Mama's Love Never Dies: An Interview with Jen Slagle of Mama Bear Soaps

Jen Slagle is the owner of Mama Bear Soaps in Felch on the beautiful upper peninsula of Michigan. She is 47, and runs a farm with her husband of 27 years, Jason, who together have 3 children, Cody 25, Justin 22, and Lauren 18. Jen is a self-starter who throws herself into her work and when not running Mama Bear Soaps works on her farm which is home to poultry, cows, a donkey named Jackson, 2 dogs, 3 cats and has a variety of produce and plants. She apprenticed under the fist Mama Bear, Susan Clark, then took over the business in 2019, where she continues Sue's work while making her own mark. Jen is a true country soul, and in her free time loves camping, boating, gardening, and taking nature rides. Her soaps are full of love, and so is her story. Here it is....

I read in a post on Badger & Blade that before joining Mama Bear Soaps you were a teacher looking for a new career. What attracted you to the world of soaps and fragrances? You also said you met Sue Clark at a craft show. Had you started making soaps on your own before you met her? 

I spent 17 years as an elementary teacher, primarily teaching 3rd grade. While I truly loved my work, over time it began to feel mentally constricting. Around the same period, I experienced a series of personal losses — my mother, my young stepfather, and soon after, my brother. Those events made me reflect deeply on how short life can be and inspired me to think about how I truly wanted to spend the rest of my life.

At the time, I was in charge of organizing the holiday craft fair at my school, which is how I met Sue Clark — the original "Mama Bear." Sue, who had become deaf later in life due to an accident, loved communicating through Facebook. After the craft fair, she reached out to thank me for helping her, and we began exchanging messages. She shared with me that she was looking to retire and was hoping to find someone to take over her soap business.

To be honest, I didn’t even know shave soap existed before meeting Sue, and I had never made soap before! Another fun fact — I’ve always been someone who prefers unscented products, which quickly became a running joke between us.

After a lot of thought, I decided to take the leap and begin the transition into owning Mama Bear Soaps. My husband and I already had a farm and sold at farmers markets, so adding soaps made sense — especially during seasons when produce was limited. I apprenticed with Sue for five months, learning the craft of soap-making and the day-to-day operations of the business. Thanks to that time together, the transition was smooth, and many customers didn’t even realize the business had changed hands.

We shared a lot of laughs during those months, navigating the communication gaps and all the little challenges that came with them. Mama Bear Soaps was founded in 2008, and I officially took over in 2019. It has always been — and continues to be — a small, one-person, handmade business!

Felch Michigan seems like a beautiful, but remote place. Are you originally from Felch? What's life like in the Felch area?

Felch is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and it’s truly a beautiful place. My only complaint is that the winters are a little too long and the summers feel far too short! Outdoor activities are a big part of life here, and the community is very laid-back — everyone knows everyone. I’m originally from Ohio, but I moved to Felch when I was 20 after getting married, as my husband’s family lived up here.

On your website you sell some products from your farm. How do you split your time between the farm and Mama Bear Soaps?

Slagle’s Family Farm is a first-generation farm that my husband and I started in 2008. We began as a small operation, attending local farmers markets to earn a little extra income for our young family of three children (who are now 25, 22, and 18!). Over the years, we have grown into a well-established farm with a wide range of offerings.

In the spring, we operate a greenhouse featuring over 150 different plants, all started from seed right here on the farm. We also grow a variety of produce, raise animals, create homemade food items in our commercial kitchen, offer a Pick-Your-Own Pumpkin Patch in the fall, handcraft wooden items, and maintain a storefront for customers to shop locally.

Mama Bear Soaps is not large enough to stand alone as a full-time business, but it has been a wonderful addition to what we offer at Slagle’s Family Farm.

Did Sue teach you her soap and fragrance making techniques? What process do you use to make soap? Is it melt and pour? Hot or cold process? Do you make your base for the soap and fragrances? Have you made changes to the process since taking over?

Sue taught me everything I needed to know to take over the soap business. As I mentioned earlier, I had never made soap before stepping into this role. Mama Bear Soaps uses the melt-and-pour method, which Sue always believed created a more consistent and reliable product.

I’ve kept all of her original offerings and recipes, as they are what longtime customers have come to love and expect. In addition, I’ve expanded the product line by adding hand soap, goat’s milk soap, shave oil, and some of our farm products to the website — while still staying true to the quality and spirit of Mama Bear Soaps.

Your soaps are unique from most other artisans in that they seem to have a higher glycerin content. What are the benefits of having 20% glycerin in a shave soap? What’s your philosophy on what makes a good shave soap?

