The glow in Glowing Dandelion Soaps

BEAUTY

PROFILE Glowg Dandi THE GLOW IN SOAPS

Compiled by Anthea Campbell

We chat to Lindie Pretorius of ‘Glowing Dandelion Soaps’ about her journey that led to her creating beautifully crafted handcrafted soaps.

EBL: TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF?

Lindie Pretorius (LP): I am Lindie, Mommy of one super-busy 5 year old little girl, married to my own superman and we have two fur kids as well. By profession, I am a senior brand manager for a pharmaceutical company and I absolutely love what I do! I have always worked in the health & wellness industry, with a true passion for all things natural.

EBL: WHAT MADE YOU START YOUR BUSINESS?

LP: About a year ago, I started delving into essential oils and was so amazed at how much you can do with essential oils that I started doing research on making products using high quality ingredients. My aim was really to live more intentionally with the products we have in our home and what we use as a family. I am by no means perfect or an expert, but for me it was about substituting products we use daily for natural alternatives that I know don’t have any hidden ingredients or actives I can't pronounce with no clue of why they even are in those products.

A dream was to learn how to make my own soap, so with my next project in mind I started doing research and then jumped right into it. After a soap making course I just fell in love with the whole process from start to finish!

I wanted to make gorgeous soap with skin loving and cleansing properties that contain amazing natural ingredients, and that is how my Glowing Dandelion Soaps were born.

EBL: LOVE THE NAME HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON THE NAME?

LP: I loooove dandelions! And if the sun catches them they always have the most amazing glowy look. One of my favourite quotes of a dandelion “some see a weed, some see a wish” and I always try to see the good in crappy situations - so I choose to “see a wish.”

I also think people that are happy and healthy have a glow to them and my aim is to make people glow, by either making them happy or adding to their health.

EBL: HOW ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ARE THE MATERIALS YOU USE?

LP: I use plant-based oils and butters for my soap and flavour them with essential oils. Due to using essential oils in my soap, the smell might fade a little over time but that is part of what makes them natural. I make soap by using the traditional cold process. I prefer this method because no heat is used and adding heat can compromise some of the properties of the ingredients used. Not only do I add essential oilsfor fragrance but also for their amazing properties. The colourants used in the majority of my soaps is also natural and comes from things such as beetroot, cinnamon, turmeric and activated charcoal.

EBL: DID YOU RESEARCH YOUR 'IDEA / CONCEPT' EXTENSIVELY?

LP: My soap journey started as a dream and a skill I wanted to learn, something for personal use and for gifts. Now it has turned into a little business!

EBL: DID YOU GO ON A SPECIALISED COURSE TO LEARN A NEW SKILLS OR WAS IT LEARNING AS WENT ALONG?

LP: It was mostly learning as I went along,

reading and watching tons of videos online and then doing an online course.

“Some see a weed, some see a wish.”

“I see a wish.”

Lindie Pretorius

EBL: I AM SURE YOU HAVE FOUND THIS TO BE AN INTERESTING JOURNEY, WITH LEARNING CURVES AND TRIUMPHS. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNT AND WHAT IS YOUR NUMBER ONE TRIUMPH?

LP: The best journey! Soap making turned out to be more of a science than what I expected. I had a few epic fails but that was part of the fun. My number one triumph was getting my recipe to what it is now, with just the right amount of lather, creaminess, conditioning and cleansing.

EBL: DO YOU USE LOCAL PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITIES TO MAKE YOUR VARIOUS PRODUCTS?

LP: Not at the moment, I do everything myself but I do have ideas for future products that I will out source.

EBL: CAN CUSTOMERS PLACE A BESPOKE ORDER? WHERE CAN CUSTOMERS BUY YOUR PRODUCTS?

LP: I have a set catalogue of products available for customers. My wholesale customers do pre-orders for soap they need in advance. I can do bespoke orders for wedding favours, baby shower gifts, corporate functions but there is a minimum order quantity for bespoke orders. It is important to note that soap takes 4 to 6 weeks to cure, and I have to make them in full batches so making one or two at a time for a bespoke order is not feasible.

Orders can be placed directly, I courier nationwide. My Instagram and Facebook Page @Glowing Dandelion contains all the contact information and I update social media with outlets where I have stock available.

EBL: DO YOU SELL INTERNATIONALLY?

LP: Not yet, but who knows what the future holds!

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Available at https://linktr.ee/Glowing_dandelion 24