Serah’s sells hygiene products that are on a completely different level. For one, many of them look edible and artistic.  Secondly, none of her soaps contain sodium laureth sulfate, a popular ingredient among soaps and shampoos that tend to irritate, and or dry out the skin. Thirdly, she gives back to organizations that were created to help fight serious diseases. Check out the interview below:

1. When did you start your shop?

Serah’s was established in March 2007.

2. What made you start your shop?

Creating soaps began as a hobby. Using my imagination, I created beautiful works of art which was both enjoyable and rewarding. Being encouraged by others who were impressed with my soap was the catalyst behind me sharing my soaps with others.

3. How did you come up with your shop’s name?

Truth be told, I didn’t come up with my company’s name; a friend of mine did! We were having a conversation one day about how we could change or make other names from our full name (long before I opened my business) and he came up with Serahs using letters from my name. The only contribution I gave was the apostrophe and it became Serah’s. Later, I realized that Serah’s is the words “shares” spelled backwards and I knew it was the perfect choice because it characterizes my own spirit and the personality of the company – sharing natural beauty in the form of soap.

4. Where do you find your inspiration for your different styles of soap?

I draw my inspiration from my daily experiences and interactions. I started making my cupcake soaps because of my love and insatiable need for cupcakes and my soaps help to satiate that guilty pleasure. Another example is the Almond Lover’s Soap which was created to look like an almond because one of my best friend’s loves the almond fragrance and she’s always giving me healthy treats. Most of my soaps have a story behind them so I guess one can say that there’s a little piece of me in every soap.

5. What I noticed about your soap is that there’s shea butter in them. Why shea?

I have been using shea butter for my hair and skin for years so I am a true believer in shea butter’s properties to moisturize and emolliate. Therefore, it was only natural for me to have shea butter incorporated in my handcrafted soaps.

6. I want to eat the cupcake soap. Can we eat the cupcake soap too?

Ha ha. That’s very funny! I had one reviewer of my soaps tell me that her son stuck a fork in it because it looks so real but even if you stick a fork in it, it’s still soap. So unfortunately, no you can’t eat it. But if you’re ever in Southern California, we can go to one of my favorite bakeries.

7. I notice that you sell massage bar soaps as well. Can you tell us more about these?

I use herbal fragrances in the massage bars that give you a simple, luxurious spa experience right in your own home. I named the massage bars after the benefits of massage because I’m an advocate for massages and my hope is that my massage bars will inspire my customers to take part in the exhilarating experience of a real massage.

8. Not only are your products soap, they’re works of art. Do you work with any other mediums of art? If so, what are they?

I love all things artsy, crafty, and creative. One of my other loves is photography and I’ve been filling my Flickr account with photographs of all my soap creations along with mostly nature shots taken all over the country.

9. In one of your previous blogs, I read that $1 from certain purchased products, would be donated to The Global Fund towards the fight against AIDS in Africa. Is that still going on? If so, can you tell us which products to buy for this cause?

Of course! I intend to donate to The Global Fund every year. Currently, the soaps that benefit this cause are the Africa Soap, the African Savannah Soap, the Adinkra Gye Nyame Soap, and the Red Awareness Ribbon Soap. Any changes to this list will be made on my site under the ‘Our Causes’ link. Also, I just want to add that I encourage people to donate to The Global Fund even if they don’t make a purchase from my store because the fight against AIDS is a tremendous battle which affects us all.

10. Are there any other causes that your shop supports? If so, what are they?

Serah’s supports Breast Cancer Awareness during the month of October. The breast cancer awareness proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Foundation.

11. If a person on a budget wanted to buy one product from your site, what would you recommend?

Gosh, it’s so hard for me to choose just one because I love them all or else they wouldn’t be sold in my shop but since I’ve been put on the spot and I have to choose just one, I’d pick the Red Velvet Cupcake Soap.

I believe that all of my products, most of which are priced under $20, fit with the budget of many who are looking for a unique gift for others or a special treat for themselves.

12. Why should one buy your products?

You should buy my soaps if you’re looking for unique products to treat yourself or someone special. Some of my soaps are great as favors and I offer a large and sundry selection that offers something great for any holiday or occasion. Each customer should know that I also take great pride in offering a high quality product that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and arousing to the nose.

13. Are there any discounts/giveaways going on within your shop?

Currently, all customers receive 10% off their first order. The details for this discount are listed on my site at www.serahsonline.com, but just for AfroGlitz readers, I’ll offer 15% off with coupon code AFROGLITZ.

From time to time, I’ll list special discounts on Twitter (twitter.com/serahs) or MySpace (myspace.com/serahsonline). All giveaways hosted or sponsored by Serah’s will be listed on my blog.

14. Do you have any advice for anyone that may want to make products in this particular industry?

If you decide to make products in this industry, make products that you love because this industry, like most industries, is a labor of love.

15. What do you want to do with your online shop in the future?

This year, I’m planning to redesign Serah’s website and I am looking to expand Serah’s soaps to local and national boutiques.

Tags: Beauty, hygiene, natural, Serah's, shea butter, shop, shopping, store

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 19th, 2009 at 1:14 pm and is filed under Beauty, apr09issue2. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.