Why Us?: A letter from our founder
Can I be all the way real with you?
I didn’t always love my curls.
Actually, I hated on them for a long time, but a series of awakenings in my life helped me realize I wasn’t fully loving myself…
...and I decided to drop all those self-destructive beliefs I had about beauty - specifically my beauty.
It all started with me embracing my God-given curls.
My natural hair journey began probably like most girls’…at home.
My dad was a preacher, so it was imperative that my siblings and I went to church looking polished and put together.
(If you’re a PK, I’m sure you can relate. We just couldn’t go out looking any kinda way!)
Soon, one of my Saturday evening chores included doing my hair, my mom’s hair and my sister’s hair.
And even though we had relaxers (or “perms” as we called them), I started to actually like caring for mine and my family’s hair. It made me feel proud that I could help other people look their best.
Fast forward to high school…
Because I was so involved in things like track and field, it was impossible for me to have a traditional job in the mall or at a fast food place.
But I still wanted to have a side hustle for extra money.
So what did I do?
Hair.
Remember the 90s?
I did all my friends’ hair, and even hair for prom, homecoming and any other special events.
And since this was the 90s, I did my fair share of braids for the boys, too.
So it’s safe to say I knew a thing or two about all kinds of hair textures - from straight to curly.
But, as a teenager I didn’t know it ALL.
It was the summer before I went to college, and my momma had just touched me up with a fresh relaxer right before I left for a trip to Jamaica.
And I had the bright idea to color my hair…not even two weeks after getting the relaxer.
For those of you who know about relaxed hair and color, you already know where this story is going.
The kind of hair color I used was cheap and came from a box.
Turns out that was one of the worst hair decisions I’ve ever made.
My bra-strap length hair broke off severely.
And what I want you to understand is that for me, my long hair wasn’t just hair.
It was a part of my identity…
To me, it was my symbol of beauty, especially since I had hang-ups and insecurities about my darker skin.
My long hair allowed me to see myself as beautiful.
I mean, at the time, you couldn’t tell me that I wasn’t Jackie Joyner-Kersee running track with my hair blowing in the wind.
So, when it broke off, I was devastated.
No hair + insecurity around my dark skin = ugly vanity.
I felt like I needed long hair to be beautiful.
What made matters worse is that for 3 years, I was stuck rocking a not-so-cute bob because it took my poor hair so long to bounce back from the damage.
In my 3rd year of college, I experienced what I think every Black woman does at some point…
…the “I am not my hair” experience.
(Remember that song by India.Arie? That was my theme!)
So many important changes were taking place in my life, and I was trying to figure out who I really was and how I wanted to show up.
I decided to finally “go natural” by transitioning.
I tried to manage the 2 textures for 6 months, but if you’ve ever transitioned or know anyone who has…
…you understand that when those 2 textures meet, it’s almost like they go to war.
My relaxed hair and the new growth from my natural hair were not playing nice.
It would take 3 hours just to detangle my hair after washing it.
Can we say, DREADFUL?!
I couldn’t take it anymore, so when I went back home to visit, I asked my mom to cut my hair.
I was gonna do the “big chop.”
Knowing how vain I was about my hair length, my mom hesitated and asked, “Are you sure?”
I was. So, she helped me.
Now, mind you, this was the summer of 2006, before natural hair was the trend.
So, here I am rocking this TWA (teenie-weenie-afro)…
…but I had a hard time finding products for my natural hair.
And the brands that were out there didn’t have products that were formulated my highly textured hair.
Determined to find a way, I started doing all the wrong things at first…
…Melting down shea butter and applying it directly to my hair…
…using dollar-store coconut oil…
You name it. I did it.
So after all these failed experiments, I decided to use my engineering background and my experience working for one of the most well-known beauty brands in the world to make my own products.
Soon, I became the go-to person on my college campus for natural hair products.
But I still struggled and hesitated to create an entire company around this new-found skill of mine.
I didn’t know if people were going to buy the products I created.
But I took a chance anyway and launched.
We grew quickly, but experienced some setbacks that made us re-evaluate our approach and reformulate our products.
We decided to rebrand as MoistureLove because we understand the #1 challenge for lovelies with natural hair is moisture.
And even though there are now tons of products, influencers, articles, and tutorials for women with textured hair on the market…
...it’s often overwhelming to sift through, or to even choose.
So even with an abundance of products and information at your fingertips…
Our goal is to solve your #1 hair problem by providing high quality products that are pH balanced to help your hair maintain its moisture and hydration for days on end.
That way you can fall so deeply in love with your hair that you become your OWN #HairGoals.
MoistureLove helps you experience a #HigherLove for yourself and your hair, so you can live your best life with hair that looks and feels great consistently.
Shop our collection today!