Naturalicious.net Giveaway and Interview with owner, Gwen!

As I mentioned in the video, I had a great opportunity to try a product from Naturalicious.net. Although my experience with the product wasn't pleasant, my experience ordering from the site and working with the site's creator, Gwen was amazing! If you would like to enter the giveaway, find the details below the interview!

Please tell us a little bit about yourself! Where are you from? Do you have another occupation besides your businesses?

I'm a married mother of a little boy who just turned one year old earlier this month. I hail from Cleveland, OH, but now live in metro-Detroit. I love it here! By day, I am an advertising executive. Im a foodie, a traveler and I love all things creative, artistic, and positive.

How long have you been natural?

My last relaxer was in April 2010 - right before I found out I was pregnant. My son is the reason I went natural. Women are advised to stay relaxer-free while pregnant; and I actually didn't plan to keep it going after he was born. But my hair was sooo much healthier, prettier and fuller that I decided this was a road worth traveling. I love my hair! Best decision ever!

What was your reasoning for starting the boutique?

People would always say, "Your hair is gorgeous, what products do you use?" Or, "I wish I had hair like yours". I would always make sure to tell them that good ingredients are key to healthy hair. I am ALL about using products that allow your hair to thrive and flourish. Bad ingredients (i.e. sulfates, glycols, cones, mineral oils, some alcohols, etc.) will stagnate growth and the overall health of natural hair.

I was literally on the phone with my best girlfriend one day talking about this topic when I said, "It was be great if there was one central location where naturals could purchase products and be confident in knowing each and every product was one that had the best ingredients for their hair. And what if they could ask styling or product-specific questions and get an informed response?" That was my ah-ha moment. I immediately went home and starting writing down my vision and started working toward opening my store. As I began researching product lines and brands, I also began to think about the different needs women with natural hair have, outside of just products to use in their hair. This is why Naturalicious also sells the best quality 100% satin pillow cases, along with natural hair-inspired earrings. We naturals LOVE to accessorize with our earrings! Whenever I consider carrying a certain product or accessory line, I always think if it's something I would use and if it's best for my hair. If it's not something I'd use personally in my hair because of inferior ingredients, it doesn't end up on the Naturalicious.net site.

I love that people can search for products by their hair type, by their favorite brand and even by the type of product they're interested in. I always encourage naturals to email me at naturalicioushair@gmail.com. We answer all natural hair-related questions from first person experience - you don't even have to be a customer. If you want to know which products we carry that would give you the best twist out, we've got answer for you. If you're interested in finding out which products are best for transitioners, we've got you on that too.

I love you that you encourage women to ask questions via email about products related to specific hairstyles before they make their purchase. I don’t know of any other online store/bouqtique that offers that! Do you have any other services that sets you apart from other online stores that sells natural hair related products and merchandise?

Thanks! Yes, we do have a few other services that we offer.

We ship every order out the very next day after the order is placed.  It doesn't matter if we have 20 orders to ship or 1 order. No one likes waiting forever for their package to arrive and we are very conscientious of that. We also include free order tracking with every order. A lot of online retailers charge extra for this service, but we include it as a complimentary service to our customers.

Also, we include free samples with every order. Buying natural products is often a trial and error process of discovering what works best for our various unique textures. Who doesn't love getting samples to try out? So we make sure every order include a couple that our customers can give a test run to see how they like them.

How did you go about choosing what brands you sold on the site? I know you mentioned ingredients, but were there any other factors?

All-in-all I make sure the brand generally adheres to the integrity of what natural hair needs. There are a lot of "drug store brands" that have labels that read "All Natural"...then you turn it around and read the ingredients only to find a bunch of stuff you can't pronounce. That's not natural at all. Being a marketing exec by day, I am aware of how a good marketing campaign influences consumers to purchase things they are being told are good for them, when the product is anything but good. "100% All Natural" is one of the terms marketers use. Natural hair is becoming a very large market for companies to tap into and everyone wants a piece of the pie. Now, whether they are being completely truthful with their claims is another story. You won't find any brands that make such false claims on Naturalicious.net. We are all about advancing the natural hair movement and providing our customers with the knowledge needed to make the best decisions for their hair, which is another reason we encourage people to email us with questions.

What is your favorite brand on your site? 

My favorite brand has to be Aubrey Organics. I discovered it on a whim and used it for most of the duration of my transition (13 months total). Even now, after my BC, I still use it religiously. The ingredients are superb and they make a line for every hair type. I even use it on my 12-month-old's hair. He's also natural, you know. :) Personally, I use the White Camellia Ultra Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner. Once a week, I sit in the steam room at my gym and deep condition with their GPB Protein Balancing Conditioner after my workout. Aubrey Organics also makes a line for swimmers, which is fabulous and completely gets the chlorine out of the hair with no harsh chemical ingredients. My son has been swimming since he was 3 months old and I use the Swimmer's Shampoo and Conditioner on his hair every week. He has a head full of gorgeous, natural curls.

What advice would you give to a newly natural when choosing a product for their hair?
There are a few things I'd advise.

1. Email us at naturalicioushair@gmail.com for advice. No question is off limits. We'll be happy to help!

2. Review the ingredients in the product and Google them to be sure they are safe and healthy for your hair. Remember the first few ingredients are what is mostly in the product, so stay away from sulfates, mineral oils, gylcols, anything that ends in 'cone' (i.e. dimenticone), SD alcohol, etc. Over time, you will begin to know which ingredients are great and which ones are terrible. It will become second nature, almost.

3. Check out YouTube for reviews. YouTube is absolutely fabulous for getting first hand accounts from naturals just like you. Just type in the product name plus 'review' and see what others are saying about it. (But make sure the person review has a similar-looking texture to yours. All products don't work the same on every hair texture.)

GIVEAWAY

The winner of this giveaway will win one product of their choice from Naturalicious.net and also receive free shipping. To enter, you must be subscribed to my website, like Naturalicious.net on Facebook and also leave a comment below stating what you like about Naturalicious.net's site. Please also leave your email address as well. This giveaway will be open for one week and close on Sunday, 11:59 EST.

Thanks so much Gwen for sponsoring this giveaway. Good luck to everyone who enters!