Vetivert Soap: What It Is and Where Our Story Began

In short: Vetivert soap is a bar scented with oil from the root of vetiver grass, known in India as khus, with a deep, earthy, slightly smoky scent. Our Vetivert Handmade Vegan Soap (Rainforest) is made by hand in Kerala on a virgin coconut oil base, and vetivert is where our family business began in 1946. It is vegan, SLS free and 99% natural origin.

Vetivert soap is a bar scented with oil from the root of the vetiver grass, known in India as khus. Our Vetivert Handmade Vegan Soap (Rainforest) has a deep, earthy scent and is made by hand at our own factory in Kerala.

What is vetivert?

Vetiver is a tall, clumping grass whose roots grow deep into the soil. The roots are distilled to give a thick, smoky, earthy oil that is widely used in perfumery. In Indian homes the dried roots have long been woven into mats and screens, and khus is a familiar scent in summer drinks and sherbets.

Where did the Holy Lama story begin?

Vetivert is where Holy Lama began. Mr D V Deo moved from near Goa to Kerala, and in 1946 he set up agriculture in the essential oils field. He was the first person in India to establish vetivert cultivation on a commercial basis. The business grew from there into other essential oils, spice extracts and, much later, the body care range. The vetivert oil in our soap still comes from local farms in Kerala. You can read the full story on our Our Story page.

What is in Vetivert soap?

The bar is made on a virgin coconut oil base with vetivert root oil, patchouli, cedarwood, turmeric oil, nagarmotha, ajowan and chaulmoogra seed oil, plus a fragrance listed as Parfum. By our safety assessor's ISO 16128 calculation it is 99% natural origin, water included. It is vegan and SLS free, and our products are registered with the Vegan Society.

How do you use Vetivert soap?

Lather the bar with warm water, use it on hands and body, then rinse. Between uses, keep it on a draining soap dish so it dries out and stays firm. If you have not used the soap before, try it on a small area first.

What goes well with Vetivert soap?

Vetivert sits well alongside our Vetivert Root Skin Polisher, a bath scrubber made from the dried roots of the same plant. It is also one of the four bars in our handmade soap gift set.

For more scents, see our guides to turmeric soap and neem and tulsi soap, or how to make a handmade soap bar last longer.