In one of Kherson’s cafés on the eve of Valentine’s Day, at a table where people usually drink coffee and discuss the news, we sink into a completely different reality. Jars, boxes, candles, neat bottles of body-care cosmetics are laid out here. In a few minutes the space turns into a mini fair of handmade products from a local craftswoman.
An unusual sight for a frontline city — to see so much beauty and inspiration in one place.
Oleksandra Kravets is a handmade craftswoman from Kherson. She creates body-care products, household products and candles. Her philosophy is about self-love, care and warmth, which are especially needed today.
For more than two years she has been bringing her own ideas to life, allowing women to immerse themselves in a world of beauty, aesthetics and tranquility. Oleksandra began her journey by making massage candles — they were emergency aid for those who often come into contact with water or household chemicals and need to restore the skin of their hands.
“My path began with massage candles. At first they were small and my clients, since I was a manicurist, were the end users. Now we already have a larger format and aromatic fillings. It was after the massage candles that my boundless love for handmade opened up, and there are already almost 20 care-cosmetic items in my range,” Oleksandra says.
She is self-taught: she reads, studies ingredients, tests formulas, and works a lot in practice. If the result is unsatisfactory or seems inconvenient to use, the product does not go on sale. For her it is important that the product is comfortable and safe.
During conversations and hands-on testing of the products we learn that all the ingredients Oleksandra uses are certified in Ukraine: vegetable oils, extracts, plant-component extracts, emollients.
“The full ingredient list is always indicated on the label. Due to the absence of aggressive preservatives, the shelf life of the products is short. Everything is natural. The scents are also certified,” the craftswoman says.
Besides being completely natural, the products are also notable for the ability to be adapted to the client. Almost every product can be made in a chosen scent, creating a personal set.
For now Oleksandra works from home, but she dreams of her own space — at once a laboratory, a workshop and a small shop where she could receive people, create products and immediately offer them to customers.
Is this possible in Kherson? In the craftswoman’s opinion — yes. So the conversation about cosmetics gradually turned to discussions of present-day realities. After all, what everyone saw in front of them resonated strongly with what was happening outside the window. Oleksandra said that she returned to her home immediately after the city’s liberation. She says her roots are here, and she does not plan to leave.
“First, I returned home after the city’s liberation. My roots remain here. I love everything that surrounds me. I’m used to walking barefoot on the earth, and the birdsong — something found only here. Second, my products are a small light that many Kherson women need right now,” the craftswoman says.
There were offers to create a shop in other cities, but she decided for herself: if she opens a store, it will only be in her hometown.
Fear, the craftswoman admits, does not disappear. But sitting and simply waiting is not an option. She believes that in the coming months, not years, Kherson residents will again live under a peaceful sky and come to shops for gifts, not only for the bare necessities.
Her products are often ordered by women who have left Kherson or gone abroad.
“They write to me: ‘It smells like the bedding at home.’ And I understand that this is more than cosmetics. Maybe my mission now is to be a small light for Kherson women,” Oleksandra says.
She also adds that when people visit her social media pages, they often write: finally we saw something pleasant, not just the news that traumatizes.
“That’s why I chose this mission for myself — to create beauty that helps others unwind. To light a candle, feel the scent, stop for at least a few minutes. With this beauty I try to convey at least a small piece of warmth. And perhaps this is what Kherson is made of right now,” Oleksandra notes.