Hi, I’m Tamiko, founder and maker behind S&E Natural Soaps LLC.

I’m a wife, mother, veteran, former healthcare professional, homeschool mom, caregiver, herbalist, maker, and entrepreneur.

But S&E didn’t begin with a business plan.

It began with a mother trying to help her child.

My son struggled with painful eczema and extremely sensitive skin, and I wanted to understand what I was putting on his body. I began reading labels differently, researching ingredients, learning about oils, herbs, butters, traditional preparations, and eventually making products myself.

What started as something I was doing for my own family slowly became something much bigger.

Looking back now, I can see that God had been preparing me for it long before I ever realized it.

 

A Life of Caring for Others

Long before S&E existed, caring for people was already part of my life.

I served six years in the United States Navy as an 8404 Fleet Marine Force Hospital Corpsman and later became a Licensed Vocational Nurse in California.

My healthcare background taught me to ask questions, pay attention, research carefully, and understand that what goes into and onto our bodies matters.

Over time, that curiosity drew me deeper into traditional herbalism, ingredient research, soapmaking, infused oils, salves, butters, and simple preparations people have used for generations.

I began making products for my family.

Then I began sharing them with others.

One customer became another. Markets became regular customers. Regular customers became friends.

And in 2016, S&E Natural Soaps LLC was born.

 

Built Together

Although S&E began with my journey as a mother, I have never built it alone.

My husband, Curtis, has been right beside me through it all.

In the early years, that often meant doing whatever needed to be done behind the scenes. He pulled bottles, counted inventory, labeled products, helped prepare orders, worked markets, and somehow managed to provide plenty of comic relief during our Facebook Lives and videos along the way. 😂

As S&E grew, so did his role.

Today, he isn’t simply helping me with my business.

He is an important part of our business.

Curtis now makes some of our products himself, helps manage our storefront, works directly with customers, handles customer relationships, and has taken ownership of areas of S&E that reflect his own personality and interests.

There have been seasons when I was tired, overwhelmed, discouraged, or simply had too much on my plate, and having someone beside me willing to ask, “What needs to be done?” has meant more than I can explain.

S&E may have started because of something God placed in my heart, but over the years it became something our family has built together.

And I am grateful that the man who stood beside me when this was bottles, labels, late nights, markets, and a big dream is still beside me today as we watch that dream continue to grow.

 

The Road Hasn’t Always Been Easy

I wish I could tell you that once I found my purpose, everything became easy.

It didn’t.

I know what it is to be a wife and mother while carrying responsibilities that sometimes feel bigger than you are.

I know what it is to care for other people while trying not to lose yourself in the process.

I know what it feels like to have dreams while wondering whether there is enough time, money, energy, or even enough of you left to pursue them.

I have walked through difficult seasons, disappointment, exhaustion, fear, trauma, caregiving, uncertainty, and moments when life looked nothing like I thought it would.

And through all of it, God has been faithful.

Not because I have always done everything perfectly.

I haven’t.

Not because I have never been afraid or discouraged.

I have.

And not because following Jesus means we will never face hard things.

It doesn’t.

But I have learned that even when I cannot see the entire road ahead, I can trust the One who does.

Sometimes faith has looked like taking one small step.

Then another.

Then another.

And many of those little steps eventually became S&E.

 

Faith Is the Foundation

My faith in Jesus Christ is not a marketing statement added to my business.

It is part of the foundation of my life.

I believe God is the source of my creativity, my desire to care for others, my love of learning, and my fascination with the plants and natural resources He placed in His creation.

My faith influences how I raise my family, how I serve my customers, how I approach herbalism and natural living, and how I run this business.

I believe even the difficult parts of my life have shaped me.

There are things I never would have chosen for myself.

Yet God has continued to bring purpose, growth, wisdom, and even beautiful things out of seasons that once felt anything but beautiful.

S&E is part of that story.

 

To the Woman Who Thinks She Missed Her Chance

There is another reason I want to tell you the truth about my journey.

Maybe you are a mother with dreams of your own.

Maybe you’re homeschooling your children.

Maybe you’re caring for aging parents, someone with special needs, or other people who depend on you.

Maybe you’re working a job while quietly building something after everybody else goes to bed.

Maybe life has knocked you down more than once.

Maybe you have lived through things the people around you know absolutely nothing about.

Or maybe there’s something God placed in your heart years ago, but somewhere along the way you started believing:

It’s too late.

I have too many responsibilities.

I don’t have enough money.

I don’t know enough.

My life is too messy.

Maybe that dream just wasn’t meant for me.

I want you to know that a difficult chapter does not mean your story is finished.

Being a mother does not mean your dreams are over.

Caring for other people does not mean God forgot about the gifts He placed inside of you.

Starting later does not mean you started too late.

And you do not need to have everything figured out before you begin.

Sometimes all you need is enough faith for the next step.

Stay close to Jesus.

Keep praying.

Keep learning.

Keep getting back up.

Keep taking the step He puts in front of you.

And remember that you were never meant to carry everything alone. Sometimes God answers prayers through the people He places beside us.

Your journey may look completely different from mine, but I hope my story reminds you that there is still hope.

 

S&E Today

Today, S&E Natural Soaps has grown far beyond those first products I made for my family.

But one thing hasn’t changed.

We are still hands-on.

I still research, formulate, infuse, mix, pour, whip, cut, package, and label the products you find in our store.

Curtis works right alongside me, making products of his own, helping run the storefront, serving our customers, and helping carry the day-to-day work of the business.

There isn’t some mysterious factory hiding behind the curtain making everything for us. 😂

This is still a small family business.

Our children have grown up around soap molds, markets, ingredients, shipping boxes, customers, and countless conversations about business.

Some customers who first met us years ago at markets are still supporting us today.

That means more to us than I can adequately say.

Because behind every bar, bottle, jar, tincture, oil, and handmade product is a real family.

A real journey.

A lot of work.

A lot of learning.

A lot of faith.

And a God who has been faithful through all of it.

 

My Hope for You

Of course, I hope you find something at S&E that you love.

But I hope you leave with something more than that.

I hope my story encourages another woman to believe that she is not finished yet.

You can raise a family and still create.

You can care for others and still have dreams of your own.

You can survive hard seasons and still build something beautiful afterward.

You can start small.

You can learn as you go.

You can fall down and get back up again.

You can accept help from the people God sends to walk beside you.

And you do not have to walk this life alone.

Keep your hope.

Keep your faith.

Stay close to Jesus.

And keep moving forward.

 

Welcome to S&E Natural Soaps.

This business is more than what we make.

It is part of my testimony, part of our family’s story, and a reminder to me of just how faithful God has been.

And I am grateful you’re here. ❤️