are your products good for sensitive skin?

Our products are formulated with simple ingredients to be gentle and moisturizing, making them suitable for many skin types, including sensitive skin. Our scents are paraben and phthalate-free, and may be suitable even for those with scent-sensitivities.

6) Do you use essential oils or fragrance oils?

Both! Many of our products are scented with essential oils, and some may include high-quality (paraben and phthalate-free) fragrance oils for scent stability (candles and soaps) and variety. Each product listing clearly states the scent type.

7) Where are you located?

Relish Handcrafts is proudly based in Nova Scotia, with a seasonal shop located at 1781 N Main street, in Westville.  While the shop's accessibility is weather-dependent, products are always available for free local delivery or I can always meet you at the shop's large parking lot, which is kept cleared of snow.

8) How long do your handmade soaps last?

Our soaps are intentionally formulated with plenty of hard oils (Coconut/Palm/Tallow/Hydrogenated soybean oil) for this specific reason. When kept dry between uses, our soaps typically last  4-8 weeks or longer. For best results, store on a draining soap dish and keep away from standing water.

9) Are your products eco-friendly?

We strive to reduce our environmental impact by:

  • Using minimal or recyclable packaging 

  • Making products in small batches

  • Choosing biodegradable, plant-based ingredients when possible

Our Palm Oil is sourced from Candora Soap (Alberta), who sources their segregated Palm Oil from suppliers who are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and certified suppliers of RSPO.

10) Do you offer local pickup or shipping?

We offer (discounted) shipping across Canada, free local delivery and local pickup options. All are available options from the drop-down menu when choosing shipping through this website. 

11) Are your candles natural? Zero-waste?

Yes! Our zero-waste refill-inserts set us apart from the competition. Our candles are made with plant-based soy wax, a cleaner-burning alternative to paraffin. They are hand-poured in small batches and available in reusable concrete vessels.

12) Do you make custom or gift orders?

Yes! We offer custom orders and gift options for special occasions, holidays, and events and we specialize in gift baskets. Contact us to discuss your needs.