AMANDINE: palm and coconut oils, apricot kernel oils, sweet almond, cold pressed wild almond and almond extract. The oil of the tiny wild almonds, which grow in the highlands above Kandahar, gives this soap its character. A flat white oval, lightly colored with a swirl of wild almond butter.

ANISETTE: palm and coconut oils, cold-pressed sweet almond, anise seed and pomegranate seed oils, steeped licorice root. Licorice and alkanet roots, both wild vegetable dyes gathered locally, give this soap its distinctive coloring. Round and flat, yellow and lapis lazuli.

DESERT FIELDS: palm and coconut oils, cold pressed wild pistachio, pomegranate and castor, steeped Artemisia persica leaves and walnut hulls. Irregular, tawny-green. Perhaps Arghand's best cleanser.

ELIXIR OF ARTEMIS: palm and coconut oils, cold pressed wild almond, hemp, pomegranate seed and castor oils, and Artemisia cina essential oil. The heady aroma of this autumn-flowering herb gives this soap a festive note. A touch of ground turmeric root adds a joyous yellow hue. Flat, irregular, golden.

KANDAHAR ROSE: palm and coconut oils, cold pressed sweet almond and pomegranate seed oils, and essential oil of Rosa damascena. So ancient is the tradition of distilling the essence of the "Kandahar Rose" (Rosa damascena) in Kandahar, that the very word for rose is "flower-water flower." Egg-shaped, white with a swirl of pink.

MOUNTAIN HERB: palm and coconut oils, cold pressed hemp, black cumin, pomegranate seed and castor oils and essential oil of wild mint. The pistachio green color of this soap comes directly from its hemp and vivid green cumin seed oils.

POMEGRANATE: palm and coconut oils, cold pressed sweet almond and pomegranate oils, pomegranate concentrate. This soap, fragrance-free and rich in pomegranate seed oil, is especially suited to sensitive skin. Round, deep red.

THORNBLOSSOM: palm and coconut oils, cold-pressed sweet almond and pomegranate seed oils, and essential oil of Salvia spinosa. This rare flower, which grows wild in the hills above Kandahar, posesses an intoxicating, fruity odor, and is known for its medicinal qualities. Triangular, marble-white.