Written by: Leila Perez
I sat down with Amanda Overdorf this week, co-founder of Plushy Duck. A home-based business that provides a wide array or soaps, bath bombs, lotions and other personal care products made with its users in mind. Amanda takes the process needed for each individual product very seriously and goes above and beyond what you would expect. Amanda worked as a compounding pharmacy technician and understands the process of sterilizing the workspace and how to properly store the ingredients at the right temperature to make sure that each customer is getting a truly wholesome product. Whether you have a slight fragrance allergy or eczema, she will custom make a product with you in mind to make sure your skin is being cared for.
What’s more, her products are much cheaper than what you are most likely already paying in stores!
How did you get started?
Amanda: I first got started with soap making a few years ago when I put my daughter in the bath with a bath bomb and she broke out in hives. I said to myself, well if that’s happening to her that’s probably happening to other children! She wasn’t getting the fun part of the bath bomb because I have to take it away from her and so I started researching how to make these things. The realization that I used to be a compounding pharmacy technician made me think, why am I not making this stuff myself anyway? I already knew how to make all these things so I started making her bath bombs, playing with different fragrances and passing them out to friends that were in the area to let them try it out. I then realized that soaps had the same problem as the bath bombs!
I started seeing stuff on Facebook talking about the parabens and all these different chemicals that are used as preservatives in bar soaps. They use them to make sure they last long on the shelves, but the reality is that they are not good on your skin and can cause rashes. People don’t realize that even the most sensitive bar soap that you buy from the grocery store, if you look at the ingredient label, you’ll find a bunch of added chemicals. When I make soaps, it’s all natural; I use Lye, water and then a bunch of fats like shea butter, cocoa butter and oils like olive oil, avocado oils and others.
In fact, when you start playing with different combinations, they can actually help certain conditions like psoriasis and eczema. There’s a bunch of combinations that can help calm and soothe the skin and some people just have a fragrance allergy. Learning that, I then educated myself and as I started to sell everything since everyone was trying to buy it nonstop, I realized that I needed to try to educate my customers on what they were buying, and that bar soap is actually better than liquid soap!
What is your favorite thing to make and why?
Amanda: My two favorite things are bath bombs and bar soap because of the creativity I get to put into them. I like being able to put flowers and all these different things into bath bombs. I love even the pretty colors spinning in the bathtubs hearing about people enjoying them, mostly the kids that love playing with them. I also like cold processed soaps because I can choose what ingredients I want to put into them and there are so many combinations! One of my favorite ingredients is mango seed butte. I love being able to color it and design it, whether it be a wave look or add mermaid tails and things that are fun like glitter! (dissolvable glitter)
What makes your product better than what existing retail stores offer?
Amanda: The difference I would say is a more personalized experience.
When you order here, you’re actually meeting the person who is making it themselves.
If you walk into a store, an employee is not going to know what’s in it, or the process or why you break out in rashes every time you use it! Same thing as an average customer looking on a label, they may not know what all the ingredients are. I make sure that I use wholesome, mostly organic ingredients where there’s little to no reaction using my soaps.
In fact, if there is a reaction, its usually the fragrance and then you know the problem straight away.
If you give enough notice, you can customize exactly what you want down to every detail.
What is the best stocking stuffer for this Christmas?
Amanda: Bath-bombs are always a huge hit! The kids love the ones with Shop-Kins, and Pokemons and any other little trinkets, necklaces and bracelets. We have quite an array of things we can put in a bath-bomb that are still sealed so that it’s not being ruined by the bath-bomb or the water.
Other than that, I would say lip-glosses, essential oil rollers, and perfume rollers. I offer the same scents that major retailers have but at a lower cost, so you can fill more stockings or even elephant gifts for the holiday season.
Any exciting news of what’s to come?
Amanda: We are working on the men’s line; including beard oil, shave soap, and just things that are more on a natural level.
For the ladies, I have been working on getting different types of fragrances to be able to do more perfume rollers which are much more natural than what you would buy anywhere else! No sulfates, no parabens, all the stuff you don’t want to massage onto your body and you want the scent to last which is important. I am also getting more creative with my bath-bombs and with the trends you would like to see!
To find out more about all that Plushy Duck offers and get in touch with Amanda, find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PlushyDuck/
And their order friendly website https://plushyduck.ecrater.com
Comments