An Edinburgh mum has spoken of how she is realising her dream by starting her own eco-conscious soap business, Oir.
Jolene Roberts, 42, from South Queensferry, was signed off from a previous corporate marketing job after mental struggles from a breakdown in a relationship with her old boss. It was during this time, at the beginning of the Covid lockdown, that she began to pursue a potential career in soap making.
The decision to follow this path also stemmed from a past in the beauty and cosmetic industry as well as a strong desire to use less plastic as a family. Before the pandemic hit, Jolene and her family were making a concerted effort to cut down on their plastic waste.
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This led to them wanting to make a switch away from using shower gel as they were going through a bottle a week. It dawned on the mum that it would be pretty easy to switch to soap.
This led to her buying handmade soap as she felt it was better for the skin than some mass produced products that use heavy chemicals. Jolene then thought that she would use her own creative skills to behind learning how to make it herself.
On how she made the leap to start her career, she said: “Before lockdown, as a family we decided to stop using shower gel as we were using about a bottle a week. It felt like a massive waste of plastic, and a pretty easy switch to soap.
“I started buying handmade soap, as it's so much nicer than chemical heavy mass produced stuff. I've always been creative, and really wanted to learn how to make it myself, but with a young son and a full time job I just never found the time.
“For a while, I just had soapy dreams! Then lockdown happened.
“I was in a job doing corporate marketing that I absolutely hated. My mental health was at an all time low, purely down to the job, or more specifically my boss, and I needed something to occupy myself.
“So I decided to learn how to make soap using YouTube tutorials and books. The first batch I made was a success, and I got cocky, failed a fair lot, learned a lot, and realised that it was something I loved to do.
“The end goal was always to set this up as a business, but before learning how to make soap, I wasn't even sure if I'd like it! Making soap gave me a boost to get in a better head space, and I managed to get a new job with a lovely boss.
“With my confidence in a better place, I was able to set up Oir. I have a designer friend who did all the branding and came up with the name. Oir (pronounced oar) means gold in Gaelic and is a nod to my Scottish roots - every bar also has a teeny bit of gold stamped on it within the logo.
“I've gone from making soap in my little utility room, then spreading onto the kitchen table and have now upgraded to a designated soapy space in my garage conversion. Before that was completed there was soap stuff everywhere.
“My very patient husband, Allan, has been super supportive. I think he had his eye on the garage as a man cave but we compromised with him getting a room up the stairs. He has been very fair and ensured that I’ve not got into debt and slowly built up the business in a responsible way.
“It’s only been recently that I've been able to give up full time work to focus on this. I'm still working part time in the background, and hope to be in a position soon where the soap business is getting all my attention.”
Jolene added that her son Charlie, six, has also been one of her biggest supporters. He claims to have come up with the idea for Oir himself and often states that he will take over the business when he leaves school.
On the soap, Jolene said: “Each bar is handmade in South Queensferry from a blend of deeply moisturising oils. I mix cocoa butter, shea butter, olive oil, castor oil and coconut oil with a unique blend of essential oils to create something really special. Add some clay or charcoal to colour, and that’s it, nothing nasty!
“I'm especially proud that the shea butter I use is sourced from a woman’s cooperative in Ghana - helping the women who make it lead more independent lives. All the packaging is plastic free, and I ensure my ingredients are supplied with the minimal amount of packaging or waste.
“It might not feel like a big switch, but if everyone was to ditch their shower gel bottles for a bar of lovely soap - think how much single use plastic that could save!”
On her advice for anyone wishing to pursue a new career, she said: “I’d encourage anyone to give it a bash. I worried that it would be lonely but it is not.
“I’ve met so many amazing people who run their own business. It is a proper community which is so lovely.”
You can visit Oir's website here, their Instagram here and their Facebook here.
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