Today we’d like to introduce you to Umaar and Sharon Williams-Askia.
Nappily Naturals was founded by husband and wife team, Umaar Askia and Sharon Williams-Askia in the fall of 2018, after realizing that there wasn’t enough culturally inspired NATURAL beauty and health stores in their community.
“We knew that there were a plethora of chemically-made products that has impacted the black community adversely by contributing to hair and skin issues, such as eczema, psoriasis, hair loss and more, so we decided it was time to step up and that change.”
The black community have forgotten how to care for their own hair and we want them to fall in love with their natural mane all over again, so we decided to bring a full-service beauty wellness center to Leimert Park by offering organic, plant-based and herbal formulas that support holistic health and beauty lifestyles that will combat certain issues that has become ubiquitous throughout black communities all over the world. We want to make them easily accessible, healthy and of course, effective.
So we started sourcing the highest quality ingredients, environmentally and ethically responsible and started creating formulas that will promote better skin appearance, hair growth (for all hair types), retain necessary moisture and just overall educate the client so when they leave with the products, they will know exactly how to care for their hair at home.
Great, 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?
Developing a viable Strategic marketing plan to targeting customer base and most important, finding and keeping good employees.
Nappily Naturals & Apothecary – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
“We are a wellness shop and healing space open to all. We now offer holistic herbal remedies, both externally and internally, meaning we have added another component to promoting a healthy lifestyle, and that’s our herbal apothecary side that consists of medicinal loose herbs and teas that may be used to reverse many illnesses we face today, along with organic body care, waste-free goods, crystals, candles, incense, plants, books, and more to support a complete wellness and healing journey.”
We blend organic and food grade ingredients with therapeutic grade essential oils selected for their aromatic qualities and medicinal properties.
We strive towards “usafi” (Swahili for purity), a concept in African philosophy which refers to healthy, nutritious and clean products which purify the body.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Working with Good Seed an LA bases non-profit seeking to provide supportive, nurturing and specialized care for homeless young people in Los Angeles.
We developed an entrepreneur product pack to assist the youth in earning and creating positive income.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4342 Degnan Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90008 - Website: www.nappilynaturals.com
- Phone: 323-903-6655
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @nappilynaturals
- Facebook: @nappilynaturals
Image Credit:
Photography by: Zarian H.
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