A good shave soap should lather up easy, feel slick, and leave your skin better than it found it.

I make glycerin shave soap, and it’s all about that rich, effortless lather — no wrestling with it. Just a little water, a few swirls, and you're good to go. It’s slick enough that your razor glides like it knows where it’s headed. Plus, glycerin naturally pulls moisture into your skin, so you’re left feeling hydrated, not dried out.

Scent’s a big part of shave soap too — or sometimes, no scent at all. Everyone’s got their own taste when it comes to fragrance, and honestly, my unscented soap is one of my best sellers. I put a lot of work into keeping it truly unscented, which isn’t easy when you’re surrounded by a hundred different scents.

End of the day, good shave soap should make your shave smoother, easier, and just a better experience overall.

What have been some of the challenges you’ve experienced since taking over the business from Sue? What changes have you made to the business and the product line?

I’d say the biggest challenge has been dealing with the changes fragrance companies make, especially with cologne scents. New government safety regulations keep coming out, and that forces changes to the formulas. So even if a scent’s been the same for years, people can definitely notice when it shifts.

Honestly, I was lucky — Sue was an incredible teacher. When I bought the business, I took over everything: her email, website, Amazon page — the whole thing — so the transition stayed smooth. Many people never even knew the business changed hands. Even after the sale, Sue stayed in touch and was always there to answer any questions I had.

Sadly, she passed away unexpectedly this past fall. It’s tough, because she loved this business and cared so much about her customers. If you knew Sue, you knew how much she loved chatting with everyone online, especially late at night.

I’ve kept all of her original products going, but I’ve also added some new ones — like liquid hand soap, goat’s milk soap, shave oil, kids’ soaps, and some farm items too. I’ve expanded the women’s line quite a bit as well. Sue mainly offered floral scents for women, but with more women getting into wet shaving, I felt it was important to offer a wider variety. It’s been a big part of growing the business and honoring what she built.

Many of your fragrances are homages to designer fragrances, but many are also original. When you design an original scent, where do you get your inspiration? In your mind, what makes a great fragrance? 

To be honest — like I mentioned earlier — I’m mostly an unscented person. I won’t even let my husband wear cologne! I’ve kept all of Sue’s original cologne scents, and most of the new cologne scents I carry now are ones customers specifically asked for.

Personally, if it’s not unscented, I lean toward more natural scents and essential oils, so I’ve added a lot more of those options over time.

At the end of the day, it’s hard to say what makes a "great" fragrance, because it’s such a personal thing — it’s all about where a scent takes your mind and the memories it stirs up.

You have a very unique take on aftershaves. Why have you chosen to make them alcohol free? Also, why do you offer a “summer” and “winter” version? Why have you chosen the specific ingredients that you use, such as Hyaluronic Acid, Biotin, Chamomile Hydrosol, and Pearl Croix? Lastly, why have you chosen to make them “scent” optional?

I’m a very small business, usually just a few orders a day, so it’s easy for me to accommodate special requests from customers.

All of the ingredients and formulations come straight from Sue — I simply learned them from her. She put a lot of care into creating high-quality products and I continue on the tradition, and they really do work wonderfully. I personally use the aftershave balm as my daily moisturizer — it’s that good!

I offer both a summer and a winter version of the balm to suit different skin types and climates. It can get down to -20 degrees here in the winter, and between the cold and the wood heat, I definitely need the extra moisture from the winter formula. But if I lived somewhere hot and humid like Texas, I’m pretty sure I’d be a summer or menthol girl all the way.

What are your most popular soaps and fragrances?

When it comes to online sales, Aged Spice Shave Soap is by far the most popular — it’s definitely the top seller. Other customer favorites are Unscented, Awakenings, Lemon Ice, Ye Olde Barbershoppe, and Dragon’s Blood.

In my storefront, though, it’s a little different. The local favorites tend to be the cherry almond and raspberry cocoa butter soaps — people around here can’t seem to get enough of them.

If you had a message to share with all the Wet Shavers out there what would it be? I quickly learned why Sue loved her customers so much — the wetshaving community is such a caring and generous group of people. I look forward to continuing to provide great customer service and fulfilling special order requests. I’m excited for the future as I expand my soap business to meet new demands while maintaining the traditions that brought us here. My goal as a soapmaker is to add a tallow shave soap within the year. Thank you all for your support of Mama Bear Soaps — I truly appreciate each and every one of you! 

Jen Mama Bear & Jason Slagle