By RONDA GREGORY
News & Journal Staff Writer
Bridgeport resident and Grafton native Heidi Holland Seamon has launched a new business – Essential Oil Boost, a company based on the benefits of all-natural essential oils. Her debut product is “Have a Ball!” – wool dryer balls that are friendly on health and on the environment and that are an alternative to fabric softeners and dryer sheets.
Seamon, a lawyer and mother of three, is enjoying her new venture. “I’ve always wanted to have my own business. I knit, so I wanted something yarn-based, something creative. We use essential oils all the time at our house, so I wanted it to be something in conjunction with the oils.”
The result are handmade 100 percent wool dryer balls in sets of four that are a healthy and less expensive choice than commercial fabric softeners and dryer sheets.
Clients can choose from nine color combinations and eight embellishment options for each custom set. Clients can also select an essential oil sample with each “Have a Ball!” set. Adding just a few drops to the ball near the end of the drying cycle makes for some great smelling laundry.
Seamon said she had been concerned about the long list of chemicals in dryer sheets and fabric softeners that can be toxic.
“My family had already been using essential oils in other capacities (even to flavor water), and, as an avid knitter, it seemed a logical progression to create wool dryer balls and use 100 percent natural essential oils to scent them.”
She said the dryer balls, by the action of transferring moisture, makes the clothes soft and lessens drying time.
“They allow the air to circulate,” she explained. “When you use them, they take on the moisture.”
A pleased customer, Eve Walker, states the product claims are warranted. “Heidi’s dryer balls are amazing!” she exclaimed. “After using them for the first time, I thought to myself, ‘Where have these been all my life?!’ I like them because they reduce drying time, reduce wrinkles, and most of all, contain no harmful chemical agents.”
Walker reported that the dryer balls are especially useful for special fabrics that are not to be dried with fabric softeners. “Additionally, the balls are great for non-fabric softener items such as sportswear,” she explained. “The balls keep the Dri-FIT items soft and static-free without the need for a fabric softener.
Seamon said she likes the creative aspect of making the product and that she enjoys customizing them by adding the embellishments on them – from owls to flowers or initials. “They’re pretty,” she grinned. “I have all different colors. I made a West Virginia set in blue and hold with the state on them.
Seamon’s desire to create an aesthetically pleasing product is obviously successful, according to her customers.
“Maybe even more importantly, the balls are pretty!” Walker exclaimed. “You can display them in a clear jar or bowl when they are not in use. Win/win!”
To place an order, contact Seamon at (304) 842-0453 or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/EssentialOilBoost.
