Mom goes natural, helps local families

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Have you ever looked at the ingredients in your soap? You might be surprised at some of the chemicals listed on the back of the bottle.

In this week's Helen Magazine segment, we introduce you to the woman behind Natural Wonders Soap, who is helping her family and others go green, one bar of soap at a time.

When Lafayette mom, Jenny Reynolds' young daughter developed eczema, she had no idea it would lead to a new business idea.

"We did the steroid creams for a while but we wanted to something more natural," Reynolds said.

After trying a bar of natural soap, she and her husband were hooked. They decided to make the soap from home. She said after her two kids go to bed, they get to work, mixing and pouring.

"We had a lot of laundry soap to start out with because it didn't work so well the first time. When we first started it took us hours and hours, but we've got it down pretty good now," she said.

Reynolds has turned her hobby into a business called Natural Wonders Soaps 'N More. It takes her about an hour to make 100 bars.

"You just take water and lye together, and then you take your mixture of oils and blend them together," she said.

After pouring them into molds, next comes the waiting game. The bars take up to six weeks to firm up completely. Reynolds has found a market for the products. She is a regular at the Lafayette Farmers' Market where her bars of soap, foot scrub, lip balm, and lotions sell quickly.

"We have the essential oils for the people who like people who like things that are more natural. We do a lot of tea tree oil, peppermint and we have our fragrance oils that are more highly scented but they aren't as natural," she said.

Reynolds said lemon and almond are very popular. People also like the coffee soap that can be used in the kitchen to get rid of strong odors like garlic. She said she enjoys helping other families go green and more natural.

For more information on the Natural Wonders Soaps 'N More, click here .