This bar scene comes clean

(Credit: Leslie Bailey / Metromix)

When I was 5 years old, my mom washed my mouth out with soap. I deserved it — there are some things nice little girls don’t say — but I really wish she would have known about Herbal Art.

The company, based in Fishers, specializes in organic soaps and skin-care products. What began six years ago in Brian Paffen’s laundry room — as a project to keep him busy between jobs — has developed into a full-time business that sells a wide variety of handcrafted natural and holistic products. Almost 90 percent of the ingredients are from the Midwest, with 70 percent from Indiana.

Paffen puts a great deal of thought behind each item in his line. Hard water? Try “Got Soap,” a specially formulated honey and shea soap that incorporates clay to work as tiny water softeners. Losing hair? Try the “Bald Man’s Shampoo.” Herbal Art also offers “Boo’s Shampoos” for your four-legged furry friends. Paffen has recently added a new  component to the business, “Wedding-Thyme,” which offers environmentally friendly wedding favors, bridal shower gifts and wedding accessories. (Planning a green wedding? Send guests handmade, plantable invites.)

Although production  takes place in Paffen’s 1,000-square-foot basement, customers can browse all of the Herbal Art products at a retail location in the Fisher’s Office Suites, 11650 Lantern Road.

Paffen, who has a background in chemistry and business, isn’t afraid to try any combination of scents or materials, from soaps made with real wine grapes to candles that smell like dirt — in a good way. (His fall/winter soap collection includes Reindeer Poop, a blend of pine scents.) I took a bar of the merlot soap home to test. Results: It smelled fruity and left my hands feeling smooth, without leaving a residue.

In fact, I love it so much I think I’ll give my mom a bar for Christmas.