We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kandi Patterson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kandi below.

Kandi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

The idea came to me at the end of the summer of 2020, the last few weeks of July, when the weather is warm and dry and there is so much sunshine. After a busy few weeks of surfing every day, all day, my skin and body felt the after-effects of the daily dose of salt and Vitamin D. I realized I needed to care for myself in a way that I never have before. I always thought that skincare and beauty products were to be used to pamper yourself, so I never really took the time to care for my skin until that summer when everything was hurting. My skin was never more dry, cracked, and burnt.

I wanted to create something for everyone at the beach that felt this way. I wanted to create something my younger sister and aunties could use. I wanted my best friends and the guy parked next to me to use my oil to make their skin feel good after a long salty session. That is how the idea of creating Rinse originated and from there, I researched and developed my unique and top-tier quality formula. My oil was designed for the salty, burnt surfer in mind, to make your skin feel hydrated, revitalized, and soothed.

Kandi, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Growing up as a surfer, I was surrounded and intertwined with nature. Riding waves feels like being one with the natural elements, so my path has always been aligned with the earth. I am so proud to be able to infuse plants into skincare and share my creations with the world. My company, Rinse, is my dream come true. I have selected the highest quality oils and hand-blend each bottle for my customers. I believe each bottle is infused with my earthly, healing energy so when I sell a bottle, it just fills me up with joy to share these pieces of me (and to help folks ease the deep discomfort of a sunburn)!

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

I can proudly say that I handmake each of the face oil bottles I sell. By being the only pair of hands who handles my product, I am able to ensure the best, most consistent quality throughout production. I receive my ingredients from a company that sets the standard for oil souring around the globe, so I’m excited to be able to offer my customers the highest quality

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I attracted my audience on social media through authentic engagement. This basically means that I post photos and reels that align with my brand aesthetic, values, and overall mission. Most content I have personally created! Owning a small business means you wear many hats, one of them being a social media wizard!

Contact Info:

• Website: rinse.surf
• Instagram: @rinse.surf

Image Credits
Lucrecia O’Keefe, Patterson, Jessie Turner