empower women around the world to “Learn, Love and Grow” their hair.
As a mother, it is extremely important to me to create a brand that is full of integrity, that’s honest and that’s committed to creating high-quality products with natural ingredients that people can trust for themselves and their families.
As a young girl of color, growing up in Brooklyn NY, I didn’t know that I could become a Ph.D. level Scientist or own my own beauty brand because I wasn’t exposed to Ph.D. Scientist or beauty Brand CEOs that looked like me and were from my similar background. Coming from that experience and knowing that within the STEM fields there is a severe lack of diversity, I want Alodia to signify a brand that has an active social mission of empowering and inspiring young people that are interested in STEM fields through mentorship and partnerships with non-profit organizations.
BDO: With all the colors, latest styles, and straighteners out there, it may be hard to actually know what “healthy” is and looks like. What is healthy hair to you?
ICH: Healthy hair is hair that is not dry and breaking, that’s doesn’t have signs of traction alopecia or thinning, that doesn’t have split ends, that has a natural healthy sheen and that has a clean balanced scalp that is not itchy, flaking or irritated.
BDO: If you could single out one ingredient or process, what is the absolute worst thing to use on black hair types?
ICH: For the process, I would say women that use high tension styles (such as sew-ins, tight braids, tight faux locs etc.) for extended periods of time. This is causing an epidemic of traction and scarring alopecia with black women.
For ingredients, there are so many, if I had to group them I would say any ingredient that causes