So What's the Deal with Activated Charcoal?
We are not sure if you've heard, but Activated Charcoal is a hot topic at the moment! Activated Charcoal has been proven to be more successful at removing impurities and...
Blog
Win a soap making session with Purple Urchin!
Purple Urchin is celebrating five years as a retail store this November, and to celebrate we're having an awesome month long contest! The prize: a day of soap making...
Eat like an Urchin - Lasagna Tacos
Straight from the plate of Urchin, Leah, comes the glorious creation we like to call “Lasagna Tacos.” This dish is 100% vegetarian and absolutely delicious! The best part about this...
If you like fall as much as we do...
Autumn is a great season, maybe even the best. Whether you are for or against the pumpkin spice latte trend, this season is filled with delicious food and delightful scents....
This one’s for the boys
When thinking of bath and body products, we’re willing to bet you think of products geared toward women. While many products do contain a fruity or floral scent, we have...
Get it before it’s gone!
It’s out with the old and in with the new! In order to make room for fun future products we sadly have to ixnay some others. We had to make...
Up and Coming Trend Alert - Figs!
We don’t know if you’ve noticed this yet, but figs are having a serious moment. And we don’t know what it is, but move over avocados and eggplants, it’s the...
It's Time to Butter Up!
With your choice of four different scents (Vanilla, Lavender Cardamom, Coconut Lemongrass, Blackberry) and our Unscented Body Butter, it’s easy to get swept up in a swirl of shea butter...
Retailer Spotlight - Coutts Country Flavours
If you ever find yourself in Perth’s neck of the woods, make sure to check out Coutts Country Flavours. Located at 1230 Port Elmsley Road, Purple Urchin has officially entered...
Andaz Ottawa + Purple Urchin
Image courtesy of Andaz Ottawa. Something big is coming to Ottawa. You may have already seen it towering over the ByWard Market. Ottawa’s newest and coolest hotel, Andaz, is...
Retailer Spotlight - Market Organics
Image from reallifebutbetter.com We all know the power of putting money toward local, independently owned businesses. It’s so important to do your research before buying anything, especially nowadays. For the...
Liquid Castile Soaps Galore!
For those of you strange enough to dislike washing with a bar of soap, do not fret! We make luxurious liquid castile soap as well! And what’s great about this...
Product Spotlight – Extreme Cream
Extreme Cream is a rich face cream perfect for dry or mature skin (but it works wonders on all skin types!). We have a hard time keeping these bad boys...
Retailer Spotlight - Herb & Spice Wellness Shop
Bank Street is bustling with tons of great boutiques, coffee shops, and offices. Among them is Herb & Spice Wellness Shop (located across the street from the sister store Herb...
Eat Like an Urchin – The Best Smoothie EVER
People, in general, may not agree on much. But one thing we can all agree on is how hot Ottawa’s summers are. We whine all winter about not being able...
Find us in the Rideau Centre - We Dare You
You may have already seen or heard the big news, so you can stop holding your breath now; Purple Urchin can officially be found in the Rideau Centre! We’ve been...
Eat Like an Urchin – Grandma’s Chocolate Cookies
Chocolate. Cookies. Chocolate cookies. Add in a Grandmama’s touch and you’ve got yourself one hell of a cookie! This recipe comes from our Operations Manager, Leah. Thanks to her Grandma’s...
Retailer Spotlight - The Big Carrot
Located in Toronto, The Big Carrot isn’t your typical grocery store. It’s not your typical health and wellness store either. The Big Carrot is a one stop shop for groceries,...
The Importance of Supporting Local
When you hear the word “Ottawa,” what do you think of? Do you think of Parliament and the fact that this city is the capital of Canada? Do you think...
Introducing “Eat like an Urchin"
Trying new food is one of the many joys of life. Falling in love with an incredible dish at a restaurant and immediately wanting to go home and try to...
Retailer Spotlight - terra20
As most of you know, Purple Urchin has three different selling methods. We sell our products online (www.purpleurchinsoap.com), in our store (located at 884 Somerset Street West), and through many...
It's Bike to Work Month!
Purple Urchin superstar, Carly, has taken on the Bike to Work Month challenge! She is determined to bike to work every single day this month, regardless of the weather! Biking...
Nine products you need to get excited for the upcoming camping season
Who doesn’t love a great weekend camping trip? Or maybe you prefer to go for longer periods of time. Some people like to spend time in their cozy cabins while...
Brand Spankin’ New Online Flat Rate and S&H Pricing!
If you’ve purchased PU products from our online store recently, then you might have noticed a slight change in our pricing. We want to Purple Urchin-ify Canada, and as such,...
