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Date: 10/26/2022
WEST SPRINGFIELD – Karol Hernandez developed her line of healthy soaps because of her own health condition, and started her own business to share her soaps free of toxins, chemical and artificial ingredients.
After selling her Pure Life soaps online, Hernandez has now opened a shop at 80 Windsor St., West Springfield, which is where she now manufacturing the soaps.
She explained to Reminder Publishing that she suffered from a hormonal imbalance that can be exacerbated by chemicals, and that mass-produced soap has many chemicals.
After completing research, she started making her own soap with natural ingredients. At first, she just made soap for her family, but then it “snowballed” and friends and neighbors were interested in it as well.
After meeting with an accountant and setting up a website, she attended the local business development program EforALL, which she gave her business tips as well as encouragement.
With the e-commerce going well, she then considered moving the manufacturing operations out of her home.
“I received a lot of feedback … [people would ask] when is your store opening?” she said.
The location in West Springfield, near Memorial Avenue, was large enough for the manufacturing and for a small shop.
“It’s a great place for both,” she said.
The fragrant shop features a wide assortment of her work, with many soaps having a specific purpose. For instance, her blue wave soap is formed in a bar that can be used as part of a massage. The Oregano Melon bar uses essential oregano oil, which is known for killing the bacteria that cause acne, she explained. She offers more than 20 different kinds of soap online and in the shop.
“I love variety,” she said with a smile. The shop, she added, “is almost like a candy store.”
There are a number of soaps that use oatmeal as an ingredient, while her honey heather soap features vitamin E. One soap has charcoal as a major ingredient and she notes on her website that charcoal is antibacterial and antifungal, as well as providing exfoliation.
Hernandez is juggling a separate full-time job with her business, and for the time being, the shop is open Saturdays only, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. She also still takes orders online at www.purelifeshop.co.