The Accidental Soapist
F B Essentials began purely by accident. I first started making bath and body products specifcly for my daughter. When she was about 6 months old she developed a severe case of Eczema. It was so bad that I was often asked how she was burned. We tied everyhing the dermatologist suggested and prescribed. NOTHING worked! Not steroids, not creams or lotions. We even tried an ointment that was a hundred dollars per tube and no relief!
It was heart breaking to watch my baby suffering the way she was, so I began doing research. It was amazing what I learned about commercial soaps, body washes, and shampoos. Apparently, they contain the same ingredients that are in car wash solutions! In fact they are not actually soap, but classified as detergents. Now in most cases the amounts are fine for human skin, but for those with sensitive, dry or allergy prone skin this can be a huge problem. There was only one thing to do... make my own.
I started with simple recipes that contained oatmeal and honey. Within a week we began to see an improvement to my baby's skin. I was really determined now! I learned and experimented with oils, butters, and essentials oils. I began creating my own recipes. It became an obsession. Soon she was Eczema free except for the occassional flare up from the sometimes extreme Georgia weather.
Now THIS is how F B Essentials began. When friends and family saw the skin transformation of my daughter, they began asking for my soaps, oils and lotions. Within a year I had a steady stream of users, all of them telling me, "you need to sell this stuff!" So in June 2009 I stepped out on faith and opened a shop on Etsy. I decided to call it F B Essentials. The F B stands for the quaint town of Flowery Branch, Ga where we call home. My line of bath and body goodies has grown over the years as has my love for creating items that delight the senses, soothe the skin and relax the mind. My little soap shop has grown by leaps and bounds and I am proud to say my handmade goodies are sold worldwide in specialty boutiques!
