Life & Work with Yorleny Davis

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yorleny Davis.

Hi Yorleny, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My name is Yorleny Davis and I was born and raised in a small town in Costa Rica. I have always been passionate about nature and animals – anything to do with it. My love for animals extends to dogs, horses, goats, all sorts of birds- you name it. I love and want them all!

My family moved to Greenville, SC when I was 16 years old and have been living here, surrounded by the mountains and nature. Being from Costa Rica, I also love how close we are to the beach.

I met my husband in Greenville and we have been together for 17 years. We live in a small, but a fast-growing town called Powdersville where together we’ve raised two boys and, over the years, 8 dogs. We own a few acres and run a mini farm. Believe me when I say it took me a while to talk him into this, but he is wonderful and made it happen. Now we have 13 dairy goats and it’s with their milk that I make my soaps.

I never thought of being a soap maker. When I started, I was only looking into the benefits of essential oils and natural products as a better alternative for my family. It is not only what we consume that matters, but what we apply on our skin does too! That’s when I came across soap and my whole world changed for the better.

I had taken a semester class when I was in high school; at the time as a teenager, an extra class was more like a hassle than a learning experience, so I put everything I learned in the back of my mind and decided to forget about it.

The second time I came across soap making, I was consumed by it. I read several books, watched numerous videos, and even attended a class in Charlotte. I was obsessed – and I still am.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I started making soaps for family and friends and eventually, orders started coming in, so I decided to embrace it and make it official by getting my small business registered. I signed up for several events and a couple of local farmer’s markets. Everything was going smooth, I was getting to know new people, getting acquainted with other event vendors, and growing my clientele. Then Covid happened and along came the obstacles. Events and markets got canceled and I was sitting at home with enough inventory and soap supplies to last us a long time. With all that extra soap at home, I can assure you my family was germ-free during the pandemic.

It was then when I decided to try my luck with online sales, so I created my website Hibiscus Artisan Soaps and, with the help of social media channels, I began advertising. As crazy as it may sound, this was the most difficult part for me. I have never been too open to sharing my personal life, especially on social media but when I started to see the support I received from family, friends, customers, and even fellow soap makers I was completely overwhelmed with joy. To know that people liked and enjoyed my product, something that I made, filled me with joy and gave me the strength to continue doing what I love.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
My soaps are handcrafted in small batches. It took me several trials but finally, I was able to create my own signature recipe, one that gave me the results I was looking for with the perfect amount of soothing, moisturizing, hardness, and cleaning properties that my customers were looking for in a goat’s milk soap.

I use a vast majority of local ingredients some of which we even grow ourselves like rosemary, lemongrass, lavender and even luffa (aka loofah), as well as milk from our dairy goats. We also use honey from local farms. The oils were chosen based on healing and skin regenerating properties. I use organic oils, butters, and fats such as olive, coconut, avocado, tallow, shea, sunflower, and grapeseed as well as a variety of certified organic essential oils, colloidal oatmeal and natural clays. Because of the organic and local ingredients I use, I was accepted as an SC Certified SC Grown member and that was one of my proudest accomplishments.

I enjoy making and using my soaps, but what I love the most is the creative part of it. The funny thing is that I’ve never seen myself as a crafty person, but I love topping my soaps with all sorts of flower petals, seeds, salts and making designs, shapes, and color combinations. It makes for every bar to truly be a unique piece of art and a good subject of conversation with every customer I encounter. I get lots of compliments on my soaps from my customers and I like to tell them “Soap does not have to be boring!”

I like to encourage everyone – my family, friends, and customers – to go out there and start creating even if they are not crafty. We are all artists in our own way and, who knows, that hobby you have been putting off might be the next best thing!

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Small acts of kindness became a very important lesson to me. Something as easy as a phone call that may only take a couple of minutes might brighten someone’s day. We sometimes take our blessing for granted, when we should just appreciate every single moment we are given and make it count. Reaching out and straitening bonds with those who once played or still play an important role in my life, those who have always been there for me, no matter how close or far away they are, making sure to be there for them. Because if the pandemic taught me something is that everything can change in a blink of an eye.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hibiscusartisansoaps.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hibiscus_artisansoaps/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HibiscusArtisanSoaps/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hibiscus_Soaps