Indara Naturals - The beginning

This past week marks one year since I sold my first Repair and Restore Bundle, so I thought I'd take a moment to tell you guys how I got started in hair care. 

I got my last relaxer in October of 2004. I had been getting relaxers since I was 6 or 7 years old, and I always hated going to the salon to get my hair done. The long hours waiting for the stylist to finish my hair, hours under the dryer, appointments not starting on time, the list goes on and on.

Eventually it dawned on me that I didn’t have to keep getting my hair relaxed if I didn’t want to, so I just stopped. I was so happy to be free from relaxers and hair salons, but I had no idea what to do with my hair after that.

I started scouring the internet for any information I could find on how to take care of my natural hair. At that time, there wasn’t much to go on. Social media hadn’t taken off yet, so all I had was a few natural hair blogs and articles to get me started.

As I grew out my hair, I had to figure out how to deal with the two textures. My former stylist basically kicked me out of his chair and told me not come back unless I was getting a relaxer, so I was on my own.  

I started searching for products that I could use to soften my hair and keep it from being so dry. I quickly discovered that there were very few options made specifically for natural hair, and none of them worked for me.

At the time I was taking some chemistry classes, so I had the idea that I could work on making my own products and maybe come up with something that I liked better than what I could find at the store.

I had absolutely no intention of ever selling my products or using them on anyone but myself. It was just a fun project for me to work on in my spare time. The first product that I created was what is now the Honey Hibiscus Deep Conditioner.

I spent about 4 years testing different combinations of ingredients and adjusting the formula until I had something that was absolutely perfect for my hair. It kept my hair soft for the whole week between washes, it was light enough that I could use it before straightening my hair and it left no oily residue, and absorbed into my hair instead of just sitting on top like the store bought deep conditioners I had tried.

The next product I worked on was the Ayurvedic Clay Wash. I tried this for the first time about 2 years into my natural hair journey. Every two weeks I would do a clay treatment and follow with the deep conditioner. Each time I would adjust the ingredients and track my results until I had the perfect recipe. The clay cleansed my hair, stimulated my hair growth, and got rid of the dry, itchy scalp that I had been dealing with since childhood.

I was ecstatic about the results I was receiving with my hand made products. Once I perfected the clay mask and the deep conditioner, I added the growth oil, pre-shampoo oil, and the leave in conditioner.

At that point I had everything I needed to care for my hair, but I still never considered sharing the products with the public. In my mind, taking care of my hair was just a fun hobby.

Although I made my own products at home, I did still try new products whenever they came on the market. When other women would ask what I used on my hair, I would let them know that I made my own products, but I could recommend some other store bought products that I had tried.

Inevitably they would come back and ask if I could make my products for them, and I always had to decline. I just didn’t have time to make products for other people. Each of my products took hours to make and I barely had time to make them for myself.

The first person to try my products was my mom. I had finally convinced her to go natural and she said that she would only agree to give up the relaxer if I would make her some products. After using my products for a couple of years and seeing the transformation of her hair, she was adamant that I needed to make these products available for others to use.

I was doubtful that there was a need for my products out there. By this point, 15 years had gone by since I first started making my own hair products and there were numerous natural hair brands to choose from.

Even so, there were still many women like me, and like my mom, who needed something more than what was available for black hair. Products that truly nurture our hair without harsh chemicals that can be bad for our health. Products that stimulate growth, keep our hair soft, and bring out our natural curl. Products that help us feel good about our natural crowns and give us the confidence to wear our own hair to work, school, or a formal event.

I finally created my website and put my products out there for the public to try and the response has been amazing. It makes me so happy to know that other black women are benefitting from products that I created just for fun. These products use the exact same formulas that I perfected on own hair – not watered down or stuffed with cheap fillers.

If you’re having problems with your hair, get on our email list and shoot me an email and let’s see how Indara Naturals can help you!