My Story

My name is Marlena Johnson, and I started Enchanted Gardens Soapery back in April 2018. In 2016, I became rather interested in learning about the process of soap making and what it entailed. It was interesting to say the least because I fell in love with it by looking at other soapers create their beautiful soaps. I love researching and to find such a fascinating process of the soap making world has been an exciting journey. In all, I have learned the benefits of soap for skin and how it makes a difference to use Gourmet Handcrafted Soap.

A little background about myself...I was a musician in my younger years and studied music at the University of Houston. I also acquired a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology from Texas A&M.

During my musicianship, I would practice many hours in a day for 40 years developing discipline, dedication, and determination to persevere in my endeavors for playing the viola. My passion led me to play in Chamber Orchestras as well as to play in Symphonies.
This led me to play in Carnegie Hall after trying out for All-State Competition and Nationals. Unfortunately, in my latter years, I developed psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia in my 50’s which forced me to retire from playing the viola.

I sought to own my own business using my creativity, so I began looking into ways to use my artistic talents plus the added benefits of helping others in Africa who are less fortunate then we are here in the United States.
My love for others is one of the main reasons I have my business.

The people that I truly owe my gratitude towards having a business and the compassion that I have are to my parents. My father, who owned his own pharmacy and worked 50 years as a pharmacist was highly educated in Science, Cultural Arts, History, Medicine, and Music and helped the poor. My mother received her Master’s in English and Spanish and continued her studies as she taught disadvantaged students.

During this time of not knowing whether I was going to get better or not from PsA and Fibromyalgia, I read many books, took courses, joined HSCG, became Soap Certified, invested into my company. Learning and researching about the combination of science and art intrigued me, and I kept learning as much as I could. I eventually found my passion in Soap Artisanry world. Thanks to the many people out there who teach about soap, lotions, bath bombs, and other types of fun products, many kudos go out to you.

My pledge, to my customers and fellow soapers is to offer the best quality ingredients to pamper yourself by creating well made nutritious soap as well as other bath and beauty treats.

  • Purpose

    By sourcing our most cherished ingredient, Organic Shea Butter, from Ghana, Africa, which is used in majority of the items we create, we are honestly committed to helping people in need. Ghanaian women and children toil tirelessly to produce shea butter. By making purchases from Baraka, we support the community of women and children receiving fair trade wages.

  • Passion

    We sincerely hope that every customer is delighted with their purchase. Understanding the complexities of soap production and studying the art and science of soap artisanry are two things we are passionate about.
    We test each of our goods for stability and quality before releasing them to the public.

  • Production Quality

    To foster creativity and innovation, the right conditions are required. Our environment of untainted nature provides us with the inspiration, which permeates into our process of formulation and invention, resulting in soaps and other body products that are a particularly beneficial for your skin.