About Us
Where It All Began
Every great story starts somewhere. For Inky Quills and owner Chris Parkinson, it started with a folding table, a deep belief that the things we put on our bodies should be as honest and nourishing as the land we live on, and eczema. That's right, necessity is truly the mother of invention. Chris found herself in need of a soap bar that wouldn't make her break out itching, but also one that wouldn't melt away within a week or two. After some research and a bit of trial and error, she taught herself to make soap, worked out a recipe, and tried it out on herself. That was in 2012.
Chris never bought commercial soap again and she started to share it with her friends and her family members by way of gift giving or in response to hearing similar complaints about sensitive skin issues. It wasn't long before people were asking to buy it and so Chris took it one step further. In January 2014, Inky Quills LLC was born.
The Craft Behind the Bar
Cold process soap making is an art form as much as it is a science. It's slow, intentional work — the kind that can't be rushed, and shouldn't be. Chris chose this method because it preserves the integrity of every ingredient, allowing the natural oils and botanicals to do exactly what they were meant to do without the necessity of chemical additives.
At the heart of every Inky Quills bar are ingredients chosen with care and purpose. Hempseed oil, rich in omega fatty acids, is a quiet hero for troubled, reactive skin. Avocado oil brings deep, creamy nourishment that sensitive skin drinks in gratefully. Sustainably sourced palm oil and coconut oil round out the base, lending a luxurious lather and a bar that holds its shape and its promise.
No shortcuts. No mystery chemicals. Just real ingredients, cold-pressed and crafted by hand in Wauna, Washington.
What's in a Name?
You might wonder: what does a quill have to do with soap?
Everything, it turns out.
The name Inky Quills was born from a love of literature, — of the writers and poets who dipped their quills into ink and poured their inner worlds onto the page. It's also the answer to a riddle in one of Chris's favorite stories - Lewis Carrol's "Alice in Wonderland" in which the Mad Hatter queries more than once "Why is a raven like a writing desk?"
Chris sees her craft in the same spirit: each bar of soap is a small act of creation, a blending of elements into something that didn't exist before. The quill is a symbol of that creative impulse, that reverence for making things by hand with intention, heart, and purpose.
Rooted in Community
Inky Quills is more than a soap company — it's a community presence. You'll find Chris and her products at the Poulsbo Farmers Market where it all began, still connecting face-to-face with the neighbors and strangers who've become loyal friends over the years and making new ones there and at other select events in the Pacific Northwest.
When not at the farmer's market, Chris can be found working on the small hobby farm she's been building alongside Inky Quills since 2014. Affectionately named Crow's Croft Farm, she shares it with a motley crew of rescued animals and her loving partner, Robert. Through Inky Quills, Chris has supported and continues to support numerous non-profit organizations in the local area.
From the soaps cured on the shelves to the stories she writes and posts about Crow's Croft Farm on her blog "Revels from the Roost: Tales of Crow's Croft Farm", everything here is made with the same guiding belief: that human creativity and the natural world are both extraordinary, and that the things we create should honor both.
Thank you for being part of this story.