Ethical Wicked(Please note: As of the 2011-2012 season we are shifting our osap supllies from this project to the Baan San Fan orphanage. The villagers below are now doing quite well in their enterrprise as several large resorts and boutiques are now offering their products. We feel that by teaching those operating the orphanage how to develop products like this they can move away from a system of donations towards a sustainabale income.)
Wicked Diving is always trying to find new ways to help our community. Whether our Whale Shark Research, supporting Summer Camps or helping teach the children of Burmese migrant laborers…we back our good intentions with work and service. Firmly committed to donating 10% of our profits each year to various projects that improve our community and/or environment – we have chosen to supply all our liveaboard guests with handmade, organic soaps. These soaps are biodegradable as well as very pleasant smelling and feeling. They are also made by a women’s cooperative north of Khao Lak. Their story is below…
On the 26th December 2004, the village of Ban Talae Nok was irreversibly changed – with the Tsunami devastating the lower part of the village, taking many lives as well as destroying houses, boats and the school.
In the aftermath, villagers struggled to cope, not just with the challenge of rebuilding their lives, but with the flood of Tsunami aid. With no boats remaining – their traditional livelihood was indefinitely on hold, and with no way to know which promise of aid would prove reliable, families were left feeling powerless, until a soap-making workshop was offered.When the government offered a workshop on soap making, 19 women applied hoping to gain some new skill and an income. The cooperative approached the North Andaman Tsunami Relief for help with marketing and business development. By offering a practical and reactive approach the women have worked to build group dynamic and find sustainable markets.
With the continuing support of the North Andaman Tsunami Relief, Andaman Discoveries and Wicked Diving (among others) the soap cooperative has flourished and now produces a range of fantastic soaps that are available on the liveaboard and for purchase in our shop.
The Making of the Soap
The making of the soap is a simple process and only 100% natural ingredients are used. The natural palm oil used to make the base is extracted from the fruits of palm trees grown on plantations in Thailand. These oils, purchased in Bangkok, are used in many luxury soaps and are often referred to as ‘vegetable tallow’.
The range of colors in the soaps comes from natural oils added to the soap to provide fragrant scents. Such additions include Jojoba, cinnamon, ginger, tamarind, avocado, saffron, turmeric, lemongrass and sesame. Each provides the soap with its own individual flavor and appearance.
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Firstly, the base of the soap is made by adding 12 cups of palm olive oil to a pan and heating until the oils have melted and formed a single mass. Water is continually added to achieve the correct consistency.
- When the palm oils are close to being ready to be added to the soap moulds, the natural flavors can be mixed with the oils. The oils (or combination) used depends entirely on choice, each offering a different sensation.
- Once mixed the soap can then be added to the moulds where it is left to cool and dry for one month.
- Liquid oils such as concentrated palm oil, vitamin E and jojoba are usually added as well as powdered flavors that provide the fragrance.
- Once the soap has dried it is ready to be cut and mold into different shapes and sizes and packaged as the final ‘Ban Talae Nok Women’s Soap Cooperative’ products.
To all those who buy and enjoy these amazing soaps, you are doing so much more than just buying a product: you are empowering the producers to achieve self reliance.
When you join Wicked Diving trips – you do more than just dive or snorkel – you make a difference!
