“I didn’t like to use shampoo on my face because it makes things oily, and face wash dries things out. Then I learned about pine tar soap. It’s unlike anything else you will ever smell. I made a batch of pine tar soap and I started to use it for everything. It will make the beard soft, and it’s naturally deodorizing. It is made from pine tar, which is what you get when you put pine wood under pressure and incinerate it as fast as possible. The vikings used it to coat their boats with it to make it waterproof. On its own, it is very caustic, but when you mix it into a soap, it changes it completely. I use pork fat, caster oil, pine tar, and other simple ingredients.”
— Erik Desjarlais of Weft & Warp Seamster on his beard soap, Erik Desjarlais discusses his ventures, past and present, Bangor Daily News. February 26, 2013.