Meet Charlena Hayes

We were lucky to catch up with Charlena Hayes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Charlena, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience comes from hope, prayer, and seeing the results of pushing through tough situations. Managing, overcoming, then learning from past failures and setbacks has taught me to keep moving forward no matter what. Resilience comes from personal experience and not being afraid to fail.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I started Obsidian Organics to give people a healthy alternative to chemical laden bath and body products. We use all natural herbs, botanicals, butters, oils, and therapeutic grade essential oils to handcraft premium quality bath, body, and herbal products.

Growing up, my granny and my mom used all kinds of weird remedies to nurse us back to health when we were sick. I remember having cut potatoes in my socks to reduce a fever, paper bag soaked in vinegar on my head to relieve a headache, and trying to swallow the most horrible onion syrup for a cough. The weird thing is, it worked! My mom told tales of being scared when she found jars of weird roots submerged in liquid in the closet. She thought Granny was dabbling in witchcraft. I realized years later that Granny was making tinctures.

I have always loved plants. As a child, I chose to play with leaves and grass while everyone else was riding their bikes or playing ball. As I grew up, I usually had something growing in the house or garden. When I was in my 30’s, I suffered from severe acne and used prescription medication. It worked but whenever I ran out, the acne would come back. After my insurance company decided they would no longer cover it, and $700 a month was excessive, I began making my own skin care. Other than the occasional soaps for holidays and gifts, I didn’t make products for others.

When my father was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010, I became very interested in alternative therapies after we were told there was nothing doctors could do for him. Of course as a novice, there was nothing I could do either. He passed away the day before Thanksgiving that same year. My research of herbs and botanicals during that sad time started a passionate interest in plants as medicine. When my teenaged niece told me about her struggle with eczema, I began researching herbs to help her out. After several trials, I made a salve that cleared her eczema within two weeks. She still uses the salve today!

Some time later, I burned my arm with a tea bag (long story). The burn took away several layers of skin. I used a commercial antibiotic ointment several times a day but the burn would not heal. Finally, I cut a piece of my long-neglected Aloe Vera plant and applied it to the burn. The next day the burn scabbed over. I couldn’t believe it! I wanted to know how and why it worked.

In January 2014, I enrolled in the Master of Therapeutic Herbalism program at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. I was not expecting such an intensive program. I actually cried trying to complete my first assignment (and a few other assignments). But…during the course of the program, I learned SO much and have been able to put a good majority of my lessons into real-life practice.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three qualities and skills that were most impactful in my journey were curiosity, the ability to conduct research, and follow through.

I am naturally a problem solver. If someone comes to me with an issue or problem I look for ways to help them solve it. When I have an issue, I go through an internal process where I feel overwhelmed, want to give up, get fired up, then figure out a solution. I used to feel frustrated with myself, but I finally realized it is ok to go through these stages because ultimately, I end up resolving the problem. Having the ability to research has served me well. It is important to conduct research, not to confirm what I hope it will, but to actually find an answer. Keeping an open mind and being curious will lead you to better understanding, better solutions, and improved products and processes. Sometimes it will confirm that an idea is not viable, but will perhaps provide an alternative path forward. For me, when I have an idea, I cannot let it go until it comes to fruition. Some of my projects have taken years to develop. I will put it down only to pick it up again later. Once I implement the idea, or successfully create a viable product, I feel relieved. Implementing ideas is what creates success.

Tell us what your ideal client would be like?

I absolutely love when people are educated about product ingredients. My favorite sales are when people ask what is in my product, inquire about how it is made, look at the ingredients list, and tell me what has worked or has not worked for them in the past. It often confirms that I am on the right path, and I sometimes get ideas for other products based on this type of customer’s needs. Alternatively, I also love when people are new to using organic products and do not know where to start, especially when they have a specific skin condition and need help. These are often the customers who return with positive feedback. Their excitement and gratitude is why I do what I do.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.obsidianorganics.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/obsidianorganics

Image Credits

Charlena Hayes