Modern Day Madame C.J. 

While many young black women have recently made the decision to transition their hair back to its natural state, Victoria Adesanmi, a junior studying Industrial Design has taken it a step further, by making her own natural hair care products.

Adesanmi has not always had natural hair. In fact, she did not begin her natural hair journey until coming to N.C. State. “I have only been natural for one and a half, going on two years,” said Adesanmi. Like many African American women, before transitioning her hair back to natural, she wore it chemically relaxed, or straightened.

“When I came to college, my hair started breaking off and I began to wear braids for a while,” said Adesanmi. According to her, it was while she was wearing braids that she really began to “embrace the texture” of her natural hair. She wore braids and other transition styles, such as twists for about six months, before she decided to do the Big Chop. However, even after conquering the Big Chop, Adesanmi continued to wear braids.  “I continued to wear braids until I was comfortable, and my hair reached a certain length, [then I] began to wear my natural hair out.”

For naturalistas, figuring out the best products to use on their hair is not an easy process. The decision was no easier for Adesanmi. She knew that she wanted to use products she could trust, so to simplify the process, she decided to make her own hair care products.

“When I first began to wear my hair out, I began to make my own products such as conditioners and a cream for my twist outs. I wanted to use only natural products for my hair and I thought the best way to do this was to create hair products myself,” said Adesanmi.

After making the decision to create her own hair care products, Adesanmi began researching ingredients, and the rest was history. For people who are just beginning the natural hair transition or are considering making their own hair care products she says, “It’s very hard to find the right product that works for you. Even [being] natural for almost two years, I’m still searching for the best products that work for my hair. Things that used to work on my hair no longer do, and I’m learning I don’t like to make my hair products as often anymore, because it does take time. However, along the way I’ve learned what my hair does and does not like.”

Adesanmi’s tips do not only speak to ladies with natural hair. Relaxed, weaved, braided, loc’d men and women can all use products geared toward natural hair as well. There is no discrimination. According to Adesanmi, the only thing required of creating one’s own hair care products is patience.

“It takes a while to find the right products that work for you, but be patient and be willing to try new things,” said Adesanmi. “CurlBox is a delivery service, which allows subscribers to try new natural hair product samples for only $20 a month. Check out YouTube, as it is a great resource to learn about natural hair regimens and styles. If you are looking to use only natural hair care products for your hair, Whole Foods and Trader Joes usually has almost everything you need.”