Mary Patricia's Aloe and Mint Soap

Mary Patricia Gallegos, born in March 17th in "Nineteen and ninteen," grew up herding sheep with her parents in the Rocky Mountains - long before she became my grandma and a lecturer of some renown (at least within our family) on the health benefits of various and sundry growing things.

Since she referred to the National Geographic, Parade Magazine, and the National Enquirer as the source of all her news, we grandkids didn't always credit some of her "cures."   Even so, rather than argue, we would frequently find ourselves replanting wild mint, putting fresh aloe vera on anything and everything that could be considered a wound and choking down some horrible, horrible oatmeal.  Several of my cousins and I got especially adept at disappearing when it was time for whatever new tonic had taken her fancy or we noticed she was warming up for a stemwinder on the benefits of egg yolks.  

Turns out she and her beautiful skin were right all along, with actual scientific studies and proving her to be so.  While I still refuse to eat oatmeal, I do love what aloe, mint, sheep's lard, geranium oil and goat's milk can do for my skin.  And since we are listening to the wisdom of grandmothers, we included all of those things in this soap, along with a little love in the form of evening primrose oil from the beauty regimen of Elaine's Nana.