Slipping into success

Published 12:15 pm Thursday, February 16, 2017

Clean Living Soaps is raising the bar for homemade toiletries, one bath bomb at a time.

Emma Marie Webb — the creator behind the products — first began creating soaps when some of her children developed eczema.

Doctors kept recommending harsh steroid-style creams, which led Webb to seek a natural remedy.

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“After researching things that could help, I created my coconut milk soap,” said Webb.

Not only was she successful, but now people in the community seek her expertise for variants of the soap.

She has created essential oil rollers known to cure headaches, gender revealing bath bombs for expecting parents and a variety of salves, just to name a few.

Pictured are a sampling of products available through Webb’s Clean Living Soaps with 10 percent of sales going to the Southside SPCA.

Pictured are a sampling of products available through Webb’s Clean Living Soaps with 10 percent of sales going to the Southside SPCA.

It seems Webb has something for everyone. “I also make solid perfume, essential oil rollers, lip balm, lotion bar, body butter, shampoo, shower steamers, bath bombs and toilet bombs.”

Webb first moved to Prince Edward with her husband, David, in 2007.

Together, they have nine children — five boys and four girls.

The 41-year-old started sharing her products with friends and has used much of the money to train and care for their family service dog.

Webb expressed the importance of giving back to the community when possible. She’s currently selling Valentine’s Day Baskets through February to raise money for the Southside SPCA in Meherrin.

A wide variety of oils sit on Webb’s shelf in her home where she likes to create an array of toiletries from scratch.

A wide variety of oils sit on Webb’s shelf in her home where she likes to create an array of toiletries from scratch.

At Christmas, she used 100 percent of her proceeds during a two-week span to give a child in need Christmas gifts. She’s also donated to a young homeless man in need from money raised through Clean Living Soaps.

Eventually, she said, she would like to use proceeds from Clean Living Soaps to assist other families with purchasing and training service dogs.

“I truly have been humbled by the love and support that Clean Living Soaps has received,” Webb said. “God is the center of my life and I believe all I have is because of Him.”

Webb enjoys what she does because often ingredients she uses in her products can be found right in her own backyard.

“I love coming up with new designs for my soaps and playing around with essential oils or fragrance oils,” she said. “One of my favorite things to do is create infused oils from dried flowers or herbs.”

She makes a soap, which she calls poison ivy, from a weed which grows in upstate New York. She infuses the weed for an entire year before ever creating a soap from it.

Emma Webb

Emma
Webb

“I do a lot of research about flowers, herbs and essential oils and how blending certain things together can help our bodies,” Webb said. “Then I sit down and create a soap for whatever it is I am trying to help my family or friends with.”

Sometimes she tries two or three times to create a blend she’s happy with.

“So many have blessed my family when we needed it and we are praying with Clean Living Soaps we will be able to repay that kindness to others, not only in our local community, but also in other communities around the United States,” said Webb.