Shelley Campbell was a self-described product junkie.
When she decided to go natural a few years ago, she became frustrated by the constant revolving door of products. Each time she would find a product that would work for her, the formula would change or it would disappear from the shelves altogether.
So Campbell decided to make her own line of products and realize a life-long dream.
“I said ‘These are the ingredients I like,” Campbell said. “I wanted to know how I could mix them together to make them better.”
With the help of a chemist at a lab, she launched Kinky-Curly.com, a line of styling products for curly, kinky, frizzy textured hair, in 2003.
They sat down together and tested products. She wanted the products to be as natural as possible, with hair-friendly ingredients such as aloe vera, jojoba oil and wild cherry bark.
“It was a learning experience for both of us,” Campbell says of the product development process.
Her first product was the popular Jojoba Jelly, followed by the Gloss Pomade and the Spiral Spritz. As her knowledge grew and she learned more about natural products — and got more feedback from customers — she came out with her Curling Custard and Knot Today, a leave-in conditioner. All of the products are water- based, without the heavy, greasy ingredients found in some ethnic hair products.
“I want to keep my focus on styling,” Campbell said.
Kinky-Curly is a natural evolution for Campbell. She grew up in Far Rockaway, N.Y. where every other shop was a beauty supply store. She was always telling her friends about the latest, hottest products. “I’ve been reading ingredients as long as I can remember,” Campbell says.
Growing up, her thick curly hair was relaxed for most of her life. After letting her hair grow long, she decided to go natural, growing out the relaxed hair rather than opting for ‘the big chop.’ The entire process took a year and a half, during which she wore her hair in twist-out styles to blend the natural and relaxed textures.
Because of her own experience, she says she can relate to the goals of other women with highly textured hair. She believes natural hair is beautiful hair, and with the right products and styling techniques, it can flourish and grow to great lengths.
‘As my knowledge has grown, I wanted something that would truly benefit the hair,’ Campbell said. ‘I wanted to create a system that gave people specific results.’
