WS Chronicle

By Busta Brown

“The power of natural is real,” said Christen Elisabeth. Her lifelong battle with eczema is why she went all natural. Due to itching and scratching all night, she rarely got much sleep. Waking up with new scars daily, and because of kids teasing her at school, Christen wore clothing to hide the scars, which caused her to be self-conscious and ashamed of having eczema. 

She also watched her mother battle breast cancer. “I found my passion through my pain and watching my mother beat breast cancer by living a holistic and very healthy lifestyle. She was very influential in shaping my vision,” said Elisabeth. “Because of my mother, I make sure I eliminate toxins from my products. It’s very important to me because some ingredients are cancer-causing,” the businesswoman shared. 

Christen Elisabeth is the owner of All-Natural Products LLC. in Winston-Salem. It all began in August of 2014, “… during my senior year in college. I was trying to find a laundry detergent that didn’t flare up my eczema. So I did a research project on the different toxins in the products out there. I found that a lot of the companies out there have no regulations on what ingredients they can put in their products. I learned the link between formaldehyde and cancer, and you see it in a lot of laundry detergent. Why is this in here if it clogs your pores?” she asked. I felt the disappointment in her voice and spirit.  

Christen did more research and discovered some all-natural ingredients and put together an all-natural laundry detergent. “I initially made it for me and my four roommates and we washed clothes all the time. That one jug lasted us from August until December. At the end of the semester, I asked if they would use it again and they said, ‘Hell yeah!’” Elisabeth said with confidence and very passionately. 

Word spread quickly on campus, to her relatives, and friends in Winston-Salem. She made more of her magical laundry detergent and gave it away to friends and family. “I wasn’t thinking about it, so my family said I should start selling it and start a business.” She did just that. Her mother, Andrea Stevenson, and father, Michael Funderburk, were very supportive when she decided to start an all-natural laundry detergent business. 

“My father is an entrepreneur, so he gave me pointers and direction on how to get started. For my graduation gift, he bought me 50 one-gallon containers.”  

It took her awhile to sell the 50 containers of laundry detergent. She got discouraged and then began doubting if going into business would work out. With encouragement from family and friends, she started Lizzie’s Laundry Detergents. “My detergent is made with real soap and it’s all-natural,” said the passionate businesswoman. 

She said her success wasn’t a smooth transition. “Shipping wasn’t going right. When the laundry detergent was delivered to customers, it would spill at the door. It was a lot of issues in the beginning. It was a headache,” said Elisabeth. 

After overcoming her business trials and tribulations, she invested the money back into her business and it expanded. In 2017, the business grew even more, so she added more products and then changed the name to Lizzie’s All-Natural Products LLC. The company sells Whipped Shea Butter chapstick, which is in high demand. “It helps rejuvenate the skin. It helps with stretch marks, eczema, and it’s all natural. My wool dryer balls help your clothes dry faster by absorbing the dampness and that saves my customers a ton of money on energy. My natural sea sponge doesn’t have any plastic in it, so you’re not getting any plastic particles in your skin. It’s soft and not abrasive, which prevents damage to your skin. Our natural sea sponge doesn’t create lots of suds. Too much suds actually damage the skin, because of all the sulfate. Our organic body wash is extremely popular as well, along with the eczema butter. The eczema butter helps repair and rejuvenate the broken skin, cracked skin, super dry skin, and black marks. Anyone can use it.” 

I visited Lizzie’s All-Natural Products website to read some of the reviews and the customers are amazed and 100% satisfied with the products. Most importantly, they’re repeat customers. One lady said, “I put Lizzie’s Laundry Detergent to the test with my kids’ grass-stained white socks in a load of white towels. The socks came out completely clean!” Another shared, “You are a lifesaver! I have a bad case of eczema on my left arm and since I’ve used the body wash and eczema butter, the inflammation has gone down in just a couple of days!!” 

I’ve had eczema for 56 years, so when I read their mission statement, I became a customer as well. It said, “We build confidence; not only do we care about your skin, we care about your soul.” Wow! I agree with Lizzie’s. When my skin feels good, I feel good. 

For more info and products, call 336-818-3075 or visit productsbylizzie.com, or follow them on Instagram and Facebook @ productsbylizzie.