WAYNESVILLE — Got dirt? Call “The Soap Lady!”
Sherrie Edgy and her husband, Joey, have been mixing cold-process lye soap from their home soap kitchen since 2021. What started as a fun hobby soon unexpectedly turned to profit.
“A relative of mine was a homesteader,” said Mrs. Edgy. “She shared a YouTube video on how to make lye soap. I wanted to learn the craft, so I got my husband on board with me, and we learned to make cold-process soap right in our kitchen.
“(It) started as just something fun and quickly became something we love, and we began sharing it with family and friends, and before long, people were asking to buy it.”
The Soap Lady has sold her product in parts of Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana, but she is happy to be located in the tight-knit community of Waynesville.
“You appreciate them, they appreciate you,” said Mrs. Edgy. “It just makes for a rewarding relationship.” She enjoys sharing this soap alternative because it contains simpler and more natural ingredients than any soap products found in stores.
Mrs. Edgy shared a story about a customer whose chemo treatments caused her skin to become itchy and dry.
“She wanted to try the soap because of the natural ingredients in it,” said Mrs. Edgy. “She just came back, and she said, ‘It just makes my skin feel so good! I’m not having the itchy, dryness reaction from the chemo.’
“It just makes you feel good when you feel like you’re producing something that can help somebody, and they really like it.”
Made primarily from olive oil and coconut oil, Mrs. Edgy’s soaps must undergo a precise process to solidify.
“We have to measure our olive oil, coconut oil, lye and essential oils, and we (sometimes add) ground up oatmeal,” she said. “Our oils have to be heated, and the lye, when mixed with water, becomes extremely hot. So both of those ingredients have to be at the same temperature when you combine them.
“Then we put (the mixture) in silicone molds, and the soap has to be covered for 24 to 48 hours for saponification, which is the start of the curing process. We then cut the bars and set them up on racks in our soap kitchen … for four to six weeks. That allows the excess water to evaporate out of it.”
Mrs. Edgy enjoys the slower pace of a small business and the time it allows her to spend with her family (including a new grandchild!).
“I like the small business,” she added. “I like connecting with people on a personal level. That’s what makes it so rewarding, you know? If you keep it small and simple, you’re able to connect with people better.”
Those interested in placing an order for homemade, cold-process soap can reach out via Mrs. Edgy’s personal Facebook account or her phone number, 912-2691037.
