I started my soap/skincare journey a little over a year ago. I wanted world dominance through "skincare"😁; it was, however, a slow process. I started my home-based business back in 2020. I made and sold tumblers, I made epoxy tumblers, and I was going at a pretty good pace, but I wanted something that didn't take quite as long, so I got into sublimation. Sublimation was so easy and quick - OMG I could pump out so many things and personalize them in a matter of minutes. I got really good at online graphics and making things, and I was so proud. My sister was a part of my company, and we did pretty well for a home-based business. Then it happened, August of 2024, a friend of mine was released from prison and came to stay with us, she is such a talented person to begin with, what harm could come from bringing her on, it wasn't 2 days in, and i over heard her on the phone telling somone that I showed her once and she had it down. Soon she took over, and I found myself struggling with feeling like I had no part in my own business. I was lost. In January 2025, we rebranded and put her name on the business; my sister, whose name was never on the business, was sort of "phased out"; she was there when she wanted to be and not when we didn't - not a big deal. I was the only one with any financial responsibility, and I didn't want that; it was scary. With the rebrand, I had decided I would move into soap and eventually skincare, but it was slow; my confidence at this point was in the toilet. I was so excited when I made my first batch of soap - even if I didn't like the smell of the FO I used. My confidence started to grow. It was early summer, May or June, and I decided to try my hand at a lotion, and it flopped; I didn't know what happened, but that was all it took to kill my confidence. So I stayed with what worked. By Fall, I had a pretty good collection of soaps, and we decided we would try selling them (we were still selling the sublimation items, but I was pretty much out of that part of the business) at the shows, and we were booked every weekend from August(ish) to the Week before Christmas. My soaps were a hit - my confidence skyrocketed, and in November, I tried my hand at lotion again, and it worked, it set up so nicely, and the lotions were such a hit. With this confidence boost, I continued to create, making some simple stuff like Cuticle Oil and Foot Balm, and more complicated items like additional lotions and body butters. It also gave us our first chance to get real "repeat" customers.

I make small-batch skincare. I have been in business since 2020, but just moved into skincare in January 2025. I am self-taught. I take classes to learn formulation and earn certificates, but I'm still just a self-taught formulator. If you are just starting out with soap/skincare, I am the person to start with. I am also always learning, I will make mistakes in formulating, and that's how we learn, what works and what doesn't. I hope you will come with me on this journey. Let's learn together!