Soothing soap in the desert

“What can I wrap for you?” asks Greg Richardson, cheerfully counting out change for a customer.

Richardson is the sales and marketing arm of Desert Oasis Soap Co.; Tim Rayes is the soap maker. After years of visiting Southern Arizona as snowbirds, both moved to the Tucson area full time about eight years ago.

Richardson explains that it was actually a supply problem that caused the two men to begin their business. He says, “Tim’s mother makes the absolute best lemon meringue pie in the world.”

So, when Arizona’s arid climate parched and cracked those pie-making hands, threatening a return to the Pacific Northwest, Tim immediately went to work to find a cure. He found it in soap. Now, that soap keeps Tim’s mother’s hands soft and supple so Tim’s parents stay longer and the men can get their world’s best lemon meringues pies, all while running a busy enterprise. It’s a happy ending for the family — and their customers, too.

Desert Oasis Soap is marketed at five weekly Farmer’s Markets including the Green Valley one. Ours is held every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Green Valley Village. Savvy residents are learning to “Shop the Market First,” where there are now over 80 vendors providing great values, the freshest ingredients and some of the most unusual and useful things imaginable.

Desert Oasis blends extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, aloe and Vitamin E with essential oils and fragrances to produce an array of true and memorable scents that keep customers coming back with ever increasing orders. Two of the newest scents are “Columbia River Breeze” and “Ancient Sedona.” To feel transported there, simply close your eyes and inhale.

“Our recipe is so rich and creamy, not only does it help eliminate dry skin, it’s excellent for shaving as well. We have ‘Muscle Soap’ that can be used as a foot soap, too, and Eucalyptus-Wintergreen that’s great — the wintergreen acts like a natural aspirin. We also have an all natural Bug Be Gone spray and a line of body/linen sprays without alcohol that people just love,” says Richardson. “Our “Lip Rescue” lip balm is fantastic, its got coconut oil, hemp seed oil, mango butter, bees wax, tea tree oil, vitamin E and essential oils. Our Whipped Body Frosting is thicker than regular lotion and silky smooth going on the skin without being greasy.”

The soaps are made from scratch, hand cut and wrapped with a simple, attractive label stating the ingredients and the company’s contact information. Their web store at www.desertoasissoap.com contains all you need to place orders and ask about custom orders as well.

It works to cure Tim’s mother’s cracked skin and keeps her in Southern Arizona to produce a steady stream of lemon meringue pies. And if that’s not enough to convince you, just listen to the comments of the purchasers at the Desert Oasis booth for a few minutes. You’ll come to believe it’s a luxury desert dwellers shouldn’t be without.

Annette Kelly is a freelance writer for the Green Valley News.