John and Cheryl Alexander of Gwyn's Natural Soaps had been making soap for a number of years. They first began making it for themselves, and then for neighbors and friends at Christmas time.

Before they made soap for others, they started making soap at home due to skin sensitivities that were exacerbated by ingredients in commercially available soaps.

People can have reactions to soap for a variety of reasons.

“Commercially made soaps are harsh and dry out your skin,” John Alexander said.

Cheryl Alexander added that store bought soaps can contain unexpected ingredients like wheat that can cause problems for people who are gluten intolerant.

It was this last winter when they started to think about making soap as a business.

"We were making soap with a vengeance, just to get through the winter," Cheryl Alexander said.

"After we gave soap to friends and neighbors to try they said, 'wow, you could sell this.'"

The Alexanders make cold press soap, which involves heating lye and then stirring a blend of natural ingredients rapidly until they cool. Through a chemical reaction, the lye is neutralized, leaving a natural soap that uses only grapefruit seed extract as a preservative.

The soap is then cured for a month or longer, becoming increasingly gentle with age.

The scents in the soap are created using essential oils and other elements. Their most popular soap, English Countryside, is made with a combination of essential oils and petals from the calendula flower.

Their soap business is named after their daughter, Gwyn, who sometimes helps with the family business by illustrating the labels that wrap the soap.

Gwyn's grandparents are involved as well, creating pottery soap dishes that are sold alongside the soaps.

The Alexanders say that their first year at the Kingfield and Fulton markets has been successful so far. “We have a-lot of repeat customers,” John Alexander said.

You can find John and Cheryl Alexander selling their handmade soap at the Kingfield and Fulton Farmers Markets monthly.