Her product makes beach sand take a powder
Deborah Anastos knows there’s nothing like a day at the beach, but that doesn’t mean she wants to take the beach home with her.
“I just couldn’t stand having sand stuck to me anymore,” the 45-year-old from River Edge, Bergen County, says. “I had to do something about it.”
Banking that others share her love-hate relationship, Anastos created Sand Witch, a sand repellent. The product was launched Memorial Day weekend.
“This is going to change people’s lives. Sand is something that annoys everybody,” Anastos said.
A graphic designer by trade, Anastos started seriously pursuing a powder last year after growing frustrated with the limitations of a widely-known home remedy.
“I’ve always known baby powder takes (sand) off, but you try to do it on a beach when it’s windy and it gets blown off,” she said. “It’s also very dangerous for infants if they get it in their mouth.”
Anastos headed first to her computer, scouring the Internet for different fragrances and essential oils. After six months of research and development, “there was powder everywhere,” Anastos said about the state of her home last winter, as Sand Witch was born.
The end result was a silky smooth, all-natural powder safe for anyone to use. Anastos created scented and unscented varieties as well as a “shimmer” formula to appeal to younger women and teens.
Recipe secured, Anastos next embarked on building inventory, filling more than 10,000 4-ounce bottles by hand. She then secured a dozen vendors in beach locales such as Cape May, Ocean City and on Long Beach Island.
One of the merchants intrigued by the product was Greg Baranski, owner of the Earth, Sea & Sky gift shop at Schooner’s Wharf in Beach Haven. He said Anastos hit on something special with the sand repellent.
