By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

LEEDS—Melissa Hopper started making all-natural soaps years ago to protect her son from harmful chemicals.

“Once I had my son, I wanted to make sure he didn’t have those chemicals absorbed into his skin,” Hopper said. “With soaps, they are water based and (companies) add so many chemicals to strip the dead cells from your skin…it’s literally giving you a chemical burn to your skin.”

Now, what started as a small-scale hobby has turned into a full-fledged business. Hopper’s Whispering Hollow Emporium is a line of handmade, all-natural bath and body products, including lotions, shaving butter, scrubs and, of course, tons of soaps.

All of Hopper’s products contain goats milk, which is rich in vitamins and nutrients to naturally condition and moisturize the skin.

“Goats milk, which I use in everything, is a natural exfoliant (and) it rejuvenates the cells in your skin,” Hopper said.

Hopper is careful to use all organic ingredients in her products, and many of them are locally sourced. Hopper gets milk from her neighbor’s goats and many of the ingredients she uses to scent her products are from local farms. Hopper even grows herbs and makes some of her own essential oils.

“I think it’s important to know where your ingredients come from,” Hopper said.

Making body and skincare products is a science, Hopper plans each formula to get a specific result and scent. The entire process can take from as little as one day to as long as a week.

“People don’t realize there’s a chemistry to it,” Hopper said. “I run the math and make sure I get the percentages the way I like them…You can’t just slap things together, you want it to have the beneficial (results).”

Whispering Hollow products are designed to target a variety of conditions, from alleviating eczema to clearing up acne. Hopper said one of her favorite parts of the business is seeing her products improve peoples’ lives.

“It makes me feel good,” Hopper said. “As a nurse, I’ve always been out there to help people.”