Emily's Liquid Soap Soother: Organic Oils Plus Chinese Botanicals

Of the three cleansers we carry from this line, this is the one with the most Chinese herbal medicine actually in it — and it's worth understanding why those particular herbs are there.

What it is

An 8 oz herbal liquid soap combining organic oils with Chinese botanicals including rehmannia and angelica, formulated to address extreme dryness without harsh chemicals.

The two herbs, and why they're an interesting pair

Rehmannia (di huang) is one of the most important herbs in Chinese medicine. In the traditional framework it belongs to the category of herbs that nourish and moisten — it's used for patterns described in terms of dryness and depletion rather than for acute irritation. Its presence in a skin preparation is a deliberate choice: the formulation is aimed at the dry-and-depleted pattern, not the hot-and-inflamed one.

Angelica (dang gui) is equally central to the medicine and best known for its role in formulas addressing blood. In the traditional framework, dry, rough, itchy skin is frequently described in terms of blood deficiency — the idea being that skin isn't being adequately nourished from within.

That's the logic of this formulation in a sentence: it's built for dry and depleted, not for hot and irritated.

How to choose within the line

We carry three cleansers from Emily's because they aren't interchangeable:

This one — the most herbally involved, aimed at extreme dryness. Choose it if your skin is rough, tight, flaky, and worst in deep winter.

[Emily's Body Wash](/blog/emilys-body-wash) — 12 oz organic, with sage and lavender. The simplest daily option and the best pick for kids and shared bathrooms.

[Emily's Skin Soap Bar](/blog/emilys-skin-soap-bar) — most economical, no plastic, and unscented.

Pair whichever you choose with a balm applied to damp skin. Cleanser plus barrier is the pair; neither works well alone.

The Chinese medicine view of dry skin

Worth stating because it changes what you'd do about it.

In this tradition, chronically dry, rough, itchy skin isn't primarily a surface problem. It's read as a sign that the body isn't nourishing the skin adequately — which is why an acupuncturist treating a dry skin pattern is likely to prescribe internal formulas and needling in addition to whatever goes on the outside.

The Western functional view lands in a similar place from a different direction: chronic skin dryness connects to essential fatty acid intake, hydration, thyroid function (dry skin is a classic hypothyroid finding), iron and zinc status, age-related barrier changes, and environmental exposure.

Both of those are testable and treatable — a comprehensive thyroid panel and our full lab panels cover thyroid function and nutrient status.

When to see someone

Persistent rash, cracking and bleeding, signs of infection, or any new or changing skin lesion needs medical care. And skin that stays dry no matter what you use on it deserves a look at thyroid and nutrient status rather than a sixth product.

Where to get it

Emily's Liquid Soap Soother is $18 in our online shop.

Call 207-317-6770.

This article is for general educational purposes and is not medical advice. Skin conditions require evaluation and diagnosis by a qualified provider; no personal care product is a treatment for a diagnosed skin disease. Patch test any new product, follow the manufacturer's directions, and discontinue if irritation occurs. Prices are current as of publication and subject to change.