Soaps of the South, Part 1: Sassafras Grove

I’ve always had this weird attachment to sassafras. No idea why. Maybe it’s my love of root beer (Barqs ftw!). Or maybe it’s the way filé finishes a pot of gumbo (mmm….gumbo). It’s one of my favorite trees, and we have two massive ones and a lot of babies in our backyard (because sassafras like to grove).

I take so much joy in discovering the plants and trees growing around us — and figuring out how to make the most of them. Nature has so much to offer! (But modern medicine is still important, y’all. Both can coexist — balance is the key.)

As much as I’ve loved my soaps, they’ve always felt a little disconnected from our roots and purpose. Then I saw someone asking about a kudzu-scented soap (yes, that’s a real thing!), and the lightbulb went off.

Soaps of the South was born — a seasonal journey through the flora of the South, exploring the skin-loving benefits of the plants and trees that raised me. From kudzu to pine, magnolia to okra, there’s a world of goodness waiting just beyond the backyard fence.

When I started on my Soaps of the South journey, I knew I had to start with sassafras. So here it is — my test batch of Sassafras Grove. It’s made with tallow, shea butter, and olive oil, steeped in a strong sassafras leaf tea, and naturally colored with filé and cocoa powder.

Let me pause for a second just to clarify something. The root bark of the sassafras tree is what originally flavored root beer. It contains safrole, which is a know carcinogen. We don't play with the root bark around here. Our sassafras soap is made with tea made from the leaves and filé, which is also made from the leaves. Now back to your regularly scheduled blog.

So why sassafras?

Because sassafras feels like home. It’s the smell of the woods after rain, the spice of gumbo simmering on the stove, the rooty sweetness of a summer float. It’s wild, resilient, and a little old-fashioned — just like the South itself. (Seriously. Try to get rid of sassafras. Good luck.)

In soap, sassafras brings that same grounded energy: gentle cleansing, soft earth tones, and a whisper of forest magic in every lather. It’s soothing, mildly astringent, and rich in antioxidants — a reminder that sometimes the best care still comes from the land beneath our feet.

This batch is just the beginning of the Soaps of the South series — small stories in bar form, each one steeped in the fields, trees, and traditions that raised us.

This first small batch of Sassafras Grove has to sit and rest a spell, but it will be ready around Veteran's Day. Reach out if you're interested in getting a bar!