Big Rapids High School Senior Sells Soap and Bath Products to Pay College Tuition

A Big Rapids high school senior is preparing for college and getting extra creative with how she’s going to get there.

Zoey Watters has big plans for her future.

“In the fall I will be attending Michigan State University for chemical engineering in the long run,” she said. “I may go into biochemical engineering toward the medical side, or I may continue with the material side and either create my own business or work for a company similar to what I’ve been doing for the past decade or so.”

She was introduced to making soap when she was ten years old.

“My babysitter came and she was starting to get into soap making, just simple soap like a melt and pour base, and she showed me how to do it and I just fell in love with it,” Zoey said.

Now, almost ten years later, Zoey has taken her favorite hobby and turned it into a business, called Natural Luxuries Soap and Spa Products, to help pay for college.

“I try to make everything as all natural as possible,” she said. “The word chemical has a negative connotation, although everything I do is a chemical process, hence the chemical engineering interest.”

She makes other products besides soap.

“I make bath salts and sugar scrubs,” said Zoey. “I have the bars and the lotion stick, I make lip balm, bath bombs, shower melts, pretty much all the bath supplies that you can think of.”

And her hard work is paying off.

“I’ve made a decent amount, probably averaging about a couple thousand per year,” she said.

Zoey normally sells her products at craft shows, but due to Covid-19, those have been cancelled. A couple local businesses, like The Yellow Window and the BP gas station in Stanwood, reached out to her to help sell her products during the pandemic.

“I’m so thankful for all of their support that they’ve given me, allowing me to put my products in their businesses,” she said. “That has done really well for me, surprisingly, with Covid.”

Although she has her goal set high to pay for tuition, she’s grateful for any support she’s received.

“We won’t make it there most likely, but anywhere close to that will be amazing,” Zoey said.

You can message Zoey on her to order her products, or visit The Yellow Window in Big Rapids 0r the BP gas station in Stanwood to purchase products in person.