Hello, I'm Dilek!
It started at a desk.
For years I had a demanding corporate career at Amazon, the kind of job that fills your calendar and quietly empties everything else. When burnout finally made me stop, I went looking for something my hands could do that my head couldn't overthink.
I found soap making.
The slow pours. The scent of lavender rising from the pot. The quiet little chemistry of oils and lye becoming something entirely new. The botanicals calmed my nerves in a way nothing else ever had so I dug an allotment and grew more of them. Lavender. Calendula. Yarrow.
Somewhere between the sowing and the curing, the therapy became a craft, and the craft became The Soap Academy.
These days you'll find me at my workshop table in Milton Keynes, teaching small groups the same slow art that steadied me or in front of a camera, filming the pours so you can learn from wherever you are. When I'm not elbow-deep in soap batter, I'm on the allotment, hunting antiques, sewing, or planning the next vintage road trip.
Because this was never really about soap. It's about making something real in a world that moves too fast.
Begin with my free checklist
Everything you need before your first batch the equipment, the safety set-up, and the three mistakes every beginner makes. Free, in your inbox today.