Make Everyday Earth Day: Six Little Lifestyle Changes That Go a Long Way
Earth Day is one of our favourite holidays here at PU! We believe that all businesses can and should adopt a sustainable strategy to reduce their ecological footprint and ensure...
Gardener’s Scrub
Don’t be fooled by the name; you don’t need to have a green thumb in order to use our Gardener’s Scrub bar soap. Whether you’re digging in the dirt or...
Are you a Hemp Head or a Head Case?
Washing your hair with a bar of shampoo instead of liquid shampoo might seem a little odd. We all grew up squeezing the shampoo out of a bottle and into...
#LocalLove Mother’s Day Contest
Hey Urchins! This mother’s day we wanted to do something big. So we had the brilliant idea to team up with some other amazing local businesses to bring you a...
Down & Dirty Patchouli
Calling all modern day hippies! Do we ever have a soap scent for you! Here’s why you should check out Down & Dirty Patchouli Bar Soap: Back in the ‘60s,...
Why We Make Soy Candles
You may have noticed that all of our candles are made with soy wax instead of paraffin, beeswax, or palm wax. We care about everything we put into our products...
Put some chocolate on your face already!
Who doesn’t love a good face mask?! Our Chocolate Face Mask is jam packed with cocoa powder, rhassoul clay, and oatmeal powder! We let you get creative with this one...
We know all about what goes in, but what about what goes on?
We know in order to be healthy, we have to eat healthy. We have been told to eat our vegetables time and time again. Since we were just children in...
This one’s for all my fellow coffee lovers!
Our morning cup of Joe gets us through the day. Coffee makes waking up - and staying awake - much easier. And it tastes delicious. Coffee can do no wrong...
Microbeads
Not too long ago, we shared an article on Facebook published by CBC News British Columbia that put on display the horrors of microbeads. Microbeads are the tiny pieces of plastic...
Here Lies "Don't Bug Me"
Here at Purple Urchin, we are committed to making products that are not only eco-friendly and skin-friendly, but ones that we know customers will fall in love with. It is...
Is Your Bar Soap Really Soap?
The word “soap” is so ingrained in our everyday language that we rarely realize most of what we refer to as “soap” is actually not soap at all! Many dish...
Purple Urchin at the One Of A Kind show
Come visit us at booth K-48 at the One Of a Kind Show at the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto from March 25-30, 2015. For info and show hours, check out...
Purple Urchin Joins 'Live the Smart Way' Expo
We're excited to announce that we will be taking part in the "Live the Smart Way Expo" this year on April 18-19 taking place at the Shaw Centre! We will...
Going Naked at Whole Foods Market!
Whole Foods will be carrying our Dead Sea Mud bar soap. Click here to see this product! We are very happy to announce that Purple Urchin products will be sold...
Carve & Crave - October 8th
Come carve pumpkins and drink hot apple cider with us! Tickets are only $5 in advance and you'll be given a prepped pumpkin to carve and hot apple...
Where we'll be on Saturday Sep 13 - Urban Craft
We're very excited to be participating in the fall edition of Urban Craft this Saturday. It's always a great time with amazing local talent (and often features amazing goods that you can't find...
Beating the bugs this summer
Summer is here! And so are the bugs. Don't Bug Me insect repellent Defend yourselves!
Closed March 19 2014
We will be closed tomorrow (March 19 2014) to have a bit of repair work done around the shop.
Urban Craft March 15 2014
Morsel and P.U. have teamed up to create a combo pack of beer infused soap and caramels! Made with Beyond The Pale beer, these combo packs will be available for...
Holiday Hours
We will be closed for the holidays from Tuesday, December 24th until Saturday, January 4th. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Pop up apothecary at Flock Boutique!
We will be closing the store at 5:30 pm tomorrow for our Pop Up Apothecary event at Flock Boutique! Come out to Flock Boutique at 1275 Wellington St. W. on...
Upcoming Events-September 2013
We have lots going on this month, including retailer visits, craft shows, Nuit Blanche, and terra20's one year anniversary party. Here are the details: Thursday, September 12: we'll be at...
Closed Monday, August 5
We'll be closed today so that we can work on some minor renovations around the store. See you tomorrow!
This weekend's events (July 27 & 28)
Saturday, July 27, 9 am-2 pm: Stop by the Preston Farmers' Market, have breakfast, listen to some live music, and pick up your veggies and baked goods and Purple Urchin...
Closed Canada Day
The store will be closed on July 1 for Canada Day. We will reopen again on July 2. Happy long weekend!