VIS OLIVAE

Τhe brand VOL, which stands for our natural soap products, is an abbreviation of the name of our Company VIS OLIVAE.

The Latin word VIS means power, strength, vigor, vitality. We find it in the philosophical term VIS VITALIS, which means vital force. The word OLIVAE, from Latin OLIVA ,means "of the olive tree".

The two words together mean " The Power of The  Olive Tree" reffering to the vital role of this blessed tree around the Mediterranean Basin, which in terms of energy and economy (trade) was major driving force of the Greek and wider Mediterranean civilization.

A bit of history

Back in the sixties, in our small town, when still economy was of the traditional family type, one of the most exciting chores was making soap for the needs of the family.

 

It was a mystery business.

Old women of the family assisted by the most trusted neighbors gathered together, now at our backyard, next day at another backyard to make soap. Everything had to be in order. They should be clean in every aspect, they should not open their mouth to let evil spirits go in, they kept the doors closed to let out the evil eye, and then… they started mixing the ingredients on the big iron pot on a low fire with a big wooden stick. To our kid eyes it looked like they practiced witchcraft and the scarce half words that came out of their closed jaws were heard like magic spells.

Much later, having our own oil and this childish memory, a bunch of us, all educated people on science and culture, decided to decipher the magic code of soap making for our pleasure at first and for the people who think like us, later. Those people that treasure traditional, natural, handmade products with history and... a little bit of magic. Of course, now science and deep knowledge is the first violin in the process orchestra, but the only thing that is new in the process is that now we know exactly what we are doing!


Tradition, quality , sustainability, environmental sensitivity

We chose the cold saponification method for a series of important reasons :

• The soap does not lose its natural glycerin which incorporates in the soap mass and offers its moisturizing and emollient action to the skin during the bath. Therefore it does not need additional industrial glycerin, keeping in this way the maximum quality, while remaining traditional and handmade.
• Cold process saponification requires minimal amount of energy and water, and this is consistent with our desire to burden to the minimum the natural resources and the environment.
• The method has no solid or liquid waste. The minimum water used for washing utensils and traces of soap contained do not contaminate the aquifer, biodegrade in a short time and have no toxic residues.
• Quality, sustainability, respect for the environment and respect for the consumer is our key concerns.
• The purity of materials, meticulous production and distribution together with the historical experience and the findings of science, from its very first steps (Galen, Aretaeus and others), allow our soap to be used safely in all age groups and categories of population.
• Our selection of soaps contains free Olive Oil at a rate of 7-10%, which accentuates its moisturizing, emollient, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties in body care and ensures product safety and efficiency.

So enjoy your bath with VOL soap.

The experience is unique!

You will never ask for another soap, except if it is also VOL!

 

Premium Quality and Natural Materials

The traditional character of our soap is determined by the use of traditionally and time honored materials, as time, experience and scientific tests have proven to be safe and effective for cleaning, nutrition and care of the skin.

We take care of each bar of our soap as a unique creation, as the only bar of soap in the world. For us, the quality, the esthetic as well as the cosmetic value of our products and their acquaintance with the global consumer is a serious challenge and at the same time a great pleasure.

The fundamental difference with competition is that we use the purest and highest quality extra virgin olive oil in the region of Messinia without considering the additional production costs.

For aesthetic integration and intensification of pleasure and ritual of a hot bath, but also for their special contribution to body care, we use additional natural products, of equally high quality. We prefer those produced of our region , which we add to our soap, giving it a unique character, color and lust.

We use honey, beeswax, goat's milk, oats, fleur de sel from Mani and other. We use herbs from the unique flora of Taygetos, such as sage, mountain tea, St John's wort and top quality fresh juices from Messinian fruits like orange , lemon, tangerine, pomegranate and grapes.

Natural colors and essential oils are added to the artistic series of our soap . We use the best of such materials, hypoallergenic and approved by the relevant agencies of the countries produced. We prefer, even here, Greek products, for consistency with the origin of basic raw material, which is olive oil.

How to use VOL

This bar of VOL body soap that you hold in your hands is handmade, with extreme affection and care, always having YOU, in mind. We strive to have YOU hold the best piece of our production, a piece better than the previous, a piece of art and devotion to heath and beauty. We care for it a whole of 30 or more days, to be soothing and gentle and precious to YOU.

It is made from high quality Kalamata Olive Oil, is produced by cold process, is guaranteed for quality and safety, it is endowed with the best materials found in Greek nature and displays unique skin cosmetic (moisturizing, cleansing and emollient) characteristics.

The Olive Oil Soap is generally soft soap with a tendency for the bar to melt faster than tallow soaps which are the standard soap in the market. This is true especially if it contains relatively high concentrations of free olive oil. But then, olive oil is primarily responsible for the cosmetic features of the soap bar. Olve Oil Soap therefore is a precious cosmetic soap, not just a cleaning means or another "soap".

We have taken care to greatly reduce melting by adding in proper amounts fleur de sel from Mani or sodium lactate in our soap and have achieved our goal to the highest degree.

Some simple steps in caring for your soap, though, can ensure the longest bar life and great appearance.

- Rinse the soap after use and place it on a rack, at a place that is relatively dry and not wetted by tap or shower water.

- Make sure that the rack is constructed so as to not hold any water in contact with the soap.

- Use sponge or bathing cloth and dont leave the bar to soak in the tub or shower.

 

All products VIS OLIVAE you can find here.