Making small, healthy changes in everyday routine may seem overwhelming for some. But in 2011, when Kevin Wright realized he needed to decrease his cholesterol, he and his wife, Valerie made some small changes that have impacted their family and the Mahomet community in big ways.
Valerie and Kevin began by training for and running a half marathon, working out five to six days a week in 2011. But they quickly realized that even though they were pushing their bodies physically, they were still counteracting all their work by eating processed and unhealthy foods.
Thinking about all the chemicals and processed foods they put into their body, the Wrights spent the next year, working to understand how natural foods would benefit their bodies.
Then in 2013, conscious of how preservatives were added to foods, Valerie realized the soaps she was using were also detrimental to her overall health. Looking at the labels of shower soaps, Valerie read a list of over 70 ingredients, and she only knew two: water and alcohol.
“As a nurse, I know your body absorbs what you put on your skin,” she said.
Knowing there were alternatives available, Valerie began to research the benefits of cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax to see if the ingredients could not only replace what she was using, but also provide lifelong benefits to her family.
The Wrights began buying shea butter in 1-pound increments. Valerie taught herself how to melt and incorporate each product to make soaps, deodorant and lotions. She shared the products with her family members, including six sons, and close family friends, who were interested in trying alternatives to what they could buy over-the-counter.
When friends suggested that Valerie sell the products in stores, she initially brushed off the idea for lack of time. But then realizing the family really could make it work, the Wrights formed Wright Family Products.
Now, the Wrights purchase shea butter 100-pounds at a time, and sell all of their products at the Mahomet IGA, the Urbana Market at the Square and in other retail locations throughout Champaign, Urbana and Paxton.
The Wright’s commitment is to “keep it as clean as possible and as natural as possible,” Valerie said. And to keep costs affordable for their customers, the Wrights work with wholesalers who buy directly from the country where the product is grown.
For the last two years, the Wrights have depended on their family, friends and loyal customers to give them feedback on the effectiveness of deodorant, sunscreen and bug spray. Valerie said the first round of deodorant made her husband feel like there was a cheese grater between his armpits, but now, through trial and error, she has sold over 600 bottles of deodorant.
Valerie also sent a friend to Haiti with an all natural sunscreen. He came back raving about the product because where he used to get bitten, he claimed to have no problems with bug bites while there.
Understanding that people may be apprehensive to use organic sunscreen, Valerie has tested her products on her own children, too. The family visited Colorado and took a cruise to the Bahamas using their sunscreen and came home “with barely any lines,” Valerie said.
While nearly all the ingredients in the sunscreen are natural, Valerie researched the effectiveness of non-nano zinc oxide, which is man-made. Regular sunscreen uses zinc oxide, which protects the skin from UV rays, but also is absorbed into the body.
The non-nano zinc oxide also protects the skin from UV rays, but the molecules are larger, so they are not absorbed by the skin. Valerie said her product has not been tested for SPF because it costs $7,000 to do so.
More importantly, Valerie said she is proud to have equipped her sons with information about how to take care of themselves and their loved ones as they grow older. The boys have also learned a thing or two about business.
Each member of the Wright family has a role in the production and distribution of the product.
“It’s really taught the kids a lot about business,” she said. “Where they didn’t want to talk to anybody or go to the market, now I’ve got them chasing people down to give them a sample. They’ve completely transformed over this.”
