NATURE lover Sherelle ‘Asherlee’ Curtis has found a way to successfully incorporate elements of Mother Earth into hair products so that they transform dry and damaged natural hair, while moisturising and replenishing texturised hair.

Curtis, owner of Asherlee Naturals, says the innovation started in 2009 after she cut off her processed tresses and returned to natural.

The process was a struggle, she said, as it was difficult to find a product that worked effectively.

“I started it out of a love that I had for hair,” Curtis told the Jamaica Observer.

“I noticed that there weren’t a lot of natural hair products in Jamaica, so I made the products and used them on myself. I got a lot of compliments about my hair, [then] I started giving some of the products to people,” the 26-year-old recalled.

The Asherlee Naturals product line includes a moisturising herbal black shampoo, a deep repair ultra moisturising conditioner, a provitamin B5 and marshmallow leave-in cream, a nourishing daily hair butter, leave-in spritz, a loc love butter, an aloe vera and honey hot oil treatment, a detangling spray, a hair butter sealant and a scalp and hair growth serum.

Operating from her home off Molynes Road, Curtis and her husband are the geniuses behind the Asherlee product line, from conception to the shelves.

They maintain that love is the main ingredient, which is infused with locally sourced products such as coconut oil, honey, rosemary, orange, apple cider vinegar, aloe vera, mango butter, olive oil, among others.

“The black soap shampoo is made from different herbs such as chamomile, honey, aloe vera, nettle and sage, which is good for the scalp and also moisturises. It’s also sulphate-free so you don’t have to worry about your hair being dry after using it,” Curtis explained.

The leave-in conditioner, also infused with herbs, is applied after shampooing and can be used daily to revive dull hair. The hot oil treatment prevents dryness, breakage and damage, and gives great results if used before shampooing, while the nourishing hair butter and deep conditioner are moisturisers made up of shea butter and mango butter, also used to strengthen the hair.

The products have Facebook fans raving.

“Since using Asherlee Naturals (my hair) is sooooo much better! Significantly less breakage and the texture is better. It feels and looks healthy,” says one post under the name Roshelle.

“I’m obsessed with the butter, my hair loves it,” Roshelle continued.

Another post, by Elizabeth Hill, exclaimed: “I really love these products. I believe in them. I’ve seen them work wonders in my hair in a short time. I only wish I could convince Sherelle to come to the dark side for a little and create a relaxer.”

According to Curtis, the shampoo, ‘leave-in’ conditioner and the moisturising conditioner have been the favourites so far on the market. Priced between $700 and $1,150, the products can be found at Earthy Elements, Beautiful Earth Haven and Divine Living Essentials in Montego Bay.

With sales figures steadily increasing, the entrepreneur is also eyeing the export market and already sells to clients overseas, but only on a small scale.

“My dream for Asherlee Naturals is to be known in households,” she said. “I want it to be a Jamaican-based brand where once you hear the name you know what the brand is about [and] the quality of our products.”

In addition to the 10 products already on the market, Curtis has another innovation on the way — the hair mask.

“There are few masks that can be used in your hair. The one that I’m looking into is hair clay. It’s a detox and conditioning mask that adds different ingredients that would allow for moisturising of the hair,” she explained.

Curtis, an Ardenne High past student, said she uses Jamaican ingredients in her products for two reasons: to develop a local connection between the products and her customers, and to avoid the high cost of importing foreign products.

She is a full-time career developer at the Heart Trust/NTA, but she balances work with the business by spending weekends and after-work hours improving her products and dreams of making Asherlee Naturals an international brand.

See part five in the series in Caribbean Business Report this Friday, August 15.