Tiny Travels: This tiny soap store in Carlton is heaven scent

Wash your hands, yes. But with so many hand-washings every day, and travel difficult, let me propose something different: Soap Travel.

Think I’m nuts? There’s a little store in Carlton with a big social media presence behind it that makes it happen, and it might just be your new favorite scent shop. It’s called Rough Cut Soap Co. and is the real-life project of all-around maker extraordinaire Tanya Braukman, a firm believer in healthy self-care products.

“Other soaps are gross and full of harmful chemicals and toxins your body does not appreciate,” Braukman said.

Six years ago, Braukman started reading the ingredients on everything she bought, realizing that most of the products she used contained harsh chemicals and artificial ingredients. By 2014, she was selling at local farmer’s markets and art shows. 

It’s no surprise to see that Rough Cut is killing it on Instagram. There, 45,000 followers get regular glimpses of what Braukman is cooking up in her Carlton lab. The bars of soap are a visual feast incorporating in-season blooms and botanicals, bold and soft colors, and materials and ingredients that are favorites in the self-care world.

Now, “healthy + handmade” informs everything at the store on Carlton’s Main Street. The store is an homage to great self-care products and ladies’ fineries, with hand-made, independent products from the craft, body care, jewelry and accessories lines. 

But those soaps, tho. 

Here are a few examples: 

The company’s popular Sandalwood and Bergamot soap includes natural oils like Saponified Oils of Olive, Coconut, Castor, Avocado, Jojoba, Argan & Babussa alongside essential oils like Bergamot and Sandalwood. Charcoal, Indigo Clay, Lava Salt, Poppy Seeds, Cornflower & Witch-Hazel add some material and aesthetic love to the mix.

Braukman is known to have fun with her product arrivals, with regular seasonal changes and limited-edition runs, like the rainbow-colored LOVE IS LOVE soap she launched for Pride Week in June. 

One of her all-time bestsellers is a Sea Mud cold-process soap. The maker sources sea mud from the Dead Sea, which is rich in magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron. Ingredients include Saponified Oils of Olive, Coconut, Avocado, Jojoba, Castor & Shea Butter as well as Rosemary & Peppermint Essential Oils & Sea Mud.

Rough Cut Soap Co. has more autumn and winter-themed bars coming off the line as of October 1st, such as Winter Solstice, Holly and Sugar Plum, along with three new creations perfect for the season.

If you go:

Wear your mask, but be prepared for a sensual journey!

Buy Rough Cut Soap Co. products in McMinnville at:

Found Objects
512 NE 3rd St.
(503) 474-3711

Accessory Appeal
520 NE 3rd St.
(503) 472-5856

Emily Grosvenor is the Editor of Oregon Home magazine and head storyteller of #mcminnvilledentist. Follow her on Instagram @emilygrosvenor.

---