This year, the thought of Halloween is a sad prospect.

There will be no big parties or trick-or-treating gatherings; in fact, it risks being quite a lonely affair.

However, Cheshire Bath Boutique's Janine Carden might just have the perfect thing to brighten up your night, with her bubbly cauldron, witch's cat and pumpkin bath bombs!

And don't worry if you miss out on her popular Halloween collection: Janine produces hand-made bath products all year round, in a wide range of colours, scents and designs.

"I could go on forever about soap," she says.

After being bought a bath bomb as a present in 2016, Janine was inspired to try making her own. This little project soon proved to be the first step in a soapy journey of discovery.

"I found my job quite stressful for a number of reasons and wanted to find a nice way to relax. I found that having a bath was so relaxing and that it also helped me sleep of a night.

"This made me think about bath products and wonder if I could make them as a way of earning money, whilst helping other people to relax as much as it helped me.

"I founded my business on 27th August 2018 after a lot of research and testing and after I had obtained all of my Cosmetic Product Safety Reports from my Chartered Chemist," she adds.

The Soap-making Process

Janine is fascinated by the processes of soap production: how they transform her ingredients into something entirely new and different.

"My most popular products are probably bubble bars but my favourite to make is soap, I love how it is created.

"My solid blocks are Cold Process Soap made entirely by hand. They are a blend of three oils and lye. A fact I love is that during the saponification process the lye disappears and a new item is made within the soap: glycerine.

"I do not add glycerine to my soaps but must put this ingredient onto my labels as it is something that the soap creates, which I love.

"Some big soap manufacturers take the glycerine out to sell as a product in its own right, but glycerine is one of the moisturising parts of the soap, which is why you may find artisan soap more hydrating.

From lavender swirls to blue raspberry marbled blocks to red dinosaur figures, Janine's fragrant soaps come in all shapes and sizes and are a great gift idea for friends and family.

"Another thing I love doing is painting bath bombs," Janine says.

"All of my bath bombs are made by me. I mix my dry ingredients first, then the wet and colour before moulding.

"Quite a few are painted with mica. I do love this part and find it very relaxing to do."

At the moment, "I have my bath bomb Halloween cauldrons, which are really popular and great to dip in and out of the bath to create the bubbling over effect.

"I also have Pete the Pumpkin bath bomb, who is a little cutie, and the Emoji Devil. There is also Big Pete the Pumpkin, who is an extra large bubble bar!"

As well as all of this, Janine sells lip balms, whipped sugar scrubs, bath salts and bubble scoops: a whole world of bath time treats!

And that's not all. Janine tells me that: "Cheshire Bath Boutique is growing and developing month on month. I have plans for next year and lots of new products in the pipeline."

How to get your hands on Janine's products

As well as being able to browse through the Cheshire Bath Boutique website, you can also find Janine's soaps and bath bombs at Belvedere Blooms inside Robert Gleave Garden Centre.

If you are travelling a little further afield, Janine also has items stocked in Cheshire Quality in Knutsford and Boss Birds Parlour in Birkenhead.

Before Covid, Janine could also be found selling her products at monthly artisan markets in Warrington, Congleton, Haigh Woodland Park and Knutsford, as well as a quarterly market in Chester.

She hopes that she will be able to return to this in the New Year.

Follow Janine's Facebook page to keep up to date with all her newest products!