Clear Reflections in Southeast Idaho

In last week’s Enterprise, we incorrectly named the owned of Clear Reflections, an independent soap making company from the Arbon Valley area.  Rather than post a one line correction, here is the owner of the company, Lydia Hall, to introduce herself and her company to the readers.  Apologies again to Lydia, and please take a look at her product line and information on https://www.clearreflectionsoaps.com.

Around the age of eight I started having really painful rashes on my face and neck area. For a while I and my parents did not know why. We got told it was allergies to food, I eliminated those foods and it still didn’t clear up. Fast forward a few years and I started to notice I would break out if I used certain chapsticks, body washes, perfumes,  lotions, etc. The ones that I had the worst allergic reactions to contained fragrance oils, dyes, and harsh filler chemicals. Through a lot of allergic reactions I found a few products I could use, but I still wasn’t happy with how my skin looked.

Then last year after finishing my summer job, I was deciding what I wanted to do next. I have always been interested in homemade items and learning new skills. My mom had seen a class teaching how to make soap and I thought what a good skill it would be to have and how it could help me and others I know who have sensitive skin. I took the online class in December of 2024 and after its completion I ordered all of the supplies and ingredients I would need to start making soap. My first soap was scented with lavender, known for its soothing and calming properties. Soap has to cure for one month. Once cured I started using it and saw that my skin started to clear up even more (other soaps had caused acne as well as rashes) and I wasn’t putting anything bad on my body. 

Real soap is made up of very few ingredients. You need Sodium Hydroxide (lye), Oils (such as coconut oil, olive oil, castor oil, or shea butter)

And scent or color if you want to add it. I use pure essential oils and natural clays to scent and color my soaps. I had a few batches of soap that were fails and those taught me things I needed to know to become better at it. Learning to formulate my own recipes has been my favorite. Once you learn how soap works and how to make recipes the sky is the limit. After making and curing a few different kinds of soap I had some family and relatives try it. All of the feedback I got was positive, so I continued to come up with different scents and make soap. I decided to turn it into a business. I want to provide people who have sensitive skin like me to have natural options that are safe for using on their skin and affordable.

On April 15th 2025, two days after my eighteenth birthday, I was able to launch my business, Clear Reflection Soaps. Mostly my business has gained new customers through word of mouth and social media. I appreciate all of the people that have helped me to get where I am. My family has been so supportive and helpful even when I questioned if starting a business was a bad idea. I appreciate everyone that has bought soap and supported my small business, because without their support I wouldn’t be where I am now.

One of my best sellers has been a coffee turmeric face bar. It does not smell like coffee due to the coffee smell not being able to survive saponification. (Saponification is when the oils and lye have been mixed together and it goes through the chemical reaction that turns it into soap.)