NILES — An orange plastic bowl is filled to the point of overflowing with a special creation Lisa Miller likes to call her “Voodoo Soap.”

With two Xs for eyes and a mouth that looks like it has been stitched on, the human-shaped soap is made for people who want to wash away their boss, ex-boyfriend, overbearing mother-in-law or anyone else who has gotten on their bad side.

“You don’t even need a pin for that,” Miller said. “You can just wash off an arm or a leg or a head.”

Don’t worry, Miller is not a practicing voodooist.

Her talent lies in crafting the thousands of delightfully eclectic soaps that adorn the walls and tables at Forever Clean Soap Works in Niles. Her colorful creations make the place look more like an art gallery than a purveyor of bath and body products.

Miller said some of her customers have trouble using her soap because they don’t want to wreck its appearance.

“They say ‘it is too pretty to use them,’” she said. “I tell them I will make an ugly one and you can use that.

“Life is too short to put it on the shelf — use it.”

Even so, Miller admits there is an art form to making soap.

“Instead of just being a plain bar of soap I like to make them colorful and pretty,” she said. “When I got to cut that huge loaf (of soap). I never know what I’m going to get. That’s the fun part. To see what kind of colors I can mix and the swirls I can do.”

While it would be tempting to judge Forever Clean’s products by their exquisite covers, Miller said their worth goes beyond skin deep.

All of her handmade soaps are created from all-natural soap bases, including oils and butters. They are also free of skin-irritating detergents like Sodium Laureth Sulfate, which are found in most retail hair and body products on the shelves of big box stores.

A lot of people come into Miller’s shop thinking soap is what is irritating their skin, but Miller sets them straight.

“Real soap doesn’t dry out your skin,” she said. “Most people don’t have a reaction to it.”

In fact, the opposite is true.

Forever Clean’s soap is full of glycerin, a natural byproduct of the soap-making process. Glycerin, she explained, draws moisture into the skin, leaving most feeling fresh and hydrated.

If that doesn’t work, Miller sells unscented “Naked Soap” made from goat’s milk, which contains alpha hydroxy.

“It is a very gentle soap,” she said.

Miller also makes products for men, like shaving soaps, beer soaps and Max’s Manly Mud Soap, which is good for getting grease off the hands.

“There’s more in here than just for women,” she said.

They also sell detergent free laundry soap and laundry butter

“It’s super cleansing. It’s so good,” she said.

For more information about Miller’s products, visit the store at 1011 Broadway St., call (269) 449-0542, go online at forevercleansoapworks.com or find them on Facebook.