SHARONDA FLYNN, FOUNDER & CEO

It's not simply my passion that drives me – skincare is something up close and personal to me. Having struggled with adult acne and after suffering from hair loss due to chemicals in beauty products, I really know what it’s like not to feel comfortable in your own skin. 

After developing my own skincare solution (based around the healing power of honey), and realizing that many store-bought cosmetics and beauty products contain potentially toxic chemicals, I felt a strong desire to help others. I set out to discover creative and compelling answers to these skin wellbeing challenges – a mission that keeps me inquisitive and improving each day. From my studio in Houston, Texas, I work to craft healthy formulas that deliver results, based on the ingredients’ natural healing and protective powers.

MY STORY 

If someone asked me when I first started using natural beauty products, I’d probably tell them it was when I made my hair fall out for the third time. (Don’t worry, I’ll come back to that story!) But the truth is, I've used natural beauty products for as long as I can remember.  

We didn’t have much money when I was growing up, but my mom was great at household magic. I remember her pouring milk powder into my bath water, and telling me it would make my skin soft. When I had chickenpox, she had me soak in an oatmeal bath to calm my itching skin. There was always an aloe vera plant in the house for treating everything, from skin burns to acne. We used Epsom salts for foot soaks, cider vinegar and beer to brighten dull hair, and a host of other household items! When I was a child, my mom took really good care of my hair and didn’t allow me to use chemical treatments. As I grew up, I started to care for my own hair – but didn't really understand what that entailed. 

For many years I washed my hair weekly, got my ends trimmed every six to eight weeks (as recommended) and tried to keep hot styling tools to a minimum. But at the same time I was bleaching my hair. Two months before my wedding I decided to put a hair relaxer on top of my bleached hair. Needless to say, my hair started to melt out of my head! You can imagine how devastated I was. Oh, and did I mention that my stylist had warned me that this would happen? That’s why she had refused to do it.

I was freaking out and looking for a new stylist to fix my shaggy mess of a head. After completely damaging my hair, I was too ashamed to face my old stylist. I swore to myself that this would NEVER happen again! I wanted beautiful hair and I went on a journey to obtain it. Little did I know that it wouldn’t just change my hair, it would also change my way of life.

My journey started where most do in the 21st century – on the internet. I stumbled upon sites for women who, like me, were hair fanatics. I could tell my story and read about women just like me who were tired of being over-processed and bald-headed. I’d spend hours every day going through remedy after remedy, looking for solutions to my problems. I was a woman obsessed with hair and skin care! If anyone asked a hair question, I had a solution. Itchy scalp? Use a cider vinegar rinse. Excess shedding or breakage? Try a home-made egg treatment. I wanted to know everything about natural remedies for hair, skincare and health.  

I started sharing my new-found knowledge with everyone I knew. The more questions I received, the more intrigued I became with natural beauty remedies. I started getting questions from women of all races and age groups, and noticed that these natural remedies worked for everyone.

After about a year or so I started to notice that not only were my hair and skin looking awesome. People began complimenting me on my skin and hair, and asking how I took care of them. Once I explained that everything I used could be made at home, they asked for the recipes. My friends urged me to put it all down – to write a book and create a line of natural skincare products, without the awful preservatives and unnecessary fillers. Several years later, nine more inches of healthy hair and too many smashed avocados, raw eggs and tablespoons of coconut oil to count, I have a book full of tried and tested recipes, along with my first collection of luxurious, all-natural Do-It-Yourself beauty kits.