Six years ago, Allyssa Hay sprung into action.
Her husband, Ben, was suffering from extremely dry and cracked hands from his work in a steel mill. After visiting doctors and even using steroid cream, the solution wasn’t long-term, and the couple was back to square one.
Allyssa decided to take it upon herself to look into more natural remedies that included products like herbs. After creating her own salve, Ben’s hands seemed to heal, not only pleasantly surprising her, but igniting something within.
From there, she continued to share the product with more friends and family members who had sensitivities to store-bought items.
“And then it dawned on me,” Allyssa says. “It was actually really hard to find products that were natural that didn’t also have some kind of preservative, or colorant, or fragrance oil. That all led up to me making my own soap”
By 2020, Allyssa was working part-time and continuing to create her own products. She found herself enjoying the process so much that a year later, despite her hesitation to own her own business, lots of encouragement from loved ones led her to turn her hobby into a full-time gig.
Currently, Allyssa is selling her products in two pop-up spots located within other stores as well as at larger craft shows. She also has a website showing off her aesthetically pleasing and fragrant concoctions.
Some of Allyssa’s notable products include CBD Soap ($14), Supple Skin Oil ($16), Shampoo Additive ($4), and a brand new collection of soaps that are Pacific Northwest-inspired, including smells such as birch, cedar, and pine after local trees ($10-12).
Along with carefully choosing her ingredients, Allyssa works to create zero waste with her packaging. For example, any bath salts will come in reusable glass bottles that customers can bring back and get a discount on their refill.
Moving forward, Allyssa wants to expand her product into more stores and eventually have her own storefront that will work in collaboration with other local artists.
Until then, it is all of the thoughtfulness going into her ingredients, packaging, and brand that have brought Allyssa success – and not to mention, the care she has for her loved ones.
From making salves for her family and friends to receiving endless help from her husband, and from being encouraged to start a business she was initially hesitant about, Allyssa has come a long way – but isn’t done yet.
“I’ve just been trying to build a name for myself, spread out, and build a regular customer base,” Allyssa says. “I’ve been seeing return customers and people reaching out and wanting to know, ‘Where are you going to be next?’ ‘When can I get this or that?’ So it’s been really nice to see the response.”
