Beauty Into Business

How I turned my personal Self Care regimen into a business endeavor.

Hair Butters

This product started out as my affordable and natural solution to dandruff and hair breakage. I stopped relaxing my hair in the spring of 2016, and I transitioned to my natural form with a year of protective styling. I wore kinky and Marley twists using synthetic hair. For as long as I could remember, I suffered from dandruff, so wearing a protective style for up to 8 weeks was an itchy, flaky mess. I did some research and learned that tea tree oil--a natural antiseptic and antibacterial--increases blood flow to the scalp, keeping it moist and thus reducing dandruff. I started applying the oil to my scalp and I was very satisfied with the outcome--no more itch or dandruff! (I applied a tea tree growth oil that I purchased from the beauty supply. Do not apply undiluted essential oils to your skin.)

The following year when I decided to start rocking my ‘'fro, I was on the hunt for the perfect products for my coily hair. It was my first time wearing my hair in its natural form, and I was overwhelmed by the amount of products on the market as well as the endless library of YouTube tutorials on how to maintain and style my TWA. It seemed like it would take me another year to find what would work for me! One spring afternoon though, I saw a YouTuber using a homemade mixture of shea butter and coconut oil that she had mixed by warming the ingredients in the microwave. Her hair looked great and I had seen some DIY creams using shea butter on Pintrest, so I thought I’d try it… (Microwaving your products is not recommended. Microwaving not only alters the properties of the ingredients, but also allows chemicals from the container to enter your product.)

You may be thinking like me--that you can just make your own cream at home and save your money instead of buying another natural hair product. You are right, but I told you that story to tell you this:  I have spent the last year trying out different combinations and ratios of shea butter and essential oils to create an effective, natural product for my daughter and myself...and we’ve had great results that I want to share with all my kinky/coily Sistahs and Brothas. My Hair Butter is perfect for protective styles and low manipulation styles on kinky and coily hair (4A, B, C). It locks in moisture for up to two weeks, and promotes hair growth and strength by providing nourishment from all natural ingredients. Offerings include a Coconut Hair Butter that features Jamaican Black Castor Oil and a Papaya Hair Butter that features Golden Jojoba Oil.


Body Butters

I have been using raw Shea butter for about 4 years now to moisturize my skin--especially in the winter. Two years ago I decided it was all I wanted to use because I knew that it was the only ingredient that I was putting on my body. I knew where it came from, and I was very pleased with the results it had on my skin. It faded scars and stretch marks better than any product on the market I had tried, and I was never ashy--quite the opposite! I also noticed that because it was thicker than lotion and even some creams that I had to massage it into my skin. At first it seemed like a chore when I was tired and wanted to get in the bed as soon as possible after my shower--but in time I realized how calming and stimulating it was to massage the butter into my skin after a long day. I would melt into my bed and sleep like a baby.

This experience led me to create my Stress Relief Body Body. I have infused it with lavender essential oil to give myself and all of you a spa-like treatment with every application. Not only will the shea butter correct and moisturize the skin, but the lavender essential oil helps improve circulation, relieve achy joints and muscles, and calm the senses by reducing anxiety. It's exactly what a Queen needs at the end of the day! This was the first butter I whipped up, but I now offer two additional body butters that use essential oils to nourish our skin and stimulate our senses for healing inside and out!

Skin Woes

My biggest inspiration for transitioning to a more natural beauty and skin care regimen and then turning that into a business was the issues my daughter and I were having with our skin. Since birth she has had eczema and I have tried so many products that only provided a greater level of moisture, but no real evidence of healing. I know eczema is one of those conditions that you have to live with and treat for most of your life, but when I made the switch to natural, plant-based moisturizers I saw what looked like complete healing! I have also had several fungal infections that I will basically burn with cortisone and other steroid creams--but that didn’t sit right with me because I knew that the unknown harsh ingredients were making their way into my blood. And the minute I stopped using the drugs my skin would itch and break out all over again. The vicious cycle ended when I decided it was time to use the medicine God had prescribed in the resources He made available to us when He designed Mother Earth as our home!

As I continue to research and learn more about essential oils and plant-based butters and gels I am continuously inspired to create products that are an answer to our skin woes. Not only that, but I am inspired to create products that enhance our natural beauty--naturally! My daughter and I use these products everyday, and it is my wish that they will become a part of your daily beauty and skin regimen too! Visit my Self Care page to see all offerings and their unique benefits.