Environmental consciousness is rapidly coming to the forefront of consumer culture. We at Purple Urchin welcome this development with open arms. Does it benefit us as a retailer of eco-friendly products? As a company who has striven to embrace environmental awareness through our practices such as waste reduction, use of vegan/vegetarian and al...

Purple Urchin is the local Ottawa success story of a female entrepreneur. Rebecca Pereira, who did not have any experience with soap prior to starting Purple Urchin, decided she would like to try her hand at making soap and selling it. More than just talk and a dream, Rebecca came up with a plan and turned it into action. She quit her day job an...

So, if you've been to our store and seen our little signs by our bar soaps, you've probably wondered to yourself, what the heck is cold process soap? Don't worry, I've wondered the same thing too. So, what the heck is cold process soap? Let me break it down for you.When it comes to making soaps from scratch, like we do, there are two methods to ...

With deodorant consistently being linked to various types of cancers and other health risks, more and more people are switching over to natural deodorant. However, it is hard to know what to expect with a natural deodorant after a lifetime of using aluminum based deodorants and antiperspirants. Everyone has a slightly different body chemistry, s...

So many of you have been asking about our shampoo bars this summer, so we decided it was about time to do a blog post on them to answer your questions!  Why use shampoo bars? Shampoo bars use MUCH less water and energy in their production than the usual liquid shampoo we're accustomed to. However, there are a few other reasons our shampoo bars s...

Learn about what Neem Oil is great for and what products Purple Urchin includes it in