7 Secrets of Wellbeing & Beauty: Emma Heathcote-James, founder of The Little Soap Company
Emma Heathcote-James is founder of the Little Soap Company, first launching her all-natural organic bar soaps with a business that began on her kitchen table, and has recently gone on to scoop a coveted Queen's Award for Enterprise in Innovation.
One of our simplest and most perfect beauty products of all, soap sales boomed during lockdown as we were all exhorted to wash our hands frequently while singing two rounds of ‘Happy Birthday’, which saw Little Soap Company delivering six months’ supply in a week, at times. (The business long ago moved on from that kitchen table, with manufacturing outsourced to various locations around the UK.)
Integrating a business into raising a family is a challenge for any woman, but we’ve never seen Emma less than radiant, energised and positive. How does she do it? Here, Emma shares her essentials, for beauty and wellbeing – the things that keep her calm, centred and healthy…
I need to get outside into nature. I love being outdoors – I live in the countryside with my family, and the first thing I do each day after waking is to get outside in the fields for a long walk with Henry and Rupert our Labradors. I’ve always been an early riser and am at my best in the mornings. Starting the day outside with that early morning light is amazing for both physical and mental health and also sets your circadian rhythm. Winter nights were made for our wood-fired hot tub, watching the bats and shooting stars. Summer evenings I love nothing more than being out in the garden or messing about on our paddleboards or kayaks on the river. Just being amongst nature is so important.
Always say yes. Change means dipping your toes into the unknown but say yes, even if you don’t know how you will do it, you can work the logistics out behind closed doors later. ‘Yes’ is a word that enabled me to live where we do, it made me a wife, it made me a mum, it enabled Little Soap Company to grow… A simple ‘yes’ opens up opportunities and enables the magic to happen. The more it scares you the more vehemently you should shout ‘yes’. Seize opportunities with both hands. Listen. You never know who you may meet or be put in touch with and how that will change perhaps your life….
Sometimes things must change so you can change.’ Having your own business is a rollercoaster. Just as life can be. With the huge ups come the downs, and you will inevitably come across challenges. Learning to adapt, get back on your feet and regain that fire in your belly is crucial. Whatever you do, don’t fight something if it’s not meant to be, things so often happen for a reason so keep the faith. Equally don’t stand still and stagnate. Life is precious – embrace it to the max.
Back to basics is best. I see the skincare market akin to the food industry – it, too, is about provenance and pure ingredients. We are awash with unnecessary harmful chemicals in our daily lives and my mission with Little Soap Company has been to make pure, natural, sustainable soap the norm, not the niche, removing unnecessary ingredients one bathroom at a time. I love supporting other brands with the same green ethos and religiously use Jane Scrivner’s Nourishing Cleanser (£36 for 50ml/janescrivner.com) morning and at night to remove makeup!. That along with a good moisturiser (her OO Cream) and oil (Rose Gold) right now for me is all that’s needed.
I never stop learning. Every day’s a learning day. Life, love, work… Challenge yourself constantly. We have disrupted the soap category and made pure soap now the norm rather than the niche and we’re always looking to innovate.
After discovering bathrooms generate 63.7% of the home’s annual plastic waste, and liquid bathroom products feature on average 80% water, our Eco Warrior range was born in 2019. These multi-award-winning products formulate traditionally bottled liquids, into bar form. Soap is no longer soap, with job-specific bars for hands, face, body, shave and shampoo creating plastic free swaps for everyday bathroom products that are as good as, if not better than, their usual liquid counterparts. Because of this, Eco Warrior (£4.50/littlesoapcompany.co.uk), has just been awarded the 2022 Queens Award for Innovation.
Furry Friends. Owning a dog is a huge privilege and one that I’m so grateful for and couldn’t be without. It’s a known fact that dogs can have a positive impact on your emotional wellbeing. A furry friend can help to give you a purpose, ease anxiety, stay present in everyday moments and encourage healthy lifestyle changes – they get you out come rain or shine – the former I know we wouldn’t be out in if it wasn’t for the four-legged boys!
Self-care matters. Taking the time out of your busy day to do something for yourself, no matter how small, is so incredibly important. We live in a world dominated by fast-moving, digital deadlines and ever-increasing pressures from work, social media, and life in general - so taking care of our own mental health has never been so important. Self-care is not a ‘dirty word’- in fact, it’s an essential part of life if we are to get through unscathed!
