Jodie Dublin-Dangleben: Being able to solve someone's problem is very rewarding

Civil Engineer by profession, hair and skin enthusiast by passion, Jodie Dublin-Dangleben is bringing life and lushness to lustrous crowns of hair both in Dominica and overseas.

Jodie is the proud CEO of Jaydees Naturals which has been taking the local market by storm. The company creates organic formulas to improve skin and hair conditions by using primarily local herbs. The line of products, thus far, includes shampoos, conditioners, face masks, and scrubs.

Speaking to The Sun, this hair aficionado explained that she started this venture purely as a means of addressing one of her major, daily, challenges.

"Because I am a civil engineer my work requires me to be out on the field a lot. Back then I had relaxed hair and would have to wash it very often, because it would accumulate dirt and grime. My hair became very dry and brittle. I really wanted to formulate something for myself that was natural. That is how it started," she said.

Dublin-Dangleben took on extensive research while creating her products and still researches ingredients to this day. She is devoted to ensuring her products are environmentally friendly and equally good for hair and skin

"Growing up in Dominica and hearing about the Nature Island I don't want to just say Nature Island but be the Nature Isle. My parents instilled in me the importance of taking care of the environment," she said. "So, I didn't want my business to be one that added to global warming effects." Jodie tried out her formula on friends and family for whom it also worked. They then encouraged her to go into business with her product.

That was back in 2012. Jaydees Naturals was officially registered in 2017. During her ten years of mixing and matching various elements and compounds, Jodie says one of the toughest challenges she faced was the lack of counselors in that specific field.

"I didn't have mentorship, I didn't have a manual on steps to take, so research was very important to me. I had to educate myself on how our hair grows. And my business has a different component where we educate people," Jodie said."

She remained committed to her passion and gradually extended into skin care products. The Jaydees Naturals CEO says the most rewarding part of this line of work is being able to help someone solve a problem.

"When I get a review at ten or eleven or night there is no greater feeling as knowing I solved a problem for someone. A lot of us are concerned about our image with acne and scarring and for me to help somebody in that aspect that is really something I look forward to," Jodie added.

Another high point in Jodie's hair and skin care career was being recognized at the inaugural Caribbean Women Inventors & Innovators Network (CaribbWIIN) ceremony, a branch of GlobalWIIN. She is the second Dominican woman to be awarded at that event in May this year.

"I got a special recognition award for engineering women in the Caribbean," Jodie said.

As for the future of Jaydees Naturals, its CEO was careful not to reveal too many details but shared something in the works for babies and toddlers.

"Earlier I launched a baby line – shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and oil - but I am doing more research so it will be fragrance-free and hypoallergenic," she added.

A novel idea that came to her during the pandemic will also be expanded on, and also enter households across Dominica.

"I have this aromatizer, initially it started out as a hand sanitizer a lot of people used it as a moisturizer as well. It could also be used to sanitize countertops, desktops, etc. So I will be going into household items," she said.

Jodie, who attributes a lot of her success to her use of social media platforms, teased the Dominican public to look out for healthier, natural creations from her company in time to come.