While working in a stressful career, Elizabeth from Soap Avenue Co. knew she needed a creative outlet. She started making soap and was hooked. Now, 7 years later, soap making is her full time career. Meet Elizabeth!
How long have you been making soap, and how did you get started? How long have you been selling your products?
I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Science Degree in 2016. I was working as a Trauma First Assistant in the Operating Room, which is an extremely high stress job. I knew I needed an outlet, a hobby, from my job. With my new knowledge of science and my love of learning new things, I quickly found myself wanting to learn more about natural skin care. I was using natural skin care products already and I knew I could create the products myself. I started researching, reading, watching videos, and by wonderful chance I stumbled upon Anne-Marie Faiola, the Soap Queen, on YouTube. I watched all her soap making videos for beginners and instantly fell in love with the process! I purchased her Pure Soapmaking Book, a Soap Making Kit from Bramble Berry, and learned how to create my first batch of soap! As many soap makers say, I was hooked. Fast forward, I have now been selling my products for almost 6 years.
What do you love most about making bath and body products?
Expanding my creativity - I honestly had no idea I had an artistic bone in my body! After I felt comfortable with creating cold process soap, I was ready to create luxurious, artistic, beautiful bars of soap. This took years of practice, and I am still learning, changing, rearranging, and recreating my style. Not creating the same look repeatedly keeps me going! I also love using new and exotic ingredients in my products. I just started using Murumuru Butter from Bramble Berry and it is so amazing.
What inspires you to create?
In the beginning, I started handing out my soaps to friends and family, who were coming back and asking for more. I found myself purchasing bigger quantities of ingredients, and my business started to take off. My drive to create was and has always been my family, friends, and loyal customers. After receiving the most amazing compliments, encouragement, and devoted support, I knew this was how I was going to succeed. I never want to be boring, so I love creating new, beautiful, and different designs and scents to keep my customers wanting more. When I started making soap, my father told me his grandparents used to make soap using ash and animal fats, so knowing I have a family history of soap making really gave me the confidence and inspiration I needed.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to get started?
Have fun and do not take it so seriously! I believe starting my company as a side gig from my hospital job was the best way to ease into creating a company. I never thought it was going to be my main source of income, so I always had fun creating my soaps, experimenting with different products, and asking people at my hospital job to constantly try things I made. I feel that as a maker, we can put so much pressure and stress on ourselves to be the best. It does not have to be this way… I have learned over the years, if I am not having fun, my creativity suffers, which is what drives my company forward. I would say to ease into this maker world at your own pace to set yourself up for success!
Who’s another maker you admire? What do you love about their work?
Ariane Arsenault from La Fille De La Mer. I started watching Ariane on YouTube 7 years ago. I absolutely loved and admired her passion for her company. She would share so much valuable information and I was like a sponge! What I loved most about her work is her ability to create all natural products as well as colorful and fragranced products. I also wanted this in my own company to target all different customers. I knew I would have customers who loved all natural products and those who preferred colors and fragrances. I find this to be more challenging, but it has helped me to become very successful.
Have you experienced a failure? How did you work through it, and what did you learn?
Oh yes of course, I have had many failures and thank goodness I did; this is definitely the best way to learn. I remember one instance I was making a larger batch of natural lavender soap. I was working so quickly, worried it would set up too fast, I knocked over a 16 oz bottle of Lavender Essential Oil. From that point on, I always make sure all bottles are capped and closed tightly! It was a very expensive lesson to learn. Another instance I was making beer soap, and it immediately turned to soap on a stick. I rebatched this soap right away and it became a more rustic looking soap, which ended up being a great seller!
What plans do you have for your business moving forward?
I officially started Soap Avenue Co. in 2017 and honestly had no idea I could make this my only source of income. In February of 2022, I decided to take the huge leap of becoming a full-time small business owner. My company was getting busier, and I could not keep up with my business and my hospital job at the same time. I reevaluated where my priorities were, where I found the most happiness, and what was best for my family. It was the BEST decision I ever made! My plans and goals are to have my very own soap shop where I can hire at least one other person to help me continue to expand and grow Soap Avenue Co.
What are your 4 must-have Bramble Berry products? Why are they your favorite?
I love Bramble Berry’s purple Brazilian clay. I use this as a staple in my Lavender Soap as well as clay masks. It creates the most beautiful natural purple in my soap.
All the botanicals! But if I have to choose just one, it would be pink rose petals. But I have tried so many Bramble Berry botanicals to infuse in oils as well as decorate the top of my natural soaps and bath salts.
Champagne Fragrance Oil - this is the best champagne scent you will ever use! I love mixing this fragrance with floral and fruit fragrances to create the most unique scents ever.
Colloidal oatmeal - I use this in my cold process soaps, salves, hand cream and lotions. This helps soften skin, adds a layer of protection, and helps moisturize. All my products benefit so much from this oatmeal.
What’s your favorite Bramble Berry project/What’s the first project you tried?
When I was learning the cold process soaping method, I purchased the Bramble Berry Beginners Cold Process Soap Kit. The kit contained everything I needed to create my first batch of soap. It was an amazing experience and helped me feel comfortable to create my own batch of cold process soap.
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