Step into the world of science, research, and health with co-founders Anne Cheatham, MSN CRNA, and Christine Martey-Ochola, PHD who are on a mission to create healthy and well-nourished hair with NUELE . These organic and natural products were created without harsh chemical relaxers or keratin treatments to help improve manageability and hair growth. They launched in March 2020 with just one product – the Hair Serum – which became an instant hit, and soon after launched the Hydrating Hair Mask, Brow Serum, and Nighttime Scalp Serum.
NUELE products are 100% natural and organic, sustainable, Fair Trade, and free of Phthalates, Parabens, Sulfates, Synthetics, and Artificial Fragrances. Additionally, the brand uses ingredients that are responsibly sourced from Ghana and Morocco to help drive the local economy. As a brand looking to set a new standard for clean beauty the 100% natural and organic products include rich ingredients like shea, jojoba oil, clary sage, baobab oil, and black currant oil. We chatted with Christine to learn more about the science behind NUELE and the benefits the products have on textured hair.
How did you and your founder’s background in biochemistry influence how you approach creating a new hair care line?
We did a lot of research in the cancer field and in the health field and have always been very interested in identifying various ways in which people are exposed to substances that are not good for their health. You know, sense improves the way people navigate hair care, especially from a healthy perspective. We’ve brought together our research background and our interest in health into hair and how do we ensure that as we move forward, we continue to put the health of anyone who’s using the world from from center?
What would you say inspired you to create not only an inorganic but natural hair care line?
When you buy a product that’s stated as being organic, but it’s 100% organic often at least within our U.S. market if you have products for 75%. We wanted to be able to distinguish ourselves in that regard. We can mitigate inflammation and reactions to ingredients that our body is not familiar with and we decided to lean into natural because there’s a higher probability that at least our bodies have been exposed to these natural products in some shape or form. It’s really the intention around being as clean as both organic and natural are great options for users who are looking for these types of products.
How does using a scientific method to formulate your products make them better than what’s currently on the market?
A key factor is really trying to understand how natural products work together outside of working together from a chemical perspective, and how we interact with our hair. We’ve spent years studying not only the science behind the ingredients we use but also how they interact with one another and then interact with our scalp. That scientific method around identifying what would work well in what type of capacity, in what concentration, why should we make products that are more highly concentrated than others? People are looking for products that they’re buying that are natural and yet the market is oversaturated with products stating they are organic. I suppose they wanna put this product that was organic from natural but it just doesn’t seem to perform as maybe all the synthetic ones out there. The science for us is really around saying how we get to a point where we can still authentically use organic and natural ingredients that perform.
Can you discuss and share the everyday activities or processes that are happening for natural hair that damage hair bonds?
Some of them naturally occur from activities would be things as insufficient hydration which interferes with the strength of our hair. Hydration is a critical component but there’s that component of ingesting the water but also ensuring that our products have hydration components to them. Other things that interfere with our hair would be things like blow drying without protecting your hair because the heat causes bonds to break using chemicals that are straighteners. When our hair strand is optimized that way there’s less chance of breakage when we pull our hair, when we brush our hair. How do you get our hair to a point where when we pull metal brush it, we’re not losing too much? Part of why we end up losing a lot of hair is our bonds. It might be that would either use products that interrupt the strength of our hair or maybe they’re just lifestyle things that we’re doing. People use very, very strong shampoos, right? We’ve really been playing with and working towards just building products that will allow for those bonds that are the most important to increase hair integrity so that we can have healthy hair.
What has been a hallmark moment in your entrepreneurial journey so far?
I would say for us it’s having our customers come back to us with the feedback that “You know my hair is better because of your products or I continue to buy your products because I’m literally seeing that without them my hair just does not get the nourishment that it needs.” To be able to get that validation from people who are using our products authentically with others is significant validation for me. When I think about what it takes to make natural products and still arrive at that performance level for people who maybe have have gotten a little concerned about. Can we actually find value in these types of products from a performance perspective? That’s critical for us.
What product do you recommend for first-time users?
I would recommend the Shampoo and Conditioner, and Nuele Hair Serum Combo. If a person has curly dry hair, I would recommend the Detangler and Shea Moisturizer combo.
Will there be any additional launches or products this year?
We plan on launching an eyelash serum later this year.
Check out: 20 Black Owned Natural Hair Products To Add To Your Regimen
