Michelle Kwiatkowski

Michelle Kwiatkowski

I’m a third generation soap maker; I learned from my Grandmother, Rosie Wild, our namesake, to make soaps. I’ve been making soap for 9 years. I founded Wild Rose Soap Co. in 2010, selling natural cold process soaps and body products, as well as teaching soap making classes in the greater Washington, DC area. I have also been working as a pediatric nurse for 11 years, and currently work at Berkeley Medical Center. My philosophy is to incorporate the benefits of natural herbs and essential oils in my soaps, as I find it has great value for health.

My soaps are made with local ingredients, such as local honey, wine, herbs from our garden, goat's milk, mountain snow and rain. I’ve enjoyed meeting and partnering with other local businesses to incorporate their products within mine. More specifically, I use whiskey from a local distillery in our Whiskey Shave Soap and Blue Ridge Moonshine Soap, as well as wine from local wineries in our Lavender Honey Wine Soap and Lemongrass Sea Salt Soap. I use locally-sourced tallow and lard, from a butcher specializing in grass-fed and free-range animals, as part of the base for my soaps, along with olive oil, coconut oil, soybean oil, and organic shea butter. I use goat’s milk from Shepherd’s Whey Creamery in Shepherdstown, for my Goat’s Milk & Honey Lavender Soap. I also make a Dirty Dog Shampoo bar, which several local pet stores carry in Frederick and Harper’s Ferry. Our laundry soap is a 100% natural blend of tallow and lard, with no added fragrances.

I also carry several other products beyond soap. My herbal bath teas are made with dried organic herbs and essential oils. I make a whipped shea butter lotion, using organic shea butter, coconut oil, lavender, and eucalyptus essential oil. My Heel Balm, for dry feet and skin, is made with local beeswax, coconut oil, olive oil, rosemary and peppermint essential oil, and locally-grown healing herbs of comfrey and lavender.