Teacher turning entrepreneur 

Twelfth grade English teacher Mrs. Sharon Stellmach is an aspiring entrepreneur. She makes all kinds of essential oil products right from her kitchen.

She started creating her own products because she didn’t like what she could find in stores.

“I noticed there were too many synthetic products on the market and I was getting an allergic reaction to some of the ingredients,” said Stellmach 

Stellmach has been working with essential oils for five years and right before COVID she was preparing to get her small business license. She decided not to follow through with getting the business license at the time.

Once COVID is “gone” she intends to get her license. Her product line is The Celtic Sage and she intends to sell her products online, from home, and in some of her friends’ shops.  For now, she hands them out to her fellow teachers as gifts.

Special Education Teacher Mrs. Sonja McGee’s favorite product is the lotion bar. Stellmach makes a soaplike bar, but instead of soap it’s lotion. You can rub it onto your hands anytime you need to moisturize, no need to rinse. 

Stellmach makes lotion bars, body lotions, sugar scrubs, body butter, foot scrubs, shower bombs, and bath bombs. Some of her favorite scents include: Patchouli & Spearmint, Eucalyptus & Spearmint, Lavender, Rose & Geranium, Black Spruce, Camphor, Blue Tansy, Frankincense, Geranium and Lime

Stellmach was gracious enough to share her basic lotion recipe. 

Ingredients:

1.25 oz Sweet Almond Oil

1 oz Avocado Oil

1 oz Stearic Acid

1.25 oz Emulsifying Wax

1.25 oz Shea Butter

5 cups Distilled Water (do NOT use tap water)

1/4 oz Optiphen ND (preservative)

1/4 oz Essential Oils

Directions: 

1. Heat first four ingredients together in mason jar (microwave for no more than one minute at a time)
2. Heat distilled water in a pan; then add blended oils from a mason jar.
3. Mix until the temperature is less than 140 degrees (using meat thermometer).
4. Add preservative (Optiphen)
5. Add Essential Oils at less than 120 degrees.
6. Bottle and let set overnight.
7. Cap bottles when cool.

SPECIAL NOTE: Once you have used the supplies above for making lotion, do NOT use them for cooking food.