For this week’s Etsy Feature Friday, I had the opportunity to interview Alicia from Eco Natural Soap. I first got to know Alicia through her wonderful blog, Eco Friendly Homemaking. And through Alicia’s blog, I learned about the business she runs with her family, Eco Natural Soap.
I love natural skincare and bath products, so Eco Natural Soap immediately piqued my interest. They sell a wide variety of soaps and salves, both functional (Don’t Bug Me Baby Insect Repellent Bar, Soap Scum & Grease Remover Bar) and fun (Cabernet Sauvignon Luxury Bath Bar–hello, decadence!). Eco Natural Soap is a fantastic example of how passion, hard work, and a good idea can make for a successful business. Although this is Etsy Feature Friday, Eco Natural Soap is sold online at econaturalsoap.com and in an ever-growing number of retailers in Tennesse and Kentucky.
It’s clear that you have a real passion for what you do. How did you become aware of the dangers of conventional bath and beauty products and what made you decide to take up soap making yourself?
We moved to California a few years back and were there for a little over four years and it was such a wonderful adventure. We learned so much while we were there. I was so surprised to learn about all of the awful ingredients in fabric softeners and was so thrilled to have discovered how to make wool dryer balls that eliminated the use of them. I had someone ask me if I knew what was in the soaps we were using and I said not really. They preceded to tell me that I ought to go home and Google the ingredients listed and then just think about why doctors give people skin patches. They reminded me that we absorb ingredients we put on our skin. Needless to say I was shocked at what I learned was in the Dove, Neutragena and Irish Spring soaps we were using. In fact the Irish Spring had the lesser “bad” ingredients! So when we moved back we brought this knowledge back with us and decided to start Eco Natural Soap. The Lord has really blessed us with some wonderful formulas.
Which of your products do you personally use on a daily basis?
The products that I use on a daily basis are the Seaweed and Cucumber bar and night balm. It has successfully removed those brown “age spots” from the top of my left hand and lightened the ones on my right hand dramatically. I use our A.M. Moisturizer everyday under my make up and I use our citrus body balm all over. We have a new Oatmeal and Honey bar that is made with local organic honey and coconut milk and it has become a real favorite of mine. It smells like a Bit of Honey candy bar. The oatmeal is a little bit exfoliating and leaves your skin so soft. I also use our Scalp and Hair Health Shampoo bar. It is awesome and the Closest Shave bar really does give me the best closest shave on my legs and under my arms. As you can tell I am really a product of our products!
I have oily skin that’s prone to breakouts. I’m 30 years old and I’ve tried just about everything for this, but I’ve never heard of using tepezcohuite for acne. Can you tell me a little bit about it and how it differs from other acne treatments?
Tepezcohuite is really awesome. It is actually a bark of a mimosa tree that only grows in Brazil and Mexico. The Maya Indians have used Tepezcohuite to treat skin problems for thousands of years. Our bar cleans and un-clogs sebaceous glands by addressing the body’s sebum output with natural oils instead of the traditional Alphy Hydroxy Acid approach which dries out your skins natural oils. Tepezcohuite kills bacteria and soothes irritated skin. There have been really awesome testimonies about Tepezcohuite and the Red Cross has even endorsed it. You can read more about it here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimosa_tenuiflora or at our website econaturalsoap.com.
This was enough to persuade me–I bought a bar for myself yesterday!
Something I’ve written about a lot on my blog is the importance of using natural cleaning products in the home, so I’m really excited to see that you have some household cleaners in development. Can you give us a little preview of what we can expect and when they’ll be available on your website?
We offer an awesome Soap Scum and Grease Remover Bar. It takes the place of a Comet or Ajax type product and is all natural. I love it and use it to clean our shower stall, bathroom and kitchen sinks.It cuts through soap scum and grease without using harsh chemicals.
What are your top 3 best selling soaps?
Our top three selling soaps are the Tepezcohuite Acne and Troubled Skin Bar, Seaweed and Cucumber Bar and The Scalp and Hair Health bar.
A lot of people say that they can’t afford to use natural products. What’s your response to this?
When we were living in California and found out how bad the soaps we were using were we immediately threw out all of it and bought all natural chemical free soap. We were paying five to eight dollars for just a regular bath and body bar! We have worked hard to put out great all natural organic products that most anyone can afford. We get e-mails from people all of the time thanking us for making such wonderful products and making them so affordable. We have some awesome testimonies from people all over the country on our website.
As a small business, it must be really exciting to be growing as quickly Eco Natural Soap is. What advice do you have for other makers of handmade goods that would like to make a business out of it?
I would say be passionate about the products you make and be prepared to work hard to get you and your product known. Research the market and then just get the word out.
Thanks to Alicia for taking the time to answer my questions!
Eco Natural Soap is sold online at econaturalsoap.com. Go and check them out–support family owned, eco-friendly business!
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The Tepezcohuite Soap sounds wonderful. And from the description it sounds like each bar would last quite a long time.
I'm also interested in the Oatmeal, Coconut Milk and Honey Bar as we've been making our own oats and honey concoction but it's getting to be a bit of a pain.
I really need to check out that acne bar! I'm one of those people that makes excuses about not using organic products more because it's so expensive but I guess I don't have an excuse anymore!