Looking around for small businesses to bring to your attention during the covid-19 lockdown has been a fascinating process. So many entrepreneurs have had their dreams badly affected and any support we can give them is invaluable in ensuring their survival.
I came across Kalabash Bodycare (link below) and, struck by the exotic names of the soaps and other body care products, I approached founder Sharron Jenkins who kindly sent me some to try out.
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| Sharron Jenkins, founder of Kalabash Bodycare |
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| Lemongrass and marigold soap |
They arrived beautifully packaged and I was immediately struck by their scents and appearance. I now use her lemongrass and marigold artisan soap instead of my usual shower gel as it leaves a beautifully fresh citrus scent and of course it's more sustainable than using a product from a plastic bottle. I also use her bay rum and avocado as an exotic and frothy shave soap.
Impressed, I asked Sharron to tell me more about her brand and she told me how she started the brand and something about how the products are made and her approach to sustainability (she uses the highest quality materials and no palm oil in her soaps):
GF: Please introduce yourself and your business, Kalabash Bodycare.
SJ: I’m Sharron Jenkins the owner and founder of Kalabash, an award-winning British natural handcrafted soap and body care brand which recently celebrated its first anniversary in business.
In the late 1950s, my Windrush parents left Dominica, aka “The Nature Island of the Caribbean” and travelled to the UK, where they married and had a family.
I still have vivid memories of our only family holiday. After many years of working and saving this was my parents’ first trip back home after 20 years. This six-week tropical adventure went on to inspire a lifelong passion for tropical plants, gardening and creativity.
When at the age of 9, I arrived in Dominica all those years ago, I'd never stepped outside London, let alone the country. I was struck by its beauty immediately and the warmth of the sun. The sight, colours, smell and taste of fresh mangoes, bananas, cocoa, coconuts, oranges, limes and much more which hung ready to pick and eat from trees all over the island were dazzling.
The memories of my parents’ Garden of Eden homeland, with its dense rainforests, looming mountains and tropical gardens, watered by numerous rivers and streams which crisscross the island made a lasting impression which later inspired Kalabash.
The entire Kalabash range celebrates my West Indian heritage. The Caribbean’s abundant natural resources, rich culture, breath-taking landscapes and vibrant tropical plant biodiversity are key influences.\
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| Sharron makes the soaps at home |
GF: How did you come to start out in a business making soap and other products?
SJ: In 2002, after years of working in a London office and on a career break, I enrolled on a Royal Horticultural Society course in horticulture and an accredited Garden Design course at Capel Manor College in Enfield north London. I studied part-time for 2 years combining part-time study and motherhood whilst getting my hands dirty in several London gardens as a jobbing gardener. I then went on to set myself up as a Garden Designer, specialising in plants and planting design.
As I worked outside year-round, I noticed that the weather and London pollution was playing havoc with my dry sensitive skin which was being stripped it of its natural moisture. I searched in vain for nourishing natural plant-based skincare products scented with pure essential oils, that were kind to both my skin and to the environment.
Very few natural skincare products were around at the time and many mainstream products were chemically laden. Sustainability, ethical sourcing, addressing waste and the environmental impact of the cosmetics industry were often overlooked.
So, I combined my extensive plant knowledge and trawled the internet for information on formulating natural skincare. As I developed my skills I became aware of a gap in the market for a nature inspired skincare brand with a Caribbean twist. After several months of experimentation and research, I recreated Dominica’s warm tropical scents and fragrances in my own range of natural handmade soap and bodycare products which I gave away to family and friends who loved them.
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| Soaps being made |
GF: Who makes the products and how do you select the ingredients?
SJ: After taking a small business course in 2006, I launched Kalabash or Calabash Handmade as it was known then, from its London HQ (my kitchen in Finchley north London) and the brand began to flourish.
Sadly a few years later, life forced me to press the pause button and pack my dream safely away for another time as I returned to office life for a more stable income as a single mum.
In 2018 after a 12-year hiatus it was time for a career change. My children had grown up, left home and were making their own way in the world. With my new-found independence, I started work on relaunching my business.
