When asked how she got started making soap, Michele says:
” My mother brought some all-natural soap from Texas. I liked it so well I have never used commercial soap again, for me or my family. However, I wanted to tailor it to my own tastes. First I researched the properties of the different oils you can use in soap. I wanted something that would be good for my skin type. As I learned about making soap, I developed my own recipes to suit different needs. Almost immediately, I decided to use only natural ingredients, nothing synthetic. To color the soap, I focused on botanicals and spices that retain their color through the soap-making process. In addition, the use of essential oils imparts the properties of those oils. For example, lavender though calming to the senses, is also antiseptic which means it helps to kill germs. Peppermint oil provides a cooling feeling on the skin in the summer and helps to open clogged airways when used in a hot shower. Some people with sensitivity to smells tolerate essential oils very well."
Most of the soaps Michele sells are either castile which comes from olive oil or what she calls a “silk” soap which has a combination of heavier oils that makes it especially moisturizing. Since her soap is all-natural many of her “flavors” depend on seasonal availability but the ones you are likely to find most often are Peppermint, Orange Blossom, Wild Berry Tea with lavender, Sweet Summer Sun, Lavender and Poppyseed, Classic Lavender (silk), Oatmeal and Honey (silk), a spicy blend called Bobby and Old Time Soap which is the old-fashioned soap made in Grandma's back yard.
Though a resident of Matthews, Michele heard about the Mint Hill Farmers Market through a home-school friend and fell in love with the Historic Village the first time she visited (obviously a woman of good taste). After purchasing a total of 27 books from the old schoolhouse book sale (I told you she had good taste) it was time to start selling her own wares at the Market. Michele says, “This is my first year selling my soap at the Farmer's Market and I have been much encouraged by all of the people that I have met.”Like many of us, Michele loved the Mint Hill Farmers Market because of its friendly atmosphere that makes it more like a gathering of friends.
In a world focused on business growth, Michele has a refreshing take on where she sees her business going in the future.
"I want to keep my business small enough to work in my home so that I can focus on providing a good and useful product to customers that I know and can help while continuing to make my family my priority. After the busyness of life, it is very satisfying and peaceful to work with my hands to make a product that is really useful to people. Lately I have realized how much wisdom is included in the words of Proverbs 31:31 about the value of the fruit of our hands and Ecclesiastes 5:20 speaks of God keeping us busy with the joy of our hearts...isn't that beautiful?"
Be sure to come by the farmers market this weekend to see Michele and try some of her wonderful soap! Here is a picture of Michele with her youngest child, Nora Paige at a local bike rally.
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