The Story of Heartworks Natural Handmade Skincare
Since 1999 Heartworks Handmade Gifts have been crafting products at the Gate Lodge of Charleville Castle, in Tullamore.
Our Skincare Journey
Our skincare journey began in 2015 when we got into producing our own soap. My sister in Philadelphia owns a very successful soap business there called Copa Soaps, and she gave me her secret recipe for my first soaps. These soaps continue to produce a lovely lather and are kind to hands and body
From there we developed our shampoo bars. At that stage we decided to begin to make soaps and shampoo bars without palm oil and we developed another 6 recipes combining locally sourced ingredients.
By 2017 we expanded into body butter, lip balm followed in the same year by Night Face Cream. In 2019 we added cream deodorant, shaving soap and beard balm to our skincare line. In 2020, we developed a new facial oil cleanser using organic oils of sunflower, castor and golden jojoba. We also added to our soap collection with two gift boxes of 4 half bars of soaps. So now, you get to try 4 varieties in the one pack. All our creams, balms and deodorants are free of palm oil and most of our soaps and shampoo bars too.
Heartworks Homemade Handmade Skincare
The soap is handmade cold process soap, made in small batches. Each bar weighs at least 140 grams, measuring 3¼" x 2½"x 1" (8 x 6½ x2½ cm) and is a hard bar with a fine lather.
The ingredients vary but for the most part they consist of;- coconut oil, olive oil, sweet almond oil and shea butter. Our shampoo bars have many of the above ingredients but in addition, carry the wonderful oils of:- jojoba, kukui nut, apricot kernel, avocado and castor oil, these latter mentioned being what differentiate the soap bars from the shampoo bars.
Then the fragrances (all essential oils) are:- lavender, lemongrass, ylang ylang, clove bud, rosemary, eucalyptus and orange. In the newer soaps the additional essential oils used are:- cinnamon, citronella, sweet fennel, vanilla, pine. The shampoo bars have some of the above essential oils but also tea tree, bergamot, cedarwood and lemon.
Some soaps have mixed spices, cocoa powder, rose clay, spirulina or coffee grinds added for colour. Others have organic oatmeal and honey, aloe vera or nettle tea added for nutrition. Poppy seeds and calendula petals are included in some soaps and add both texture and detail to the soap as well as making an exfoliating bar.
We have a soap dish, handmade by ourselves, made from recycled slate, grooved to take away excess water and to allow the soap to sit comfortably and remain dry. Measurements are 4½" x 3" (10cm x 7½cm) . We also offer a locally made ceramic soap dish and in addition a sisal bag. All of these are for holding or carrying the soap bar.
Balms, Creams and Deodorants
Our body butter has been widely welcomed carrying all natural ingredients, such as coconut oil, sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, beeswax, essential oils and homemade calendula oil.
Our face creams also carry wonderful skin loving oils. Go to face creams to get more information.
Check out our lip balms made with coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax
and cream deodorants with lots of different oils and butters along with arrowroot powder and bentonite clay. We haven't forgotten about the menfolk. For them we have the above and in addition we have shaving soap with a lovely creamy lather and beard balm to hold the beard in shape but also to keep it feeling soft and conditioned
We haven't forgotten about the menfolk. For them we have the above and in addition we have shaving soap with a lovely creamy lather and beard balm to hold the beard in shape but also to keep it feeling soft and conditioned
The balms (body butter, beard balm and lip balm), creams and deodorants are made by mixing, blending a combination of skin loving oils together with essential oils, beeswax and other natural ingredients. This mix is then poured or placed into their respective jars/tins.
All our packaging is recyclable and, where possible, compostable. We are committed to recycling and to that end, we recycle all materials that we receive from our suppliers, such as bubble wrap, cardboard boxes and, filler material giving it a chance of a second use. We also hope that you, the customer, will also do your bit in recycling.
No testing has gone on in the process of any of our skincare products. Pure, honest and simple skincare is what you get.
A video made by the Craftlink programme which is funded through the LEADER programme and delivered through Offaly Local Development Company and Westmeath Community Development. Jeff Harvey was the photographer behind the video
All the craftspeople that took part in this project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGzCOUh51j8&feature=youtu.be