Frequently Asked Questions

Biggs & Featherbelle are fictional characters. Biggs was inspired by Kelly and Kasey's family cat named Diesel. Featherbelle is a fusion of Kelly and Kasey. Biggs & Featherbelle represent a broad spectrum of people from manly tough to girly sweet. They were featured more prominently in earlier branding and packaging. The characters were developed and illustrated by our friend Brian Dugan.

Mixing oils and a lye water solution makes soap. Once the oils and lye are combined together, after vigorous stirring, the mixture thickens and is poured into molds. The molds are covered for 24 hours to allow the saponification process to occur. After the 24-hour period, the soap is taken out and cut into bars. The bars must cure for three to four weeks (for the entire chemical reaction to finalize) before use.

Sodium Hydroxide is lye, an essential ingredient in soap making. Lye and oils react together to create soap therefore no lye is in the final product. In our recipes the amount of oil is always greater than the needed lye so that our bars are moisturizing and gentle to the skin. Saponified Oils means that Lye was used to saponify them.

Yes! Every one of our soaps is gentle enough for the face and cleansing enough for the body. Handle Bar®, Momma Bar®, and Bartender® are especially good for the face.

Many of our products are vegan and all are vegetarian. The only non-vegan products are Granola Bar (honey) and Lip Balms (beeswax) .

Our products are preserved with Vitamin E. We recommend a shelf life of 1 year for optimal freshness.

A bar of soap can last several weeks if properly stored. Natural, handmade soap is softer than commercial detergent bars and needs to be kept in a dry spot when not in use. Having a soap dish with good drainage is key; soap left standing in water or under a leaky shower head will melt fast.

First order of business, keep it dry! We recommend having a soap dish that will allow your soap to drain after each use, or putting it in a place where it stands up, rather than allowing it to sit in water. If you do this, your soap can last several weeks. Secondly, you may want to slice smaller pieces off of the bar and use them as needed. Finally, it may help to use a washcloth or loofah when bathing.

Last but not least, storing your unused soap in a dark, dry, and cool location will keep it fresh longer.

Remember, our soaps are preserved with Vitamin E only, and therefore do not have the same chemical composition as other commercial, non-natural alternatives.

Check out our website to compare the look/smell of the bar you purchased—if you’re still unsure, give us a call at 410-225-3345 or email info@biggsandfeather.com — we can likely help you identify it!

We let Mother Nature do the work. All of our products are fragranced only with essential oils (which have many therapeutic benefits). The colors are derived from plants, herbs, and vegetable oils.

Nope. You will not find any harmful additives or chemicals in our products. And we are always up front about what goes into our products. Our feeling has always been that if you can’t find the ingredient list, it is probably a product you should reconsider purchasing. There is a lot of scary stuff out there and you (the consumer) has the right to know what you are putting on your skin!

Our products are all natural but not organic. In order to keep our costs down for the customer we can not source all organic raw materials. We do buy a few organic raw materials but do not have the certification to make an organic claim. Also any mineral can not be defined as organic. Therefore all salts are just natural and can never be in an organic class.

All of our soaps will generally be more moisturizing than any commercial detergent bar. But we do make some that are more moisturizing than others. The moisturizing soaps are Bar-lamint, Momma Bar, Bar-chouli, Goodie Bar, Polar Bar, Grizzly Bar and Bartender.

Momma Bar® and Bartender®

We use cold pressed coconut oil specifically for soap making which the main purpose is to create lather. There is no coconut oil in the end product. Oils and Lye are combined together and a chemical process occurs and turns them into soap. The end product is soap and no longer oils or lye. Therefore there is no worries about the oils clogging your pores.

No, the scrubs are intended for body use only. They are too oily for the face but some customers have told us they use them on their face.

Our philosophy is, and always has been, to provide the highest level of quality with the lowest possible wear and tear on the planet.

Unfortunately, due to a large increase in requests, we cannot send out samples. We do include a soap sample with every order placed through our website. This way, customers can try a different soap that they didn't order and hopefully find a new favorite.

All of our soaps are gluten/wheat free except ~ Grizzly Bar and Granola Bar (Wheatgerm oil).

All of our other products are gluten/wheat free except ~ Belly Balm (Wheatgerm oil).

We are not a gluten free facility.

One of the owners, Kelly, has a wheat allergy and has never had a reaction to our products. We have also never had a customer with Celiac Disease reach out to us letting us know they have had a reaction to our products

We would love to talk to you! Please feel free to contact us at info@biggsandfeather.com

We fill the lip balm tubes by hand, as full as we can. The tubes come that way. It is the mechanics of the tube that create a little extra space at the bottom. They will not wind down any further. Any of the tubes we have sourced are that way. Many times people never notice it because the tubes are not clear. The .15 oz weight on the packaging is accurate for what is in the tube. That is the weight without the tube.

If your lip balm went through the wash and dry cycles, try soaking your clothing in boiling water with detergent. Repeat until the stain is removed. If that doesn’t work, wash with detergent in washing machine on the hottest setting. If there is one particular area that is stained, use a paper bag, place over stain and iron on high over top of the bag. This should help lift off the beeswax. If all else fails, try a stain remover or dry cleaner.

Generally, yes. If any of our products are ingested by pets, they will likely be just fine. If your pet eats large quantities of a product and exhibits signs of illness, contact your veterinarian.

We only use a few essential oils, in small quantities, that could cause irritation. Out of the list of oils that veterinarians recommend never be used for animals, the only ones we have ever used are Clove Leaf/Bud and Juniper. They are not currently in any products we make. Oils that can be used for animals (that we use) are Cedarwood Atlas, Chamomile, Eucalyptus, Ginger, Lavender, Rose.

For dogs, essential oils can be used in a variety of ways, from bathing to calming the nerves through diffusion. Many people use belly balm as a paw balm to help dogs’ cracked, irritated paws.

Yes, we have our products in several independent and chain retail and grocery stores. Visit our store locator for the latest info.

Unfortunately right now we are not doing international retail or wholesale orders.