The founder of Bathroom Cult turned a difficult time in their life into a new way to express themselves; soap craft. After a couple of years of honing their craft, they started selling their products online and locally. Find out more about this witchy maker below!
How long have you been making bath and body products, and how did you get started? How long have you been selling your products?
2017 really put me through the wringer. I’ve always had anxiety but I fell into a deep depression and everything fell apart. As I tried to put myself back together I reacquainted myself with witchcraft - focusing on the magic of nature and herbs - and I thought soap would be a great medium for that. I initially started with melt and pour (I was a little scared of working with lye haha), but I quickly realized the limitations with customization and being able to add in certain ingredients. The Soap Queen blog was my Holy Grail as I was researching and experimenting, along with YouTube videos.
I’ve been selling since 2019 when I opened my Etsy shop and also started doing markets around the city.
What do you love most about making bath and body products?
Although I would say I really love the design process - brainstorming a name and combinations of fragrance and color I think will encompass my idea - over the last year or so I’ve really fallen in love with the photography part of the process. I’ve spent a lot of time studying product photography and working to improve so I can best capture the spirit of my products in a photo.
What inspires you to create?
I’ve already mentioned witchcraft which is a big part of my brand, but I’m also of course inspired by ancient religion and mythology - Greco-Roman in particular, as well as all things horror. I’m not constantly thinking about what horror movie icons smell like, but sometimes I’ll have a concept in mind - a particular scene or tale and then spend a lot of time researching to try to embody that in scent. I come from an art background in both traditional and digital media so I’m always trying to translate the wild ideas I have to soap - a different art medium for me.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to get started?
You don’t have to do everything and you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. I say this in particular about products, but it also applies for business model, pricing, and whatever else. I only follow a few other makers because I am easily swayed and starting out, when I saw what others were doing, especially launching a new line or product, I often wondered if I should be doing that too. Bath bombs, whipped soap, room spray, shampoo bars, sugar scrubs, etc. You’ll stretch yourself thin mentally and financially if you try to do whatever is currently trending. I still wonder if I can “make it” selling only soaps and candles but it’s important to find one thing you like making and master that. Every new product you make is another thing you’ll have to try to market. It becomes a lot to remember at events!
Who’s another maker you admire? What do you love about their work?
Ella from Selkie Secrets Co. (@selkiesecretsco) ! We met at a market we were both vending at pre-pandemic. In addition to soap and skin care she also does jewelry making and traditional art. Her work is rooted in her Latina heritage as well as witchcraft and her love of mermaids, which I especially love. I think her brand and vision are strong, and she’s even put together her own local market for makers recently, Moonlight Market, which I think is awesome and something I could only dream of doing.
Have you experienced a failure? How did you work through it, and what did you learn?
Yes, of course, it’d be weird if anyone said they never failed. I’ve definitely made a batch where I forgot to add in the fragrance oil, I marketed it as unscented soap! It’s important to pivot, but there are also times when you just have to take the loss. I once made a batch with a recipe I’d used before and this time with a new fragrance oil that I thought behaved fine, but I ended up with lye pockets in the soap. It was the first time I experienced that and was devastated when I learned what it was after asking online and that the soap wasn’t safe. It hurt to do - it’s hard to let go of something you worked hard on - but ultimately I threw it out.
What plans do you have for your business moving forward?
The pandemic really affected my life personally - I’ve lost family members - so I’ve been taking everything one step at a time. Time is an illusion anyway. But I do want to work on locking down the “business” side of business and eventually take a course from Modern Soapmaking. I’d also love to get into wholesaling.
What are your 4 must-have Bramble Berry products? Why are they your favorite?
Oooh 2 of my favorites you don’t sell anymore - I really loved Raspberry Ale from the Pacific Northwest collection.
The sheep silicone mold is absolutely adorable and essential to my Black Philip soaps I make in the winter.
Pomegranate Flowers - I don’t think I’ve seen these anywhere else and they really helped add that final magical touch to my Hades bath potion!
4 inch Silicone Loaf Mold - I have several of these; they’re perfect for making a small batch to test out new fragrances or techniques. I think it’s great for a beginner or experienced soap maker.
Dried Lavender - I would make lavender everything if I could and adding some lavender buds to the top of soaps or in bath salts are a great finish to anything lavender scented! It can be hard to find dried herbs that maintain their vibrancy but Brambleberry's has a uniform and beautiful color.
Orange 10X Essential Oil - I love citrus almost as much as I love lavender and I’ve used this essential oil in blends for soaps and candles.
What’s your favorite Bramble Berry project/What’s the first project you tried?
Beet Soap Project - This was my jumping off point with what I initially wanted to do with cold process: a soap made and colored with natural botanicals. It was like a sign when I found this tutorial, these were exactly the ingredients I wanted because beet and rose hips’ magical property corresponds with love - something I needed at the time. Now I make a version of this as my Love Spell soap.
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