I am Jessa Mayhew, the Owner + Dreamer + Curator of Soul Candy Skincare, keeper of a gypsy soul and sparkling eyes (according to my husband). I grew up in Pennsylvania about an hour from NYC, daughter of Italian and Russian parents who taught me that anything made by hand is an extension of yourself, that a dinner made with love really does taste better. That is perhaps the most poignant precept of my youth and one that I carry with me today. I think that’s a lot of the reason that Soul Candy is so successful. I put my heart into every bottle. Before I started bottling eco-chic love, I was a health and fitness coach for the US Military for about 10 years.
It was during this time that my passion for healthy, sustainable living really began to blossom. I saw first hand the incredibly positive impact that natural diets and treatments free of chemicals and processing can have on the human body. Forever thirsting for knowledge, I spent years studying and researching and experimenting with natural remedies. When my oldest developed severe childhood eczema, brain candy turned into Soul Candy.
The other half of our family and Soul Candy team, my husband, Ben, has a B.S. from West Point and an M.A. from UTEP. We are a perfect match in so many ways, like the fact that he does my numbers because I hate math – to me, an unfortunately inextricable part of business. Our final military move landed us in Louisville, KY, but the people of Louisville made us stay. Now, I get to educate those same people on self-care and the importance of conscious consumerism. The people that we meet, the glows that we uncover, the bonds we form… that’s what keeps me going.