Down to Earth

She also specialises in blended aromatherapy oils.

"The market for local handmade products is just hard so you will find people like myself, would be using the Internet to get greater exposure and sales, because it tips you to millions of people out there in the world," she said.

She thinks that natural products are not recognised locally, "and you have to work hard for each sale." Most people, she said, are not interested in natural body care products which, she argues, is healthier for your skin.

Many commercial products are highly toxic and irritating to the skin, she noted.

"You can use natural products and get the desired results of radiance and glow without having to use commercial products," she noted. Handmade products, on the other hand, contain no toxic chemicals, require no animal testing and packaging and can be recycled. Wilson offers a a diverse range of products: bath salts and sea salt and sugar scrubs, liquid body washes, whipped shea body butters, all natural soaps and aroma therapy candles. Her interest in the art was sparked just after she left secondary school but soon discovered that the market was not ready for her hand-made stuff yet. So she put her dream on hold.

Fifteen years after, Wilson was back with a bang and made a decision to push her business. She completed several courses in aromatherapy and soap- making, and started creating her products in 2004.

In July last year, with the help of NEDCO and a supportive partner, she set up shop in Cascade and since then she has been on the go, shuffling her regular job as a Team Leader with the Nealco Data Link Limited (a member of the Neal and Massy Group) and her business.

When she is at her full-time job, her employee runs the shop and when she leaves work she takes over operation at Earthscents. After leaving both jobs for the day Wilson still has to find time to spend with her two kids at home.

How does she do it? "I just carefully plan and balance my time, that’s all, it is not so bad when you get used to it," she says.

Wilson’s products are created from only natural grains, botanicals and essentials oils from plant leaves, fruit, herbs and tree barks. She said her ideas for her products are conceptualised with the help of several herbal books and people in the handmade beauty industry.

She explained that the process of soap-making requires the combination of the oils, water an alkali or lye which reacts to produce soap and glycerin. After the soap mixture is complete, she said, it is left for three to six weeks until it gets hard and forms a bar of soap.

This process of combining the oils, distilled water and lye is called saponifation. There is no lye remaining after the curing process.

"It is a one woman show when it comes to producing my products," she quickly adds.

She said she also does her own labelling and packaging of the items.

Beside selling her products to "walk-in" customers, Wilson also does custom- made products in various scents : lavender, peppermint, citrus and spice for her clientele, including owners of massage clinics and natural stores.

In addition, she recently started networking her products to three branches of Hi Lo Food Stores and also a few places in Tobago.

She is also a member of the Ohio based non-profit organisation, Handcraft Soap Makers Guild. The club, which consists of over 700 members, promotes the handcrafted soap industry and circulates information beneficial to soap makers via the internet. Most of Wilson’s work is reviewed by the guild.

As to her plans for the future? "I would love to expand my work area and have a small shop in the airport because handcrafted products are excellent souvenirs, visitors love them," she said.

She also has future plans to set a up a website to advertise her business on the international market and to exporting her goods to the Caribbean.