HU Grad Students Behind Affordable, Natural Beauty Line

The transition from relaxed to natural hair can be frustrating and often hair products that cater to the transforming hair texture either don't work or they just don't fit the budget.

Two Howard University graduate students, Jerilyn Johnson and Ashley Robertson went through the same experience with their hair, which inspired them to create an affordable hairline product called Afiya.

Johnson and Robertson said their company is a small business specializing in handmade shea butter products. The handmade body butters, hair butters, body sprays, and soaps are all carefully formulated with the best ingredients available to cleanse, nourish, moisturize and pamper a woman's skin, Robertson said.

 "In our dedication to being an ethically sound company we use Fair Trade Shea Butter, which means that we pay a higher price for shea butter so that the women producing it are able to earn a fair wage.," Robertson said.  "And we also use Fair Trade Cocoa Butter so that we can make sure that we're not apart of the exploitation of women."

Like many small businesses, Afiya, LLC began as an experiment in 2009. The two young entrepreneurs used their small kitchen in Philadelphia. 

In February 2010, they founded Afiya4You and sold products to friends, family, local markets, trade shows and conferences.

The line was inspired by Robertson's concern for her own skin and affordable prices for skincare. She suffers from eczema, a chronic skin disorder that involves scaly and itchy rashes, blistering and peeling of the skin. She created herbal eczema butter, which is now a part of the Afiya bath and body line. The line also includes body butter, toning body polish, facial toner, face butter and wash and a moisturizing mudd mask. 

The products are similar to Afroveda, Shea Moisture, Carol's Daughter, and Miss Jessie's, other natural skin and beauty product lines. In regards to price they aren't much cheaper than Afroveda and Shea Moisture with prices between $10 and $15. 

But, Afiya is more affordable than Carol's Daughter and Miss Jessie's pricey products which can cost up to $22 for a single item.

Afiya offers a variety of hair products, each in a variety of different fragrances including hair oil, leave-in conditioner, lock and twist gel, hair butter and moisturizing shampoo.

Cashawn Thompson, a resident of Washington and founder of Dirty Pretty Thangs, a blog geared towards African American women, gave kudos to Afiya products.

"After applying the Lemongrass and Lavender Exfoliating Dead Sea Mudd Mask, washing with the Lemongrass and Lavender Facial Toner and moisturizing with the Lemongrass and Lavender Facial Butter, my skin felt and looked amazing," Thompson said.

Natural hair blogger,Adeea Rogers, known as Trendy Socialite said the papaya scent oil and butter are divine. In her review of the essential hair oil and the healthy hair butter she recommends both products for any hair texture, the oil for a deep condition and the butter as an everyday sealer.

Afiya isn't only for women seeking affordable organic products, but men can use the products too.  Its men's line offers three products that help men obtain healthy hair and skin.

Afiya, LLC started like many other hair and body businesses – online. Products can be purchased from Afiya's online store  and G Fortune Studio Spa in Atlanta.