A few years ago we became very frustrated with the skin and hair care products available for our four children. The hair products made the children’s hair rough, dry, and difficult to manage; the lotions, and creams seemed to wear off quickly, leaving their skin dry and unattractive.
We decided to find skin and hair care products that were free of chemicals, petrolatum, and mineral oil. As we searched, unsuccessfully, for these products, we came across more and more information on natural oils and the benefits that these oils provided to skin and hair. We decided to try these oils in their pure form.
The change in the children’s skin and hair was amazing! Today their skin maintains its moisture, and softness, and their hair is soft, free of tangles, easy to manage, and has a natural shine.
Our love for our children inspired us to find a solution; our love for people inspired us to start Elsen Oils!
Elsabeth & Ansen Elvis
Elsen Oils LLC
"We all have beautiful skin & hair, we simply need to care for ourselves properly." - Elsabeth Elvis
Gazette Article on Elsen Oils: http://www.gazette.net/article/20150309/NEWS/150309466&template=gazette
Family’s needs lead to new business, career for parents
Elsen Oils shine in local markets
By Peggy McEwan Staff Writer The Gazette
Necessity, it has been said, is the mother of invention and because they could not find the skin care products they needed, Elsabeth and Ansen Elvis of Germantown now have a thriving business selling their own.
The Elvises are the owners of Elsen Oils LLC, a home-based company that makes and sells natural skin and hair care products.
“About 2009, we noticed the products we were using on the kids — moisturizers and hair care products — were making their skin worse,” Ansen said. “We started looking at ingredients and found everything we were using started with water, petroleum or mineral oil. Everything had those ingredients.”
So, he said, not able to find anything without at least one of those ingredients, they started looking for natural products and ended up making their own coconut oil body lotion.
That became their first product — coconut oil skin and hair lotion, made from scratch at home.
The results were dramatic, both Elvises agreed. Their kids’ — they have four — skin started to shine and their hair looked healthier than ever.
Even friends noticed the difference and wanted to use the products. Soon they were suggesting the Elvises sell their oils.
“We thought if we were looking for [natural products] maybe others were too,” Ansen said.
So, in 2012, Elsen Oils was formed and the family took their products on the road. Literally.
“We went to a lot of flea markets, Eastern Market in D.C. and Fenton Street in Silver Spring, that was really good for us,” Elsabeth said.
They also applied to have their products placed in local stores.
“We applied to Whole Foods and waited for about a year and finally we got [accepted],” she said.
Elsen Oils are now sold in 17 Whole Foods stores, Dawson’s Market in Rockville and Common Market in Frederick.
“Our store does really well with their products,” Blanca Vasquez-Arevalo, assistant team leader and buyer for the whole body department at Whole Foods in Bethesda, said. “Everything does really well because they support [their]products.”
Elsabeth is in the store at least once a week doing demonstrations and answering questions, Vasquez-Arevalo said.
The business has grown in other ways, too. The product line has grown from four products — the original coconut oil, lip balm, bath and massage oil and shaving oil — to 35 products including bar soaps, cuticle oil and mud masks. There are also new scents, including vanilla, peppermint, eucalyptus and lavender for many of the products.
Elsen Oils is a growing business, Ansen said. Both he and Elsabeth quit their jobs with CVS in 2012 when they decided to make a business of their oils, all of which are blended and packaged in their home. They have more products in mind but for now he said they are focusing on building slowly.
So far, he said, they can pay their [household] bills and all left over profit goes to the business.
“Its been a lot of faith and a lot of prayer, but we are passionate [about out products],” Elsabeth said.
We decided to find skin and hair care products that were free of chemicals, petrolatum, and mineral oil. As we searched, unsuccessfully, for these products, we came across more and more information on natural oils and the benefits that these oils provided to skin and hair. We decided to try these oils in their pure form.
The change in the children’s skin and hair was amazing! Today their skin maintains its moisture, and softness, and their hair is soft, free of tangles, easy to manage, and has a natural shine.
Our love for our children inspired us to find a solution; our love for people inspired us to start Elsen Oils!
Elsabeth & Ansen Elvis
Elsen Oils LLC
"We all have beautiful skin & hair, we simply need to care for ourselves properly." - Elsabeth Elvis
Gazette Article on Elsen Oils: http://www.gazette.net/article/20150309/NEWS/150309466&template=gazette
Family’s needs lead to new business, career for parents
Elsen Oils shine in local markets
By Peggy McEwan Staff Writer The Gazette
Necessity, it has been said, is the mother of invention and because they could not find the skin care products they needed, Elsabeth and Ansen Elvis of Germantown now have a thriving business selling their own.
The Elvises are the owners of Elsen Oils LLC, a home-based company that makes and sells natural skin and hair care products.
“About 2009, we noticed the products we were using on the kids — moisturizers and hair care products — were making their skin worse,” Ansen said. “We started looking at ingredients and found everything we were using started with water, petroleum or mineral oil. Everything had those ingredients.”
So, he said, not able to find anything without at least one of those ingredients, they started looking for natural products and ended up making their own coconut oil body lotion.
That became their first product — coconut oil skin and hair lotion, made from scratch at home.
The results were dramatic, both Elvises agreed. Their kids’ — they have four — skin started to shine and their hair looked healthier than ever.
Even friends noticed the difference and wanted to use the products. Soon they were suggesting the Elvises sell their oils.
“We thought if we were looking for [natural products] maybe others were too,” Ansen said.
So, in 2012, Elsen Oils was formed and the family took their products on the road. Literally.
“We went to a lot of flea markets, Eastern Market in D.C. and Fenton Street in Silver Spring, that was really good for us,” Elsabeth said.
They also applied to have their products placed in local stores.
“We applied to Whole Foods and waited for about a year and finally we got [accepted],” she said.
Elsen Oils are now sold in 17 Whole Foods stores, Dawson’s Market in Rockville and Common Market in Frederick.
“Our store does really well with their products,” Blanca Vasquez-Arevalo, assistant team leader and buyer for the whole body department at Whole Foods in Bethesda, said. “Everything does really well because they support [their]products.”
Elsabeth is in the store at least once a week doing demonstrations and answering questions, Vasquez-Arevalo said.
The business has grown in other ways, too. The product line has grown from four products — the original coconut oil, lip balm, bath and massage oil and shaving oil — to 35 products including bar soaps, cuticle oil and mud masks. There are also new scents, including vanilla, peppermint, eucalyptus and lavender for many of the products.
Elsen Oils is a growing business, Ansen said. Both he and Elsabeth quit their jobs with CVS in 2012 when they decided to make a business of their oils, all of which are blended and packaged in their home. They have more products in mind but for now he said they are focusing on building slowly.
So far, he said, they can pay their [household] bills and all left over profit goes to the business.
“Its been a lot of faith and a lot of prayer, but we are passionate [about out products],” Elsabeth said.