Valerie Hill is helping others prioritize self-care with her small-batch, handmade bath and body products

It was a family trip to Colorado in August 2022 and a bout with COVID-19 that inspired Valerie Hill to seize the “now or never” moment of becoming a business owner. Today, Hill is the owner of Ambivalent Apothecary, a small, local, female-owned bath and body business featuring handmade, small-batch products.  

Hill had been making scrubs, body butters and soaps for nearly a decade for friends, family and co-workers around the holidays. She says she wanted to be able to give handmade products that weren’t baked goods.  

As a nurse by trade, Hill was working in corporate nursing where she was quickly becoming burnt out. “I was working 50 hours a week, didn’t feel like I was supported to truly be able to help people and make positive change for healthcare patients, and I had no self-care routine because of it,” she explains.  

That’s when the trip to Colorado happened and her subsequent COVID-19 infection. During her isolation period, she was able to do the soul searching she needed and decided to jump at the opportunity to start a business of her own that truly helped others. Ambivalent Apothecary was born. 

Hill says that her inspiration and desire to help others had always been there, and now she’s able to help them prioritize self-care while making a direct impact on the lives of her customers.  

Ambivalent Apothecary offers a number of small-batch soaps, all-natural organic body butters, all-natural organic scrubs, essential oil shower steamers, wood shower steamer holders, all-natural foaming hand soaps, bath combs, bath salts, bubble baths, foaming milk baths, lip balm, soap dishes and gift baskets. Additionally, she offers customizable and special-order gift baskets.  

When it comes to owning a business, Hill says she does everything possible for every order request. She will share ingredients when asked and will accommodate special requests if possible.  

Although Hill is the owner of Ambivalent Apothecary, she credits her family who works behind the scenes to help support her venture. “I do a lot of vendor shows that require lots of loading and unloading of heavy items and I would not be able to do it without their help,” she says. “My family donates many hours by working numerous shows with me, especially the busier ones. I also have three friends who own their own small businesses, and they were incredibly helpful in guiding and mentoring me in this process. I could not have started Ambivalent Apothecary without their support.”  

Helping others through bath and body products isn’t where Hill stops. “I have a huge desire to help give back to the community, especially to those less fortunate,” she says. “I am looking to partner with a women’s shelter or a homeless shelter where I can donate my soaps that aren’t quite up to my standards or that haven’t sold.” 

She adds that she would also like to connect with a local non-profit that she can partner with to do a promotion. “I want to donate a bar of soap for every bar of soap that is purchased as part a month-long promotion,” she says. 

You can learn more about Ambivalent Apothecary at its website. You can also follow along on Facebook and Instagram.