Maker of the Month: Holy Grail Organics
In 2019, Liz of Holy Grail Organics started exploring a natural lifestyle by making as many things from scratch as possible - including soap! The skills she learned as a hairdresser paired perfectly with soapmaking, from chemical reactions to color theory. Learn more about how Liz balances social media creation with her business, and how she stays inspired.
How long
have you been making soap, and how did Holy Grail Organics come to
be?
In 2019, my spouse and I packed up our things and
moved into a cozy cabin in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania with our two
children. We are from New York City, so that was a huge change. But, we moved
because we wanted to live a more natural organic lifestyle. We started creating all
of our food and drinks from scratch! We made our own cheese, milk, bread, ice cream!
Everything you can imagine we made fresh. It wasn’t long till I started
making our own soap! And Holy Grail came to be in 2020. I started small, only
creating for friends and family. Then I created an Etsy shop, and now I have my own
website where I sell to people all over the
world.
You were a hairstylist for over a
decade. How did you make the transition from hairstyling to soap making?
When I moved to Pennsylvania, I became a stay at
home mom. I had to retire from the hair industry for a bit. But naturally I am very
creative and artistic. When I started making soap, I had a lot of fun mixing the
colors and playing with the swirls and creating ombres and color blocks; things
I’m very familiar with when it comes to hair. The chemistry of soap making
and hair color is very similar. As far as color theory, experiencing chemical
reactions, color morphs, waiting a few hours to see if your “color came
out right”, it all felt very familiar.
What is your favorite part
of the creative process?
My favorite part is allowing
my visions come to life! I get these crazy ideas in my head. My mind is constantly
creating, and I won’t feel satisfied until it’s created, or at
least attempted.
How do you find
inspiration?
Music. I listen to music all day long.
And sometimes the artist will say a word, or a sentence, a feeling, even the name of
the song title will instantly create a vision. My taste in music varies and so do my
soaps, they have many personalities.
As a small business owner, how do you balance soapmaking
with content creation / managing your social media page?
Morning time is for social media! Every morning I wake up early, have my
coffee (always two cups to be exact), edit videos and respond to my messages.
Depending on how much free time I have for the day, I will decipher how much soap I
can make. Or if I can make any at all. I try to make soap every other day. I take
one day for soap making and the next I will cut soap and organize my
studio.
What advice would you give to other moms/parents looking to
start their own business from home?
Do it! I am able
to dedicate all my time to my kids because of running my own business. I am there
for my kids morning and night. Also, the kids are inspired by you. They will see how
hard you work and they will admire it. Be your kid’s first teacher. Teach
them. Hire them! When I am overwhelmed with soap labeling and cutting they are the
ones I call for help.
Who’s
another maker you admire? What do you love about their work?
Handmadebybonita has me in AWE every single time! She creates these
amazing masterpieces, they belong in a museum! She makes them with soap dough. She
sells her soap dough so that you are able to make them too!. And Gabe from
Cyrussoapco is my buddy. Gabe is a wizard at formulation and understanding the
science of it all. If I have a soap question, Gabe is the one that helps me
understand. I always say without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I
admire him so much.
What has
been your biggest challenge to navigate as a business owner?
So being a business owner in itself is challenging, especially when you
are the only staff member! Responding to all my emails and DMs at an adequate time I
think is most difficult for me. I am waiting for my daughter who is 14 to help me on
that part. Two more years and I think she’ll be the one who is taking over
social media and everything that has to do with responding. I can’t
wait!
What are your dreams for Holy Grail Organics? Where would
you like to see your business in 5 or 10 years?
People tell me I dream too big. They feel I’m unrealistic. But
what is life without dreams? I want little Holy Grail shops all around America. But
to keep it “realistic” within 5 years I want 2 shops. One in
Pennsylvania and one in NYC.
If you
were a Bramble Berry Fragrance Oil, which one would you be and
why?
Easy…Espresso Fragrance Oil!
And let me tell you, I have a few Brambleberry favorites that I can’t live
without but Espresso defines me more just because I am an espresso addict.
What are
your three “Holy Grail” Bramble Berry
products?
Bramble Berry fragrance
oils and essential
oils! I love how rich and long lasting the scents are.
My trusty Bramble Berry White Stick Blender! I
still fluctuate on batch sizes from big to small, so I love that the Bramble Berry
stick blender offers various speed settings! I also tend to use multiple colors when
creating so I really appreciate that the blending shaft is removable and I can
change to a clean one per color.
And now my Bramble Berry Beanie! I
live in it! And it goes with every outfit. I feel so proud when I walk outside with
it on.
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