Lavender Season, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

It's lavender season again!
I got back from the Farmer's Market with 3 bunches of fresh lavender flowers (I love baking with fresh lavender buds...). And I also picked up a bar of handmade goat's milk and lavender soap from Royal Herbs.

The lavender growers are from Bowen Island and you can tell they are at the market before even seeing them - the whole block has a gentle scent of lavender wafting about it...

Royal Herbs makes the most incredible vetiver soap imaginable - it smells great and I find it very moisturizing. Luke, the owner, told me that the lavender soap is actually the most moisturizing of all their soaps so I thought I'll give it a try this time. I tried it once, and although it smells very nicely of lavender and with a hint of goaty earthiness about it, I'm extremely partial to the vetiver still. I will have to give it a few more tries but the vetiver was instant love, while this one is just ok. The bar smells great though, and would make a nice linen freshener while using up other soaps. They also make a lemongrass soap, and a honey and almond soap. But knowing my personal taste and how much I enjoy the tranquil woodsy earthiness of vetiver, I think none will be a worthy contestant of the vetiver and French clay soap. I will keep you posted though.