WHY THE FOUNDER & CEO OF NATURALICIOUS WENT NATURAL

We owe it all to Chris Rock! I can imagine you’re thinking, “What does Chris Rock have to do with curly hair?” Let’s rewind a couple years. In 2009 Chris Rock wrote and narrated a documentary called “Good Hair.” After watching this while she was pregnant with her son Caiden, who is now our Chief Candy Curator, Gwen Jimmere decided she had to make a change.

In the documentary, they show an experiment that places a can of pop (Yep -- we say “pop” round these parts, but shouts to those who call it “soda”, too!) into a container filled with hair relaxer. The can dissolved within minutes.

It begged the question, “If it can do that to a metal can, what will it do to my hair?” She couldn’t help but to think about how it would affect her body, but more importantly, how it would affect her baby. This is when she began to take action.

“I knew that I had to make a change to go natural, but like most people that come to this same crossroads, I didn't know what to do with -- or how to do -- my hair. I had been straightening it with a chemical relaxer since I was 9 years old. And here I was in my late 20s having to re-learn how to do my hair all over again.” - Gwen Jimmere

Gwen hated her hair her entire life before creating Naturalicious. She relaxed her hair from the age of 9 and couldn’t tell you what her natural hair even looked like until she was in her twenties. She believed what many other people were taught to believe -- that black hair wasn’t beautiful and that it was a burden to take care of. Fortunately, her life and belief system changed after seeing “Good Hair.”

She went on a quest to find knowledge on black hair. She learned as much as she could. Read books, scholarly essays, studies, countless articles, and tested on her own hair. She realized that black hair products were packed with harmful, cancer causing ingredients. It didn’t stop at the relaxers. Popular products like leave-in conditioners, gels, oils contained a lot of those same ingredients.

This research led her to Morrocan Rhassoul Clay -- an exotic, yet effective ingredient she used to create products for herself in her kitchen. With it, her hair was never better, never healthier, and people were noticing. Her friends started asking her for their own personal stash, and kept coming back for more. The proof was in the….clay. She knew the next step was to share this with as many people as she could. So, she took it to market.,

Gwen went on to make history, becoming the first African American woman to own a patent on a natural hair care product with her Moroccan Rhassoul 5-In-1 Clay Treatment. Not only does Naturalicious exist to provide safe, healthy products; they cut unnecessary time and frustration with natural hair. The goal is to change the belief system around black hair. The reality is that the struggle is NOT real. Natural hair can be quite simple and easy to care for. We just have to have the knowledge and resources that we didn’t once have!

What made you begin to love your hair?