Beatriz Bracamonte comes from a long line of healers, through plant medicines and helping people feel healthy again.
Then COVID-19 struck.
βWhen the pandemic hit, obviously I could not have people physically present with me,β Bracamonte says. βIn doing healings with people and beings, as soon as thereβs some sort of discord, especially with the pandemic where nobody knows whatβs going on, it creates fear. Fear creates disease and worry.
βWe had already progressed with some healings. I didnβt want them to feel like theyβre alone again and disconnected.β
So, Bracamonte got creative, hand-making soaps and creams and mailing them out soΒ βthey would know I was still there with them.β
Bracamonte owns Flowing Waters SoapΒ Co., a line of soaps handcrafted with natural ingredients, emphasizing sustainability and the traditional plant knowledge that has been passed down through generations of Yoeme matriarchs in Bracamonteβs family. The soaps are pretty to look at and even better to smell.
This is the Lavender Sunset Dream soap from Flowing Waters Soap Co., which handcrafts soaps with natural ingredients.
Bracamonte did extensive research before launching Flowing Waters Soap, taking the time to understand the origins of cleansing products, learning how to infuse soap with plants and natural medicines, and going through periods of trial and error before perfecting the method of hot-process soap making.
βMy family learned how to use plants thousands of years ago and in our culture, things are passed down by oral presentation and being taken out and acknowledging the plants and being told the infrastructure of the plant,β Bracamonte says.
Beatriz Bracamonte, seen here atΒ a Las Mujeres Verdes market in September,Β is the owner and maker behind Flowing Waters Soap Co.Β
βSustainability is important to me because we have to create balance, and creating balance with sustainability, itβs sourcing without over-sourcing. Itβs like overeating. Everybody knows itβs bad for you; we all try to not to do it. Itβs like a control factor, I suppose. You canβt sit there and eat everything in your refrigerator because then thereβs nothing. Sustainability is important for future generations, and to teach younger generations β no, we donβt have to pull out the whole plant to make a bar of soap. You can take a couple clippings here and there.
βItβs balance and nature,β Bracamonte says. βItβs balance and humanity.β
Bracamonte underlines traditions of creating with respect, permission and gratitude β waking up and greeting Taaβa (sun), asking plant relatives for permission before harvesting, and honoring ancestors, family lineage and Mother Nature.
Pictured is the Corazon Negra soap made by Flowing Waters Soap Co.
Bracamonte's familyΒ β mom, sister and nephewΒ β are also creatives. They make items of their own, including jewelry, body polishes and paper goods, with the same values in mind.Β
The plants in the Flowing Waters Soap products β aloe vera, creosote bush (aka one of the plants that's said to cause our glorious monsoon scents), rosemary and more β come from plants that Bracamonte grows or harvests in the desert, in addition to trustworthy friends who harvest plants, like lavender and sage, that are harder to find in Tucson.
βItβs natural plants, naturally sourced. I did a lot of research on who Iβm sourcing from β getting to know these people, knowing what their businesses are doing,β Bracamonte says. βThere has to be a certain amount of trust and I know trust is really hard, especially on a commercial business. Thatβs why I think itβs important for people to come out to markets and meet their makers.β
βMy nameβs behind it. My ancestors are behind it. Iβm not just trying to make money,β Bracamonte says.
The Oro IndΓgena soap is a favorite among customers of Flowing Waters Soap Co.
Bracamonteβs favorite Flowing Waters Soap product is the Nopal Primavera soap, a pink and green bar made with nopales and aloe vera. Itβs described as an earthy scent of βdesert spring greenery and blossoming fruit blossoms.β
βIβve been eating (nopales) since I was a kid and going out and harvesting them with my mom as a kid. It creates this whole harmonious memory,β Bracamonte says.
Customers love the Oro IndΓgena, a pretty blue soap with gold flakes that smells like crisp water with undertones of black orchids. The Desert Rain soap is another hit, meant to embody the βscent of wet Earth and the unique aromatic Sonoran Desert foliage after the monsoon rains.β
While in the Navy for nearly a decade, Bracamonte realized how hard it was to explain to people what creosote is and what desert rain smells like.
βItβs monsoon. Thatβs how you know whether the grounds have been fed right,β Bracamonte says. βRain smells so different in different places.β
Tucsonans love the Desert Rain soap β especially when monsoon season is over.
βPeople come here for school, they leave, they come back, they decide they want to settle here. But when they go back to the east coast, or whatever part of the world they happen to come from, they always want to take a part of the desert with them without taking a plant or harming anything. So Desert Rain is definitely one of those bars of soap they like to gift to family,β Bracamonte says.
7 Southern Arizona makers who sell soaps, candles and other essentials made with creosote bush
Flowing Waters Soap Co. β Purchase soaps online or at local markets around town. Keep up to date with Flowing Waters Soap Co. on Instagram.
Bisbee Soap & Sundry β This is a recommendation we've seen several times online. They offer creosote soaps, candles and salves. Buy online or at their Bisbee brick and mortar.
Sonoran Rosie β Diffusers, roll-on herbal perfume, face oils, creams and more. Buy online, at local markets or at Arizona Poppy. "Let your whole room smell like the desert rain!" maker Rosie Crocker says of their creosote diffuser.Β
Artemesia Soaps, Salts & ScrubsΒ β Bars of soap made with creosote, "reminiscent of a Sonoran Desert rain." Buy online or at their east-side brick and mortar.
Gigglestars Soap Co. β Here's what the maker says about their desert rain soap: "It smells like the Sonoran Desert after a rain β if you have ever lived in the Sonoran Desert, you will know what I mean. There is no other smell that compares." There's a creosote oil-infused beeswax salve, too.
Spring + Vine β Find a creosote and honey soap from maker Ashley Ambrosio, who says the soap smells like "fresh rain in the desert."Β
Truelli Nature β Lotion bars and whipped body butter. Maker Tre' Jackson-Navarrette says they have a subtle scent of creosote that makes it "smell like a rainy day in the desert."
