local storiesApril 24, 2023

Life & Work with Ebun Ekunwe

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ebun Ekunwe.

Ebun, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story beginLovelier Shea Butter is a result of two major factors. First was my concern that the incidence of cancer was rising, even extending to toddlers. While the higher incidence might be due to better diagnostic tools, I felt that there was something else going on and this was prior to the hair relaxer lawsuits suggesting that chemicals in hair straightening products could lead to uterine cancers. The fact that chemicals in beauty products could cross the skin/blood barrier was not new and that led me to considering a way to cut down of cancers resulting from beauty products. The solution was not rocket science; if we could find a way of providing 100% natural beauty and wellness products, people would no longer have to contend with the chemicals that carry the risks of cancers.

Enter Shea Butter, a natural body butter that West Africans have deployed for skin and hair care for centuries. The only problem was that shea butter by itself is tough to apply, requiring a lot of hand-warming to soften it before application. It also does not have a pleasant fragrance. To make products that customers would love to have and use would require some research and work.

Secondly, I have a family member who has been dressing her natural hair with a 100% natural shea butter preparation for years and has hair that is almost the envy of all. As time went on, I asked for permission to know her formula and Debbie readily gave her permission to use her formula as the basis for beautiful and wellness products.

Initial surveys revealed the greatest areas of need on which we should focus our research, including muscle and joint pains, dry skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis and dandruff. Of course, there was the ever-present and ubiquitous need for glossy hair and a smooth skin. After extensive research, I discovered that producing 100% natural and vegan items to address all these concerns was doable. At that point, my primary concern was to make the benefits of vegan, 100% natural beauty and wellness products available to as many people as possible and initially, I was tempted to start this as a non-profit organization but discovered the road to a non-profit was tougher and longer than starting a business.

That was the birth of Lovelier Shea Butter and I have been loving it, which is different from saying the company has been making money. But that is not a problem since I did not go into business for the sole purpose of making money. I believe that that will come as more and more people start to enjoy the silky-smooth feel of our products and the fact that, by purchasing Lovelier Shea Butter products, they are reducing their exposure to chemicals.

Steady growth has been our experience so far, particularly with the Lovelier Shea Butter products that address muscle and joint pains. We are almost embarrassed to confess we did not know that pain was so pervasive in the population until Lovelier Shea Laxara, Laxayo and RelaxMaxx started flying off the shelves. Other wellness products such as SkinJoy for dermatitis and dandruff, Callux for pedicures are also doing increasingly well as more and more people get to experience them.

Discerning men and women love our skincare products, Supple and Alexis for women and Alexan for men, moisturizing and hydrating creams that are silky soft and leave their skin feeling dewy. They had us wondering why they were buying these in multiples. It turned out their friends want to share and they don’t want to part with theirs. They end up buying several, some for themselves and others for their friends. Our hair growth product is the one that beat our expectations. Formulated for hair growth, it surprised us by restoring hair follicles to bald spots, as reported by one of our gentlemen clients. We renamed it Regrow for him.

At this time, we have a few LSB Associates who signed up to distribute Lovelier Shea Butter products but we are looking to spread the good news of Lovelier Shea Butter even wider. In addition, Lovelier Shea Butter has been contracted to produce party favors for weddings and would be glad to extend our customized services to birthdays and other celebrations.

As more and more people decide to go natural with the products to which they expose their skin and hair, Lovelier Shea Butter is bound to keep growing and we are excited about the future.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth road? Not even. Enjoyable? Absolutely.

I doubt that any road worth the name is ever smooth but the fact that I am involved in a worthwhile project, giving people access to health-promoting beauty and wellness products, makes it enjoyable. It often does not even seem like work because I love it so much.

The research was fun but the initial production was very problematic. At first, we made mistakes in the formulation and consequently suffered a considerable resource loss but that is part of arriving at a good place, as most business owners would tell you. Now that we have the right formulation and equipment, production is almost a breeze.

Marketing was also a challenge, especially as the various online marketplaces have such differing terms. We had to learn each one and even now, we have not mastered them all.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I started as a medical doctor fifty-two years ago, which is the primary source of my concern for letting people have access to natural products and avoid the risks of cancer that is often associated with chemicals.

After lecturing medical students in their final year of College for several years, I joined the United Nations (UNICEF) from where I retired almost two decades ago.

After that, I pastored a church in Phoenix, Arizona, not counting the church branch I started while I was still in service in Papua New Guinea. In this time also, I authored a few books, two on health and others on the Christian faith.

Put together, my faith and my medical career have put me in a great position to help people access health-promoting beauty and wellness products at affordable prices.

With Lovelier Shea Butter and similar companies, we no longer have to sacrifice our health for our beauty and I find that quite an exciting intersection of the various pathways of my life and career.

What makes you happy?
I enjoy helping people, which sometimes makes me appear a fool but I don’t mind at all. I would rather be a fool than a grouch.

I started to say that perhaps I was wired that way but that would not be accurate because I was not always so helpful. So, if I were to think why I am this way, I would have to say it is my Christian faith. I do it as unto the Lord, such that the recipient does not even have to acknowledge me.

God usually does that on their behalf, which is so much better anyway.

Pricing:

Alexan Men’s Skincare, $7.99
Alexis Skin Brightening Cream, 6.99
Supple Skin Softener, $6.99
Supreme & Regrow Hair Care creams, $6.99 each
Wellness Creams, $5.49 – $5.99

Contact Info:

Website: www.loveliershea.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loveliershea/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VeganAllNaturalBeauty/
Other: https://seller.walmart.com/home?utm_source=sfmc

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