cScrubs

cScrubs Co-Founded by Troy Duncan and Celina Mziray

Summer is here we all need smooth skin to go with our bikinis and shorts! I have tried many exfoliators and cScrubs is by far the best. cScrubs was co-founded by Troy Duncan and Celina Mziray. It was an honor to interview with Duncan and learn more about one of my favorite beauty brands.

KAY KAY: How would you describe cScrubs?

Duncan: cScrubs are all natural coffee scrubs that target a long list of skin imperfections. cScrubs does all of this while exfoliating, hydrating and moisturizing your skin!

KAY KAY: What was your background before you opened cScrubs? 

Duncan: Sales and marketing.

KAY KAY: What was the hardest part about launching cScrubs?

Duncan: Perfecting the recipes took some trial and error until we were satisfied with the product. So, product development was not easy.

KAY KAY: Where do you see cScrubs in the future?

Duncan: In the future, cScrubs will be available online around the world and on the shelves of pharmacies, natural health stores, yoga studios, gyms, and numerous other retail chains.

KAY KAY: What do you love the most about cScrubs?

Duncan: The results!  The results are truly incredible and we stand by our slogan, “It’s Messy…But it Works!”

KAY KAY: What made you want to launch cScrubs?

Duncan:  We saw numerous other scrubs and exfoliators out there that were very plain packaged with nothing fun or exciting about them.  We did not re-invent the wheel but we definitely made it better and we offer a premium product.

KAY KAY: How did you come up with the name cScrubs?

Duncan: First of all, coffee starts with the letter “C.” Secondly, each name of the scrub (Chuck, Carl, Cooper, and Chase) starts with the letter “C.” Also, Celina’s name starts with a “C” and she is one is a co-founder of cScrubs. Lots of C’s!

KAY KAY: What advice would you give to future entrepreneurs?

Duncan: Everything takes work.  Nothing meaningful comes easy.  You get what you put into anything in life.

Actress Vanessa Morgan (My Babysitter’s a Vampire, Finding Carter, Riverdale, and The Shannara Chronicles) uses cScrubs to maintain her gorgeous skin.

Photos of Vanessa Morgan and cScrubs merchandise: Property of cScrubs

Monique Little: You Go Natural

Natural is Beautiful

Back in high school, I was the queen of headbands. Now, as an adult, I have found a more grown up and fashion-forward alternative to headbands. Monique Little is the founder of You Go Natural. You Go Natural offers a collection of hair accessories that helps people care for their mane in a stylish manner.

KAY KAY: How would you describe your hair care routine?

Little: Being a busy entrepreneur and mom of a toddler, I find it hard to fit a steady hair care routine into my schedule.  I do my best to keep my hair clean, protected and moisturized. I avoid as much manipulation as possible by wearing braided styles and headwraps.

KAY KAY: How would you describe You Go Natural?

Little: YGN sells hair accessories designed to make life with natural hair easier. Our products focus on protecting your hair in ease, elegance, and style.

KAY KAY: What was your background before you opened You Go Natural?

Little: I have a BA in Economics, and worked in the corporate environment for several years.

KAY KAY: What made you want to launch You Go Natural and how did you get started launching You Go Natural?

Little: I have been wearing my natural hair for over fifteen years, so I have watched the natural hair movement grow with wonder and excitement. While I think it is beautiful that women of color are finally learning to embrace their natural hair texture, I also think it can sometimes be discouraging that caring for our hair can become so complicated. Between regimens, rules, and tutorials, taking care of your hair can feel like an unnecessary hassle. I had been stewing on an idea for innovative natural hair accessories for quite some time, and actually reserved the domain name years ago. After years of the thought just nagging at me, I finally decided to go for it and began designing the wraps as our first product. I put the very first design on my Instagram page and asked my followers if they would be interested. The response was so great, so I knew I had to make it a reality.

KAY KAY: What was the hardest part about launching You Go Natural?

Little: The most difficult part was managing the sudden growth of the company on a limited budget. At one point, I was still working full time, while filling all orders myself, with my little home sewing machine. I was even packing orders and shipping them on my lunch break in the car!

KAY KAY: Where do you see yourself and You Go Natural in the next five years?

Little:  I would love to see YGN continue to grow. The natural hair care market is one that really excites me because of the movement of self-love and self-care that drives it. I have so many ideas for innovations that can help make natural hair care easier, and I would love to be able to introduce them to the market.

KAY KAY: What do you love the most about You Go Natural?

Little: I love seeing women get excited about our product and share their beautiful photos wearing the wraps. I really launched this because I believe hair care should be just as easy for women with curly and kinky hair as it is for women with straight hair. I love being part of the movement that brings those innovations to the community.

KAY KAY: What advice would you give to future entrepreneurs?

Little: Do not let the fact that you might not have all of the answers prevent you from being an entrepreneur. All entrepreneurs (even the accomplished ones) are still figuring things out. Just take your first step (no matter how small that is) and then let the next step follow.

KAY KAY: How did you come up with the name You Go Natural?

Little:  Funny. YGN started with just a corny play on words. Like “You go, girl!” I thought to myself “You go, natural!” I thought it was cute so I went with it!

Photos of Little: Property of You Go Natural

Photos of the Models: Photos taken by Jaio Photography

Kheris Rogers: #FlexinInHerComplexion

What were you doing when you were ten? When I was ten, I was playing with dolls and eating ice-cream sandwiches. I certainly was not like Kheris Rogers. Rogers is confident and… an entrepreneur!!!! Yes, Rogers is a ten-year-old business mogul! Rogers created, Flexin’ In My Complexion which promotes feeling amazing in the skin one is in.  Kay Kay’s Way thanks Rogers and her sister Taylor Pollard for agreeing to share this heartwarming and inspiring story with us and our readers.

KAY KAY: How would you describe Flexin’ In My Complexion?

Rogers: “Flexin’ In My Complexion” means being proud of your skin, no matter what shade you are.

KAY KAY: What made you want to launch Flexin’ In My Complexion and how did you get started launching your company?

Rogers: Originally, I had a picture go viral on Twitter. My sister posted my picture using the hashtag #FlexinInHerComplexion. Then, I was interviewed by Buzzfeed and CBS because they were interested in my story of how I learned to “flex in my complexion.” After doing those interviews, a lot of people began reaching out to me to tell me how they had similar colorism experiences growing up or were still facing colorism today. This inspired me to launch my company because I wanted to help others feel confident in their skin. This is also why we chose such a bold font on our shirts. Our message of inspiring people to flex in their complexion is just as bold as our shirts.

KAY KAY: What was the hardest part about launching Flexin’ In My Complexion?

Rogers: When you are motivated to do something, you just do it. The hardest part about starting something is definitely pushing yourself to start. But, once you get started you will be fine.

KAY KAY: Where do you see yourself and Flexin’ In My Complexion in the next five years?

Rogers: In the next five years, I hope to see “Flexin’In My Complexion” in stores. I hope to continue to inspire people to become comfortable in their skin and let them know that there is beauty in their melanin.

KAY KAY: What do you love the most about Flexin’ In My Complexion?

Rogers: What I love most about “Flexin’ In My Complexion” is that it has allowed me to have my own business at the age of ten. Even though the profits are going to a savings account for my college education, the thought of having my own business is exciting!

KAY KAY: What advice would you give to future entrepreneurs?

Rogers: I would tell future entrepreneurs to just get up and do it. Stop making excuses as to why you can’t take a chance on yourself.

Photos of Rogers: Photos taken by Taylor Pollard.