Read the Label: Our Three-Ingredient Tallow Bar Soap

Some of the best things in a home are the simplest. A cast-iron skillet. A good wooden spoon. A bar of soap you could read the whole label of while the kettle heats. That last one is what we want to tell you about today.

Dr. Casey's Tallow Bar Soap is made in-house right here at Stanford Clinic & Herb Shop. Turn the bar over and read the label. The ingredient list is three words long: Beef Tallow, Water, Lye. That's the whole list. There's no long string of words you'd need a dictionary for, and nothing added for scent. The bar on our shelf is labeled Unscented Tallow Soap, and it weighs in at an average of 3.5 ounces.

An old-fashioned way of making soap

For generations, women kept the fat rendered from the family's beef and turned it into soap. Tallow was there, it was thrifty, and nothing went to waste. Lye and water did the rest. The same three ingredients are still the backbone of plain tallow soap today, and when the soap has cured, it's simply soap.

If you've ever stood in a store aisle reading a label that runs down the side of a bottle, you can see why a three-ingredient bar feels like a breath of fresh air. It fits the way a lot of our neighbors already keep house: from scratch where you can, simple where you can't, and knowing what's in the things you bring home.

Where it fits in your home

A plain bar like this one is easy to find a spot for. Some folks keep one by the kitchen sink for washing up after garden work or kneading bread. Others set one in the bath or the guest room. Because it's unscented, it won't compete with a candle on the counter or a pot of something simmering on the stove. And because it's a bar, there's no plastic bottle to toss when it's used up.

A few simple habits help any handmade bar last longer:

• Keep it on a dish that drains, so it isn't sitting in water.

• Let it dry out between uses.

• Store extra bars in a cool, dry cupboard until you need them.

Made here, sold here

We make our tallow soap in small batches in-house, and it's on the shelf alongside the herbs, teas, and other goods we carry. The bar is $5.95. It makes an easy add-on for a basket you're putting together, a thank-you for a neighbor, or a simple stocking stuffer with the holidays coming on.

You can pick one up at the shop Monday through Friday, or order online here: Tallow Bar Soap.

If you have a question about the soap or want to know whether we have bars on the shelf before you drive over, give us a call at (601) 947-0250 (calls only). We're always glad to talk with you.

Sometimes the simplest label is the one worth reading twice.