NaturallyCurly: Introduce yourself and your company!
Kelly Foreman: My name is Kelly Foreman. I believe we are all created beautifully, and my company is MopTop Hair. My mission is inspiring millions to discover confidence and natural beauty one frizzy head at a time!
NC: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and how you got started in the hair care business?
KF: I grew up with some LOVELY nick-names like Fuzzy, Brillo, MopTop and Poodle. When my middle daughter turned two, I realized she was going to have my hair, and I was devastated! It was fine for me to “deal with my hair,” but I could NOT allow my daughter to go through what I did growing up!
I have been scarred by REALLY BAD haircuts. I ask, why would ANY STYLIST think “that” hair cut looks good? REALLY?! I set out trying to find the “Holy Grail” and simplify my life. At the time, I used 12 different products a day and was constantly buying anything else that looked promising. One day, I spilled one of the products on my counter-top and had a terrible time getting it off. It scared me to think about how it must be staying in my hair and on my scalp! I also had realized that my hair was not really “working right “ anymore. I was having some hair loss and breakage too.
I dove in, researching everything under the sun — books, internet, chemistry 101, etc. After interviewing about 200 stylists, I realized that the problem was sulfates, traditional silicones, alcohol & waxes. Then I went straight to my kitchen and started mixing things up myself. They were curl defining and moisturizing, but smelled awful, so I got some help. Your skin is your largest organ, and it’s important to take care of it, which is why we use natural ingredients. I wanted my hair to feel soft to the touch, the way hair SHOULD feel. I also wanted movement, like in those hair commercials where the woman runs her hand behind her long luscious hair and it’s like a flowing curtain! I WANTED that, and I now have that. My hair is soft to the touch, and yet it has curl definition, hold and a nice natural sheen. Aloe is the oldest best moisturizer, then sea botanicals [for coating] and honey [for moisture again] The best part, and what makes it all work, is that all of these ingredients are water soluble!
NC: How do you wear your hair? Natural? Curly?
KF: Naturally curly, just the way I was created!
NC: Can you tell me about your curly hair story?
KF: My motivation is the girls out there with frizzy hair. We do Frizz Interventions where we do an event, usually in a salon, that carries our products. We invite clients to come in and learn how to manage their gorgeous texture! We teach them how to properly cleanse, condition and style. There are so many wonderful stories of people with all textures, all ages and all ethnicities…hair is hair! My favorite part is guiding people. There was a sweet teen girl, who was told by other kids when se was 13 that her hair was “Blank ugly” and that she had a hawk nose. When we finished teaching her, she looked in the mirror for the first time and said, “Oh, I look beautiful!” She had never felt beautiful before. She walked out the door two feet taller, and it was NOT because her hair was two feet taller. It was because her spirit was!
I could do this every day and NEVER get tired of it. I wish I could draw, so I could show everyone what picture I see in my head before we create it. Every head is different and so beautiful! I am the luckiest woman in the WORLD!
NC: Let’s talk a bit about the line/products. Can you tell me about it, it’s ingredients etc.?
KF: I’m an ingredient geek! We are sulfate free and we use a surfactant from cocoa nut. Our shampoo is a low sudsing shampoo, and almost our entire line is paraben free. I am in the process of removing it from the last product. We do not use alcohols in any styling products because they are too drying! We use two water soluble silicones in our Leave-it in Conditioner, and it took me almost two years to get to the chemist that makes these ingredients! The Leave-it-in totally ROCKs for detangling ALL hair types! The bases of everything are aloe, sea botanicals and honey.
NC: Who was your product line developed for?
KF: Our products were developed for all hair types, all ages and all ethnicities! We have one shampoo, three levels of conditioners and four different stylers. We have an oil, a cream and a few others in development!
NC: How do your products work for curlies? What results can they expect?
KF: If you use the right amount of product for your hair type, you will have hair that is SOFT to the touch with MOVEMENT. If you are looking for stiff and a “producty” feel, that’s NOT us.
NC: Do you have any tips for women who are considering going natural or new curlies?
KF:
- Growth: I have been growing my hair for 13 years! I have the Rapunzel complex until my emotional hair cut scars are healed! I have found that eating healthy, exercising (I run five days a week for 30 minutes”>, taking vitamins and using NATURAL products all help with hair growth. NOTE: traditional silicones can build-up and clog the follicle, leaving you with thinning hair that breaks more easily!
- Frizz: Traditional silicones work like a moisture block. Remember when we used to wax floors and would get that yellow gross build-up? Well, that happens with traditional silicones too. Get a good clarifier (I’m working on one!”> and occasionally clean that off your scalp and hair. Silicones work like laminates and prevent your hair from getting the necessary moisture you need to reduce frizz!
- Styling: Apply gel to wet hair, by sections, scrunch, then do NOT touch it until it is 80% dry. Release the “set” the first time after it is 80% dry, then let it dry completely and scrunch and touch all you want. If you do NOT apply enough product and/or if you touch it before it has had enough time to set, it will frizz out on you. Voila! You are left with hair that is soft to the touch!
- Moisture: Leave in a good amount of conditioner. Your hair should feel slick, but you shouldn’t have so much in your hair that it looks “milky” in your hand. Slick or slimy and clear on your hands. Once you balance the moisture in your hair, you will actually use less product. Lay off the heat! Sometimes this one is hard for me when I’m rushing to get out the door and don’t want to leave with wet hair, so I will turn up the heat on my diffuser.
- Length: Do get the necessary trims to keep your ends looking and performing well! Silicone build-up is a huge issue for breakage. It took me a while to figure this one out. Heat stressed hair will also break more easily. Your hair is most fragile when its wet, so be gentle!
NC: Do you have a “suggested style” or a “featured style” to use wear with these products? What’s one of your favorite looks to do with your products? Can you tell us how to get this look with your products?
KF: My favorite is second and third day hair! Because of the time saver (I’ve got three kids and millions more to reach!”> I take an empty spray bottle and put one part gel or leave-in and three parts water. I do my version of the pineapple at night and sleep on a satin pillow case. then I go do my work-out in the morning (not the hard workout”> and take a quick shower without wetting my hair. I then use the spray bottle to saturate the frizzy areas, use the Herbal Detangler & Refresher spray scrunch and go!
NC: Tell us where we can connect with your brand.
KF: FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/MopTopHaircare
Twitter: @MopTopHair
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/moptophair
www.moptophair.com
NC: Where are your products available?
KF: MopTopHair.com and Shop.NaturallyCurly.com. You can also check out our site for local salons that carry our products.
