May-June Rose -‘The soap lady’: Making something from anything

Nov 12, 2017 News

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By Leonard Gildarie

Pharmaceutical companies spend tens of millions of dollars to research and develop beauty and health products that end on supermarket and pharmacy shelves. Some of them cost an arm and leg. Guyana has been experimenting with making the breakout with peanut butter, honey, an array of hot sauces and a host of other items.
Guyana’s rums have been making waves, winning several international awards. Its sugar has been around for over a century. But over time, little attention has been paid to our beauty products.
There are still thousands of locals who continue to believe in their ‘bush’ remedies and little family secrets. They are not easily falling for the advertising glamour and promises.
At least one little lady believes that her products have what it takes, and she is not too interested now in packaging. In fact, her special soaps were one of the centrepieces at the recently concluded ‘Uncapped’ exhibition for manufacturers at the Sophia exhibition site.
There were soaps from all kinds of vegetables, including one eye-catcher cake made from pumpkin. Visitors were gawking at the different soaps, some of which looked tempting enough to eat.
The booth appeared to be a cake shop. Everything seemed exotic about May-June Rose.
In a little shop on Drysdale and Lombard Streets, Charlestown, she is setting up shop next door to the post office. Her brother, a tinsmith, is next door.
Her little place is not problem. In fact, she is all excited – shipping in some antique chairs to go with the mystic feeling in her little shop.
May-June is a health freak who believes that food cures all ills.
Her age is not important…it may be past 60 and she looks way, way younger.
“What you put in can either do good for your system or bad. It is proven that whatever you put on your skin goes into your body, so let’s say you got pumpkin and it has all these vitamins and so on and then you apply that to your skin, you will get the same response.”

FIXATION
May-June’s love for soaps has been a long fixation.
“I have been doing this soap on my own…I love to make products. And I would bring over to my brother and offer him. And then to neighbours and friends. I also like to read a lot, and I came across an article that says when you can do something good for people, why keep it to yourself?”
May-June, whose family moved from Howes Street, Charlestown to Plaisance, where she grew up, disclosed that her grandmother used to do her own thing.
What started as a little experimentation grew to a full-blown passion. First it was with family and neighbours.
“Because of my soaps, I don’t get headaches and breakouts. I don’t believe in medication. I made nine children and never visited the doctor till the last day of pregnancy,” May-June boasted.
In fact, she is a great-grandmother who is regularly complimented on her glowing skin.
She took her little talents to Canada where she moved 41 years ago.
She came back 11 years ago to showcase her soaps in Guyana.

“I made a cream and it made my skin glow, so I shared it. People can’t believe my age. I decided about eight years ago that I will start to do it as a business, but it was only till after I realized that the demand was there.”
Her eyes shining, May-June explained that soap is mainly made from vegetable oil and fats,but she has been using strictly vegetable oils and herbs.
“I use pumpkin, ochro…anything, and you just add it to the combination. To make soap, you can boil it, but I don’t believe in cooking the soap…I believe in the six-week form. You make your soap today and leave it in the mould, then take it out and leave it for six weeks to cure. I believe that when you cook the soap you are cooking the vegetables too much.”
When making soap like the pumpkin one, May-June uses everything, even the skin and seeds.
“At the moment, I have over 30 different makes of soap. I also do cinnamon, clove, oatmeal and lots more, but my favourite one is the Botanical Beauty.”
She also uses things like kale, lemon, ginger, green apples, celery and cucumber.
But May-June is smart. Her soaps have some secret ingredients…and they will remain just that…a secret. “And I am trying to get my sons involved. Because of this, my grandson wants to become a chemist. So my grandson loves to help out.”
May-June has been abandoning her beautiful home in Mississauga, Canada.
“I have shows in Canada going on right now, so I have to oversee that too. I don’t always stay in Guyana. I do shows all over and the reception is amazing. When I have my line-up, people think that I am some sort of out-of-the-ordinary specialist, but in truth I just want to help people.”
The soap lady has been busy promoting the soaps in Canadian events after being involved in clothing in three different malls in that North American country.
Her husband, a Canadian, died three years ago, leaving her to think about how to spend her days.
“I am a pensioner. I don’t want to just throw back and do nothing. I have not gone to a doctor in over 42 years… since I was last pregnant.”
Admitting her sales at the recent expo was “okay”, May-June was able to make a lot of connections with persons who are interested in her soaps.
“Earlier this year I was on Main Street and I had a lot of customers who were happy with my products.” And her products are aptly named… “My White Rose”.

DANDRUFF
She is making soaps for any complaints…including rash and dandruff.
However, the soap lady does not believe in selling products that lighten skin.
“Because in the short run you get lots of skin problems. Even the movie stars have serious issues with skin lightening. Chemical lightening of skin will only lead to a long term health issue, so I don’t advise it.”
She has the right thing for it. A lemon soap.
The hobby and now business is by no means cheap. “It is quite expensive to make soaps, because the proper and healthy ingredients that I am using are very expensive, especially the virgin coconut oil. And then the difficulty in getting shea butter. It is more of a love than a profit-making scheme.”
She buys some of her products in Guyana, but has problems sourcing coconut oil, while it is so much more accessible in Canada.
The great-grandmother has a plan. She has been bullying and enticing her friends and family to help out. In another year, it is the plan to hire 15 staffers, as part of the expansion, and teach them to make soaps.
“I have an issue with packaging, and I understand that when you do something you should package it properly to sell, but with my soap I just want to sell as it is. The weather does not affect the soap. When I am outdoors, I just put a little plastic over it to keep away dust and so on. I got a soap that I can put in the sun for eight hours and it won’t melt. Besides, the chemical that brings it together, there is only vegetables in it.”

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