For many years, winter meant the return of the same exhausting problem.
The itching usually began behind my knees, then travelled along my thighs and settled stubbornly around my ankles. Some nights, I scratched until my skin bled. The redness and marks would remain long after the worst of the itching had passed.
As soon as the temperature dropped, it felt as though my skin no longer knew how to be comfortable.
The advice I received from doctors was always similar:
Stay away from soap. All kinds of soap.
At the time, I found this confusing. Yet the question remained quietly in the back of my mind: what exactly was soap, and why could it affect our skin so differently?
How Soap Found Its Way Back to Me
Around ten years ago, after living with this cycle for so long, I became curious about what I was using on my skin and began researching how soap was made.
As I read, an old memory from school returned to me. I cannot remember whether I was in Year 7 or Year 9, but I remember a chemistry teacher showing our class the basic equation behind soapmaking. He also told us that during a difficult period in his family’s life, he had made soap to sell.
At the time, it was simply a story from a chemistry lesson. I could not have known that I would remember it so many years later—or that soap would also become such an important part of my own life.
Perhaps my curiosity grew because I have always loved making things with my hands. Then, almost as if the timing had arranged itself, the woman who would become my soapmaking teacher moved her business very close to my home.
I booked one lesson in 2016.
That was all it took. After that first class, I was completely hooked. I loved the oils, the chemistry, the transformation and the anticipation of cutting open a new batch. What began as curiosity quickly became a passion—perhaps even a little obsession.
I continued learning and experimenting with many different oils, ingredients and styles of soap. I wanted to understand how each formula behaved and how it felt in use.
Yet, no matter how much I experimented, I kept returning to olive oil.
Learning What Soap Really Is
As I learned more, I began to understand that the word soap is often used for almost everything found beside a bathroom sink—but not every cleansing bar is technically soap.
Some commercial bars are traditional soaps made through saponification. Others are syndet bars made with synthetic cleansing agents. Some liquid body washes are strongly fragranced and highly cleansing; others are carefully formulated for sensitive skin.
Synthetic does not automatically mean harsh, just as natural does not automatically mean gentle.
Traditional soap is naturally alkaline, and it will not suit every skin type or every skin condition. Mild, soap-free cleansers can be extremely important for people with eczema, dermatitis or skin that cannot tolerate traditional soap.
That is something I respect, and it is why I would never tell someone to ignore the advice of their doctor or dermatologist.
My story is not proof that olive oil soap will work for everyone. It is simply the story of what I discovered worked for me.
Why I Kept Returning to Olive Oil
After that first lesson, I continued learning and experimenting with many different oils, ingredients and styles of soap. I wanted to understand how each formula behaved, how it changed during curing and how it felt in use.
Yet, no matter how much I experimented, I kept returning to olive oil.
There was something about its simplicity that suited both my skin and the kind of maker I wanted to become.
I gradually stripped my own routine back: fewer bottles, fewer fragrances and fewer products used simply because I thought I was supposed to use them.
Eventually, I began making pure Castile soap with Australian olive oil and allowing it to mature slowly. No artificial colours, no synthetic lather boosters and no heavy perfume—just a thoughtfully made bar given plenty of time.
Some of my Castile bars are now cured for a full 365 days. The long cure does not turn soap into medicine, nor does it make the soap suitable for everyone. It gives the bar time to become harder, drier, and more refined in use, with the dense, creamy lather I have come to love.
What Changed for Me
I did not experience an overnight transformation.
I continued using Castile consistently and stayed committed to a simpler routine. Gradually, the winters became easier. Then one year, I realised I was no longer scratching my legs until they bled. The relentless itching had eased, the redness was no longer constant, and my skin felt far more comfortable.
I cannot say that one product alone explains every change. Skin is affected by health, weather, age, environment and many other things.
I can only tell you what I personally noticed: when I simplified the way I washed and began using my mature olive oil soap, my relationship with my skin changed.
Instead of constantly searching for the next product, I began to feel that what I already had might be enough.
Eventually, Simplicity Reached My Hair
Over time, I also began using my mature Castile soap to wash my hair.
Again, it was not something that worked perfectly overnight. I gave myself time to become familiar with the bar and the way my own hair responded.
Today, my 365-day Castile soap works beautifully for my hair. It feels soft and simply like my own hair—not coated to create an artificial kind of smoothness. Most of the time, I do not need conditioner after washing.
This will not be everyone’s experience. Hair type, scalp condition, water hardness, colouring and styling habits can all affect whether a traditional soap bar feels suitable.
But for me, one simple bar gradually replaced many of the bottles I once thought I needed.
Simplicity in a Busy Life
I am a single mother of three, and I am determined to keep my business moving forward, so life is often busy.
Perhaps that is one reason I have come to love a simpler way of living—not only as a beautiful idea, but as something practical that makes everyday life feel a little lighter.
Sometimes I take simplicity so far that I forget to apply any skincare after showering. Yet even during a cold Melbourne winter, my skin often remains comfortable, and I reach for body lotion or balm much less frequently than I once did.
That does not mean moisturiser is unnecessary. It simply means that, at this stage of my life, my own skin often asks for less.
The purpose of simplifying is not to prove that we can live without everything. It is to understand what we genuinely need.
Why This Became The Australian Olive Oil Soap
My experience with winter skin was not the only reason I began making soap, but it became an important part of the direction I chose.
The bars we make at The Australian Olive Oil Soap reflect what I came to value through that journey:
- Australian olive oil at the heart of our soap
- Simple, clearly explained ingredients
- Scent-free choices
- Traditional small-batch soapmaking
- Time and patience instead of unnecessary complexity
- Honesty about what soap can—and cannot—do
- Our soap is not a treatment for eczema or any other medical condition. It is not guaranteed to suit every person, and it should never replace professional medical advice.
It is simply a traditional olive oil soap, made carefully and allowed to mature slowly.
For my own skin and hair, that simplicity has made a profound difference. For someone else, the right choice may be entirely different—and that is okay.
Care should not begin with fear, pressure or extravagant promises.
Sometimes it begins with curiosity, paying attention and allowing one small discovery to lead us somewhere we never expected.
For me, it began with one soapmaking lesson very close to home.
— Amy
If you have eczema, dermatitis, broken skin or an ongoing skin concern, please follow the advice of your healthcare professional. The Eczema Association Australasia generally recommends mild, soap-free cleansers for eczema-prone skin.