In 2011, I began making soap. It was a simple, hot process batch of soap but it was soap nonetheless. I was excited that I created something useful, at that point in my life, I actually felt useless.
I was 21 years old and unemployed following a medical misdiagnosis. At the time, we didn't realize it was a misdiagnosis, but it changed the course of my life. I stood in the kitchen with this Vanilla + Chamomile hot process soap made with olive oil, lard, and almond oil and had no idea I was about to begin a healing journey... both physically and emotionally.
I used the soap once and found that my skin didn't burn, a normal occurrence at the time for me when showering. Within a couple weeks the bumps on my arms disappeared and my skin began healing. I began sharing with family and friends and quickly they began asking me to make more.
It wasn't just soap... people began asking me to make lip balm, then bath salts, then lotions... and in about 2 years I had an entire product line and some purpose. At the end of that 2 years, I had found out I had been misdiagnosed. As I worked through that, I began creating scent blends from essential oils and botanical extracts that went along with the emotions I was feeling. The heartache, the desperation, the healing, the need to boost my self confidence, and more.
Through creating something natural with soap, I found Naturopathy and began training to be a Traditional Naturopathic Doctor. That training helped me to create even more outstanding blends for herbal infusions, botanicals, and more.
I'm sitting here now... 12 years after making my first batch. I am sipping coffee, watching the Blippi on youtube for the 30th time, preparing for the product restock & TikTok launch tonight, and thinking about the date night I'm going to have with my fiance tomorrow night... how far I've come in 12 years. I wouldn't recognize that girl.... but I do recognize her drive.
In 12 years, I've sold hundreds of thousands of products and shipped them all over the United States and some into Canada and beyond. I've sold on Facebook and Instagram. I've gone live on TikTok and found myself going viral a total of 11 times in 3 years. If you would have told me I would stand in front of my iPhone, with a bright light in my face, make soap in huge batches & discuss mental health, healing, and fun nonsense things 5 nights a week in front of... hmmm 30- 500 people at a time... I would have laughed at you.
It's not just skincare. This business. All of my customers. All of you... Have been the driving force for me to work through past trauma, create something special, create scent blends that mimicked emotions, helped me support myself, and helped me find myself. I found the woman I wanted to be & I'm getting closer every day.