Cynthia L. Herzog 
Danielle Hastings is a survivor of domestic violence. But that’s not what defines her.
“I was at a low point in my own life and needed an outlet,” she said.
This point of sale has become a full-time activity for her: Sylvia’s Sudsery. Hastings named the company in memory of his late grandmother, Sylvia Oeschger, who always believed in bringing out the best in people.
Raising the bar
Hastings believes that people who take care of themselves bring out the best in themselves.
People can take care of themselves with any of Hastings products, including soaps, bath bombs, shower sprays and room sprays.
In mid-May, Hastings will begin selling ‘Sylvia Bar’, a soap inspired by her grandmother’s rhubarb and strawberry cake. It will look and smell exactly what Hastings remembers from his grandmother Sylvia’s kitchen.
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Prices will range from $10 to $12, depending on the size of each bar. And $1 from every sale will go to Eve Shelter, a domestic violence shelter in Lansing.
In the spirit of sustainability, its products are also vegan and made without palm oil. Often, even vegan soaps contain palm oil, she says, and it’s not sustainable.
Make bubbles
The soap sold at Sylvia’s Sudsery is a months-long project. Hastings begins by creating a design two months before starting the actual soap.
The process is quite complicated, with Hastings having to calculate the percentages of each color that goes into a bar of soap. Her art background comes in handy here, knowing which colors go well together and which don’t.
She uses her artistic mind to make sure the bath bomb colors don’t turn brown or gray. Then she chooses the scent that goes with each soap.
Once the soap mixture is created, she pours it into loaf pans, inserts the designs and adds various “goodies” on top. Then the soap sits on a shelf for four to six weeks to harden.
“It’s a labor of love,” she said.
For Hastings and her husband, they go through a bar of soap in three to five months when the soap gets the proper care.
Caring for a bar of soap means not having the soap in a puddle and keeping it dry when not in use. Sylvia’s Sudsery carries a slotted soap dish that drains water to increase the life of the soap.
Suds-ing from home
Before Hastings opened her storefront at the Middle Village Micro Market in downtown Lansing, she earned £200 a month from her home. She sold her soap at three craft shows a week, including the South Lansing Farmer’s Market.
Now that number has tripled.
“Crowded” is how Hastings describes her home in Lansing – with increased demand for her homemade soaps, there are many more being made in the same space.
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That’s not a bad thing, however. “When I have dates and meetings with people, I don’t have to worry too much about my smell,” she said. “I usually get compliments.”
Opening her own storefront a month ago, she describes as a dream come true.
Sylvia’s Sudsery is now open at the Middle Village Micro Market, located at 112 S. Washington Sq., open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Visit her website at SylviasSudsery.com.
Sophia Lada is a press assistant at the Lansing State Journal. Contact her at [email protected] or 517.377.1065. Follow her on Twitter @sophia_lada.
