LeaAnn Williams is growing a local business selling homemade organic soap, shampoo, shaving cream, body butter, lip balm, and other self-care products. The soap making project began three years ago when LeaAnn's husband, Gabe, began experiencing reactions to the soap they used in their shop. "So we thought well, it wouldn't be a bad idea to start an alternative for him to wash his hands. So, I started investigating about charcoal. I learned that it was very good because it can't be absorbed by your body. So it acts like a magnet. I started making it for the shop for them to wash their hands and it just sorta went from there," she explains. "It was (difficult to learn), but luckily, we have YouTube. We watch someone else do it and go from there." The production of all natural mechanic's soap involves more than just making soap. She also adds poppy seeds and pumice to help scrub grease and dirt from rough hands.
Later, LeaAnn began to expand their soap production beyond shop soap when her husband began to have reactions to other soaps and products. "I started making it for the house here, and it just got a little bit bigger. He started having more reactions to different soaps, so I started investigating."
LeaAnne's soaps are organic. "Most of it is all plant based. It's considered organic, but there's a little bit of preservative to give it a bit more of a shelf life. The bar soap has got lye in it, so it's good for a long time. It has to cure for anywhere between 4 to 8 weeks." For oils, she uses a variety of different oils, depending on what she is making, including "Olive oil, palm oil, sunflower oil, things like that..." The use of plant-based oils is important because most commercial soaps use petroleum products.
From shop soap, LeaAnn has expanded her line of soap to include shaving lotion, shampoo, conditioner, lip balm, body butter, lotions, and facial scrub. She has made liquid soap in the past, but has found most people prefer the bar soaps.
In addition to offering a variety of soap options, she has learned to make her soaps in a wide variety of scents and colors. For example, she started making soap for her daughters that is pink and purple marbled, which they call unicorn soap.
Her most popular scent is lilac. "It's awesome. If you have a couple bars in your house, when you come into your house, you can smell it," her husband added. She has had interest in tobacco scented products for men, like shaving gel or shop soap. She is able to make all sorts of other scented products: "I do all different kinds (of scents)... So with this one it's charcoal, but I was going to marble it so its got the black along with the white soap in it. It'll have a lavender scent to it. I do a charcoal with a peppermint smell." The scents are added through essential oils, so they are also natural.
About a year ago, LeaAnn began to get requests from family and friends to buy soaps. "People just started asking me: 'If I were to buy some from you, how much would it cost? What can you do?'" The sales started slowly, and mainly with her family, but interest has increased. She has even been approached by an organic store interested in carrying her products. She is able to do custom scents and colors if given a few months to make and cure the soap. She generally has a supply of soaps and other products on hand and in the process of curing. Some products can be made faster than the 3 month timetable. For example, her beeswax based lip balms can be made in a few hours and are also all natural.
As her children have gotten older, she has been able to turn her soap making venture into a family affair. "I've started getting the kids involved because, they're older now. They don't mess with the lye, but Wyatt has started helping me, and it's almost like a science project."
LeaAnn will soon be opening an online store through Etsy. In the meantime, if you are interested in purchasing soaps, shampoos, or other products you can contact her via Facebook, email (leaannwilliams@hotmail.com), or by phone (406-879-0104).
