Tenisha of Southern Pleasures is the creator of handcrafted olive oil soaps that are designed to gently cleanse and provide rich conditioning to the skin. That sounds just delicious as I sit here with my sad itchy winter skin!Tell me about how you originally got into your craft Tenisha.
The art of soap making fell into my lap. I remember becoming intrigued with learning how to make soap when I was a member of a popular message board for women on the internet. One of the members there started a thread to show off some soap she had created. When I viewed the pictures I started to wonder if she really made them herself because I had come to the conclusion that soap was something only major companies were able to produce. Not to mention her soaps looked gorgeous and were so different from what I was used to seeing.
From that week on all I decided I also wanted to learn how to make something that looked just as beautiful and useful. What was even more daunting was if I could learn how to make soap without initially having an in-depth knowledge of the science behind it. My research of the craft started online and eventually I turned to my local library to find some books on soap making. After many months of reading I finally made my first batch and have never stopped making soap since.
Soap making has turned into a serious passion of mine and I am so grateful I was at the right place at the right time to be exposed to something that I truly love to do.
What is your favorite thing to do in the whole wide world?
In addition to making soap I continue to cultivate an interest in writing short stories. This form of expression started when I was a young child with a very vivid imagination. I continued writing up until the end of my college career and over the past two decades have written a multitude of stories.
What is your biggest challenge when it comes to running your shop?
It is often a challenge for me to find the time to fully be able to network with other in my own community to the degree I would like to. I work full time and attend school in the evenings. In between working and studying for classes I have just enough time left over in my day to focus on product creation and researching product trends.
I have so many new ideas for products but so little time to play with formulations. For now I just take it one day at a time and focus on achieving small goals.
What item in your shop would you most like to receive as a gift if someone were shopping for you?
Personally I love to try out several soaps at once so the soap sampler would be perfect for me.
When you were a kid, what did you think you were going to be when you grew up?
I had dreams of becoming a journalist and wanted to enter the communications field.
What other shops out there do you love?
I have an insatiable love for handbags and can't divulge how many I currently have in my closet. Often I like to check out DrikaB on Etsy as her bags are high quality with beautiful patterns.
What does your future hold?
Once I complete my graduate program I have hopes on expanding my business into a thriving wholesale venture. I would love to see my product in the aisles of a Whole Foods Market for a consumer to purchase directly.
Visit Southern Pleasures at Etsy today to grab some of her deliciously luxurious soaps!
