What began as an experiment in Sherene St. Juste’s kitchen at her Connecticut home in 2013 has developed into Justeliving Naturals, a natural and authentic hair and skin product line for the Caribbean-American market. Her son’s eczema and inability to find products suitable for her hair type inspired the 43-year-old Jamaican expatriate to create a line of healthy products for her family.
After extensive research on nourishing, healing, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and hypoallergenic ingredients, Sherene found a list of ingredients that worked just as well for her hair. It gave her hair moisturizing and softening properties while promoting its growth, and was also safe for all skin types, including sensitive skin like her son’s.
In no time, Sherene noticed a significant difference in the texture of her family’s hair and skin. Soon, others saw it too and wanted to know how they could purchase her products.
Though her items were made for her family, Sherene decided to extend them to those in the Caribbean-American community who also struggled to find what worked for their hair and skin. That was the birth of Justeliving Naturals. With just US$500 as her capital, she was able to purchase her jars and ingredients and begin her production process.
“I thought it was important to provide products for black and brown people and people with curly hair because there are a lot of products on the market. A lot of times, the products on the market are not for our hair,” she said.
She added that while healthy hair and skin products do exist on the market, the products needed are based on an individual’s hair texture, which varies, making it harder to find the most suitable item.
“For some of the other races, they don’t need some of the products we do. On the other hand, we need all the products that will give us moisture. We need oils, butter, and other products to keep our hair healthy. So, it’s really for those with curly hair and rougher textured hair in the black and brown community,” she said.
Though she was in a marketable business, Sherene decided to develop a competitive edge for her brand and tapped into her niche-customizing her items. She not only wanted to meet the expectations of her clients, but she also saw it as a way to assist them in saving money by providing exactly what they needed.
“I wanted my customers to be able to purchase products that work for them. I also hate to waste money, so giving customers the ability to customize what they buy is actually my way of eliminating waste and saving the customer money.”
The popularity of natural hair in today’s society has influenced many women to embrace their natural beauty. Sherene, on the other hand, believes that some women still struggle to understand their hair type and what works best for them.
“Being natural is now very popular, but a lot of times they (people) don’t know what their hair needs, how their health plays a huge part, what kind of hair they have, and how they can achieve their hair goals, whether that be stronger hair, fuller hair, longer hair or growing back their edges or bald spots.”
As a result, she decided to provide consultation sessions to help her customers learn about their hair type and, if requested, offer customized products for them in addition to making recommendations.
“I gather data from my clients and then help make suggestions on diet, products to use, and might even suggest seeing a physician. A consultation is very important when starting the journey of having natural hair and can also be helpful to give the desired results.”
While her skill at customizing products slowly blossomed into a viable business, the entrepreneur was faced with financial challenges. Also, she found it challenging to encourage new customers to trust her brand.
Though she was able to make a few sales, she was not getting the expected results.
“Honestly, my expectation was that we were going to go far. I knew I had a great niche, but for a period of time, there were times when our sales were very low. There were weeks when I didn’t get a sale, and that left me with some doubts.”
Despite her difficulties, she was confident that her business could flourish once she focused on her competitive advantage. The dedicated entrepreneur was willing to go to any length to ensure her company’s success, including enrolling in marketing classes. This skill she developed was critical to the rapid expansion of Justeliving Naturals.
“I decided to finish my education and take a lot of marketing classes that would help my business, and in the process, I said I’ll let the business sit and if a sale comes in, it comes in. Lo and behold, I was still getting sales from returning customers and new customers that were being told by my returning customers,” she said proudly.
“The business kind of took off on its own, making me feel like maybe it does have a chance,” she added jokingly.
Today, Justeliving Naturals offers a wide range of hair and skin products ranging from facial serums, facial wash, moisturizers, growth oils, and hair butter to body scrubs and exfoliating polish. Her service surpasses Connecticut, meeting the demands of clients in various states in the US and the Caribbean. The business which started in a little kitchen has branched off into a reputable company.
Sherene St. Juste also shared her vision of expanding her business by partnering with health food stores and hair salons in Connecticut.
“We’re currently working to expand our brand by reaching out to health food stores or salons to see if they’re interested in carrying our brand in their store.”
However, her ultimate dream is to open physical locations of her business and offer other services so that her customers can see the products in person and test them before making any purchase.
“We’re actually looking for next year to have a brick-and-mortar, having an actual store where customers can come in and see our products. Our five to ten-year plan is to have more stores, at least five stores. One will be a hair salon, and another one would be a health shop, with healthy snacks and a juice bar. I also plan to have a photo studio and hair supply stores that would carry my brand.”
The story of Justeliving Naturals continues to develop as more research is conducted to identify other components with similar properties to add to the list of healthy ingredients, resulting in the development of new products.
