Today we’d like to introduce you to Melisa Eckelbarger.
Hi Melisa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I have always loved science and art. I actually went to college to become a middle school science teacher and started my teaching career during 2o2o. I loved teaching and enjoyed seeing daily growth in my students. It was very rewarding to watch them grow not only in their academics but also on a personal level. I also had some amazing co-workers; I could not have asked for a better team.
In March 2020 I also married my husband, Josh. It was a busy year! We have talked about starting a family and how that would change the demands on my time, which was already in short commodity. As a teacher, I always wanted to provide the best and most engaging lessons for my students. I am a bit of a perfectionist, and because of this I often found myself up late at night preparing lessons and grading.
We also have a son, who is currently in high school. I was a single mom for many years, and I feel like I missed out on so much. Prior to teaching, I was a full-time college student and full-time assistant manager in a retail store. I still remembers planning my work lunch breaks around his baseball games. I would run through a drive-through, eat in the car, and get to see about 15 minutes or so of his game before I had to head back to work.
During my third year of teaching, we entered into another season of life. Starting a family became a more serious topic and I wanted to make it to as many of our high schooler’s baseball games as possible. We made the decision for me to stay at home.
While my husband and I were talking one day, I mentioned how I used to make soap years ago and how much I enjoyed it. I wasn’t really able to ever completely dive in because I was working and in college at that time. He suggested that maybe I could get back into it and maybe make a little money while doing it. That is how Clay Cactus Soapery LLC was born!
My husband was so supportive while I was getting started and helped me get all the documentation and supplies that I needed while I dove into researching the perfect ingredients to use. Remember how I said I was a bit of a perfectionist? One of the main ingredients in soap is oil. Each oil has a different fatty acid profile that gives the bar of soap different properties. I wanted a soap bar that was hard, long-lasting, and wouldn’t be so stripping that my hands felt dry after washing them. I spent hours working on a perfect fatty acid profile that was also vegan and palm oil free! Every one of our soap bars contains skin-loving oils such as hemp seed oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, and quality butters. Then there was the fragrance testing. We went through so many! I tend not to do anything halfway and I’m pretty sure that I drove my husband a little crazy. I also decided against using artificial colorants, so all of our bars are colored with natural occurring clays. While the formulating appealed to my love of science, the designing appealed to my love of art. Each scent has a different design and I make all of our designs with only six different colors of clay.
Since I don’t like to do anything halfway, I also created lines with different specialty ingredients. We have bars that are made with aloe vera, some with activated charcoal, and some are scented with only essential oils. I also created gift sets of 3 or 4 bars that make for a stress-free gifting experience for our customers. These gift sets come in a box with tissue paper, crinkle paper, a care guide, and 15% off coupon for new customers. We really want to create a great experience for all of our customers. We started out with offering three gift sets to start with, Exotic Gardens, Wintery Drinks, and Celebrate. These were extremely popular during the Christmas shopping season. While we mostly focused on more feminine scents, we did make a few gift sets for the gentleman. We took two gift sets to a market in the Houston area and sold all three in the first hour! Everyone’s response to our men’s line blew us out of the water and we are actively working on expanding the line. We are also currently working on a few more fun projects. I do not want to spoil the surprise so stay tuned!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
For the most part, it has been smooth sailing. I am VERY picky on what I release for sale, and I only want to offer the highest quality products to our customers. When you make soap, you create a chemical reaction. Each fragrance reacts a bit differently in the chemical reaction process, and occasionally it creates a few surprises. I had one batch that heated up and solidified so fast that I had to scoop it out instead of pouring it. Soap makers call this soap on a stick. It still make perfectly good soap, it just was not very pretty!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Clay Cactus Soapery LLC?
Clay Cactus Soapery LLC focuses on specialty soap bars. Our bars are very fragrant, and we offer several scents that you do not find at your normal store. One of my favorite parts of attending markets is watching our customers’ faces light up when they smell each bar. When you open our exotic gardens, gift set it literally smells like a bouquet of flowers. We also carefully chose each ingredient for a specific quality that it gives the soap bar. While we do use some common ingredients like olive oil and coconut oil, we also include luxury oils like hemp seed oil and grapeseed oil in our formulation. We also offer bars with aloe vera (my favorite), activated charcoal, and essential oils. Another fun fact is that all of our bars are made with plant-based ingredients and are vegan. This appeals to customers who want to avoid animal products.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I would say to just do it! Starting a new venture can be scary. Don’t shy away from something because it is scary or uncomfortable; just do it scared! One day you will look back and see how far you have come. I would also say to find someone to cheer you on. So many people want to tell you why something will not work and not why it will. I am so thankful to have my husband by my side. He has literally been my biggest cheerleader and gives me that extra little push when I need it.
There is so much that I STILL wish I knew! I have learned how to create a website, take product photos, what search engine optimization is, and so much more. It is not just all about making soap!
Pricing:
- Single Bars Average $7.50
- Packaged Gift Sets of 3 Bars $21
- Packaged Gift Sets of 4 Plus a Soap Saver $29
- Discount Pricing when you order 3 or more single bars
Contact Info:
- Website: claycactussoapery.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claycactussoapery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClayCactusSoapery
Image Credits
Melisa Eckelbarger
