When I started making lotions and creams I wasn't trying to start a business, just a way to make my hair feel healthier instead of feeling like straw. It all started in 1999 when I cut off all my hair--or rather what was left of it. Sacrilege!

One day in 1998, I noticed that my hair was beginning to break off, so I decided to pull it back into a ponytail. Wearing a ponytail had always been my alternative 'do on bad hair days and other times when I just could not deal with my hair. Only this time, the ponytail didn't help. My hair kept breaking off. Next, I turned to a ton of hair gel to slick back my wayward strands, but that didn't work either. Finally, in desperation, I combined a million black bobby pins and hair gel to keep my hair in place, but to no avail. Within a few months most of my hair had broken off, except for the top. I looked a little like a chubby Woody Woodpecker with freckles.

I believe my hair fell out for several reasons: the stress of my mother's illness, my own negligence, my stressful job as a graphic designer and bad hairstylists. The combination of all these things over several years led me to think about what I could do to make my hair healthy again.

I finally decided to start styling my own hair when a trip to the hair salon ended up turning my hair green. It seems the stylist didn't rinse the perm out properly. When nothing I tried worked to restore my hair, i.e. deep conditioning treatments and hot oil treatments, I sought the help of an expert. I went to a dermatologist who said it was probably my improper use of a home perm, permanent hair color and conditioning that was destroying my hair. To save it, he recommended that I cut it all off and give it a six-month rest or get braids. At first, I decided to wait six months before perming it again. Cool.

But then I changed my mind and decided to cut my hair off. I decided to go to a natural hair salon. Ironically, the next available date was on Christmas Eve 1999. I remember sitting in the chair and spending about five or ten minutes taking the black bobby pins, about 40 or so, out of my hair. Not a good look. I was a little embarrassed by my reflection in the mirror, but not for long.

After the barber finished cutting and shaping my hair I saw a lovely short 'fro that enhanced my natural waves and framed my face beautifully. This haircut showed the real me without any hair color or perm. I soon discovered I had this really cool white hair just like my grandmother and great-grandmother. And then, presto, in just 20 minutes I had changed me. I felt free.

While I loved my new 'do, conditioning it wasn't as fun. My hair texture felt like a doll's. It was shiny, but dry and brittle. Any oil that I used just stayed on top, like an oil slick. I spent the next few months looking for a shampoo that would make it feel more soft and natural. Nothing worked. This was because the shampoos contained chemicals and additives that were not good for my hair. I needed products that would keep the moisture in my hair.

In 2001, I put my concern for my hair on the back burner. In the spring I gave birth to my son. I left my dream job as an Art Director to take care of my son full-time. I decided to work freelance instead. In the fall,I went back to school to get a degree in Web design. I took a work-study job that left me with lots of free time. Now I was able to concentrate on my hair again. The shampoos that I loved were too expensive so I started researching on the internet to find hair recipes.

I started experimenting with ingredients, most of which I had on hand. After a few weeks, I was very surprised to find that the recipes were easy to make and my hair started to feel better. Over the next few months I tried different recipes and noticed more changes. My hair gradually got softer and started to look darker and shinier. Now that I was no longer coloring my hair my natural color returned and my grey hair was a brilliant shade of white.

Once I developed a shampoo recipe that I liked and worked well on my hair, I started giving it to friends. They loved the fresh smell of the pure essential oils that I blended and how well the mixture lathered. Shortly after in January 2005?, I made my first sale that totaled $50. Not bad for a novice.