I had a clear idea of how I wanted to develop and update the original product range and spent an entire year reformulating the soap collection to remove all traces of palm oil from the original formulas.
Replacing the palm was not as quick or easy as I’d anticipated as I use the cold process soap making technique to make each batch of soap which takes around 6 weeks to complete. Changing the formula involved a lot of experimenting with various ingredient combinations, waiting for the soap to cure (around 4 weeks) and then testing its efficacy.
I gathered lots of feedback from my friends and family who were recruited as testers. With their help, I tweaked the formula until I was satisfied with the finished product, a cleansing, moisturising long lasting bar of natural soap with a smooth bubbly lather, free of palm oil, synthetic dyes, colourants or perfume.
With its packaging completely redesigned the brand was finally resurrected, renamed, and relaunched in March 2019.
My persistence paid off. I was incredibly proud when my Naked Pearl Unscented Artisan Soap Bar for sensitive skin (which is base formula for the entire range) was awarded a Green Parent Magazine Best Buy Award just 3 months after launch!
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| I use the Bay Rum soap as a shaving soap |
GF: Tell us about the products you make - are they for men and women?
SJ: For nearly two decades now I've been creating natural soap and organic body care products by hand in small batches suitable both men and women. I select the highest quality Caribbean derived natural ingredients, which are skin-nourishing, effective and plant-based. They include amongst others, avocado, aloe vera, coconut, castor and papaya oils as well as mango, organic fairtrade cocoa, and shea butters.
To keep things 100% natural, I add colour and texture to the soap with herbs, spices, flowers and clays instead of synthetic dyes, and use pure aromatherapy grade essential oils with scents that evoke momentary Caribbean escapism and nurture the skin.
As well as handmade soap, I offer a small collection of award-winning organic body oils. Muscle relaxing mineral bath salts enriched with moisturising coconut oil are also available. Last Autumn I diversified into candle making and released a collection of slow burning hand poured soy wax essential oil candles to complement my artisan soap collection with warm evocative scents.
Once I’ve made a batch of soap I individually hand cut and hand stamp each bar with a Kalabash monogram, before carefully gift wrapping and packaging them into stylish plastic-free reusable/recyclable branded gift boxes
Each of the hefty 120g long-lasting bars is made from the base formulation of my award-winning unscented “Naked Pearl” bar.
Their names are the legacy of my childhood trip to the "Nature Island":
Black Sand Beach (Activated Charcoal)
Creole Rose (Amyris, Geranium & Pink Clay)
Nature Island Spice (Bay Rum & Avocado)
Shea Paradise (Lavender & Shea Butter)
Tropical Sunshine (West Indian Lemongrass & Marigold)
Naked Pearl (Unscented)
Sustainability and zero waste are a big part of the business ethos. To reflect this, I’ve curated a collection of sustainable gift ideas by combining various Kalabash products with sustainable accessories presented in luxurious sustainable gift boxes which make unique gifts.
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| Bay Rum candle from Kalabash Bodycare |
GF: How do you see the business and the products you offer developing over the next few years?
SJ: My plans for my second year in business have been impacted by the recent health emergency like most other businesses. My main objective for the immediate future is to keep moving forward as best I can by raising awareness of the brand and staying optimistic for the future.
I had planned to broaden the product range by adding an exfoliating sugar cane body scrub, a multi-purpose skin balm and an aloe vera body butter. But, I’ve decided to press the pause button on these until the present storm has passed and avoid the costly and lengthy R&D process of bringing new products to market for now. Instead, I’m focussing on adding two new Summer fragrances to the candle collection, building my online customer base and wholesale stockists.
In time, I'd like to see Kalabash grow and displayed on the shelves of small independent boutique retailers worldwide, eco-friendly boutique hotels, spas and barbershops and well as being offered as sustainable corporate gifts.
For now, my mission continues to be to make high-quality small-batch products which enhance your grooming and wellness routines by evoking Caribbean escapism.
Kalabash products are available online at www.kalabashbodycare.com - please support this wonderful brand.
Some products were gifted - this is an unsponsored post.
