Coily, Wavy, Curly, Kinky, Straight. When we talk about different hair types and hair needs, what we’re really talking about is texture. We used to talk about hair predominantly along racial and ethnic lines, but that missed the mark and all but made discussions of texture diversity a non-sequitur, as hair texture within and across groups can vary widely. Thanks to an intrepid out-of-the-box celebrity stylist in the 90s, we now have the hair texture chart. It’s an infographic of hair types categorized on a spectrum from pin-straight to wavy to the ultra-textured 5c. It serves as a convenient short-hand for targeted hair care needs and styling best practices. As the hair care industry has been skewed to the 1st types on the chart for decades, a new generation of stylists and beauty entrepreneurs, mostly men and women of color, have made it their mission to diversify hair care brands to the same extent makeup brands have trail-blazed the expansion of inclusive shades.
While many hair care brands targeting the 3, 4, and 5 texture groups are priced affordably, Leona Dondi founded UZIMA, the first prestige hair care brand to bring clean, modern, multidimensional, scalp and strand care to textured hair. UZIMA, which means ‘Full of Life’ in Swahili, was born out of Dondi’s personal struggles as a woman of color with 5c hair after an immersive encounter with K-Beauty on a trip to Seoul. The recently launched luxury brand was designed to educate and empower those with coily, kinky, & curly hair with skin care-level ingredients. Infused with active ingredients inspired by Leona’s Kenyan roots and her background in cosmetic biotech, UZIMA products are safe, sustainable, and formulated with effective botanicals to help coily, kinky, & curly hair thrive.
The collection, comprising four highly curated skin care-grade botanical-based formulations, is dedicated to repairing, maintaining, and nurturing the scalp microbiome: a hair essence, a leave-in conditioner, a scalp serum, and a nourishing hair oil.
The hair essence, USAWA, which means ‘balance’ in Swahili, is a multi-purpose product that brilliantly pays off the skin care-inspired system, and as far as I know, one-of-a-kind. In a base of rose and fermented rice waters, this delightful, lightweight floral-fragranced spritz can be used pre-shampoo and before styling from scalp to ends. Chock-full of hair health powerhouse ingredients, biotin, panthenol, rice protein, and hyaluronic acid, it offers full hair detoxification and revitalization without greasiness. Definitely splurge-worthy.
A scalp-centric line wouldn’t be complete without a targeted, holy grail treatmentto deeply nourish hair follicles. The UKUAJI – ‘growth’ in Swahili – high-tech serum fuses turmeric stem cells, plant growth factors, keratin, peppermint, and a CBD alternative to combat inflammation and turbocharge hair growth. It’s such a superb, refreshing formulation I was tempted to try it on my face.
With a prepped and primed scalp, the next key step for textured hair is UNYEVU, ‘moisture’ in Swahili. This leave-in conditioner combines bio-actives, botanicals including ginseng, baobab, and several other artisanally sourced omega-rich oils for the long-lasting hydration needed to fight frizz and define curls. Its creamy texture is quickly absorbed by thirsty strands and lends itself to several uses, post-shampoo, post-styling, whenever moisture is needed, even as an overnight treatment or additional nourishment for the scalp to stop breakage.
Nashati, the namesake of the nourishing oil, ‘energy/power’ in Swahili is a highly beneficial if not essential step for textured hair. With a blend of lilac leaf cells, shea butter, and fatty acids that approximate natural sebum, this finishing product is designed to protect hair from the elements, energize the hair bulb, and maintain hair growth. Nashati oil completes the 4 step process with a light powdery scent that will leave any texture of hair feeling like it’s on Cloud 9.
In this second installment of my Q&A series with female entrepreneurs in the beautysphere, I chatted with UZIMA CEO and founder Leona Dondi about diversity, clean beauty, and her hands-on approach to ensuring the quality of her sustainable brand.
Q: There’s no official designation for clean beauty – how do you define it personally and as an entrepreneur?
A: Clean beauty to me is using a blend of natural and manmade ingredients to achieve efficacy while being healthy for people and gentle on the environment. For UZIMA it’s about using ingredients that come from renewable sources, that don’t accumulate in the environment, and are less wasteful in production.
I personally don’t like the ingredient denigration that is rampant in clean beauty today because I believe it confuses and scares consumers. All ingredients approved for cosmetic use are safe to use at approved levels, but depending on your ethos, you’ll prioritize some things over others. We prioritize renewability as we look to a future where we won’t be so reliant on fossil fuels, so we focus on ingredients that take little to no inputs from the fossil fuel industry to make and look for alternatives that don’t use fossil fuel inputs at all.
Renewability also applies to natural ingredients too, so we source carefully to make sure that we are not competing with food or depleting those resources with our choices. Even with our careful sourcing choices, efficacy is still the name of the game, and sometimes synthetics win, for example in styling. We’re transparent about our choices and at the end of the day, we know our customer wants a product that works, is healthy for them to use, and makes them feel good.
Q: Describe the moment when you first opened and tried your first, officially launched, product.
A: I make, fill, and package my products myself currently, so I didn’t have a surprise moment unfortunately, but receiving the packaging from my vendors was one of the most magical moments for me. Until then, I had only seen these designs digitally. Holding the physical packaging, feeling its texture, and envisioning my customers’ reactions upon unboxing their orders brought everything to life. It was real and it was very exciting.
Q: Was your line born out of frustration with commercial skin care lines, the medical establishment, and dermatologists? Or were you motivated to address a specific need not addressed by most brands?
A: I initially delved into cosmetic formulation due to my own struggle with persistent dry skin and the lack of effective solutions on the market. My journey took a turn toward hair care when I developed an allergy to castor oil. This led me to create UZIMA, a brand inspired by the realization that existing products largely neglect scalp care. Both market analyses and personal conversations with women who have textured hair revealed a significant gap: there were no effective products focused on maintaining a healthy scalp to prevent irritation and promote robust hair growth. This insight became the cornerstone for developing UZIMA’s targeted, scalp-centric approach.
Q: What product in your line are you most proud of? Describe the genesis of the product.
A: Our hero product UKUAJI Blooming Serum. Like all our products, this serum is a multitasker. Consider it a barrier serum specifically designed for your scalp, setting the stage for optimal hair growth. It’s an all-encompassing solution that hydrates, fortifies the scalp’s microbiome, balances oil levels, and provides antioxidants to guard against environmental damage. Additionally, it helps alleviate and prevent itchiness, strengthens hair follicles, and enhances hair anchorage, leading to reduced hair loss and increased density. What sets this serum apart from other scalp products on the market is its unique formulation. It’s an emulsion, rather than a simple mix of water and alcohol or a purely oil-based solution. This hybrid approach allows the serum to deliver the benefits of both worlds, resulting in a more effective product overall. I created this serum to address the scalp issues I was having that ultimately led to some hair loss. When I tried the serums on the market, the ones with alcohol dried my scalp even more and increased irritation, and the purely oil-based serums did nothing to keep my scalp hydrated. I wanted to make a product that would solve both of these issues at once with the additional help of clinically proven skin care actives that helped me regain the health of my hair and scalp.
Q: What are your top 3 favorite ingredients, sources, and/or methods of extraction for clean ingredients?
A: My absolute number one love is Nilotica Shea butter from Kenya. It’s creamy, rich, and loaded with Vitamins E and A, which are game-changers for skin health. Using it feels like a treat every time. Coming in close second is Snow Mushroom. Think of it as hyaluronic acid but with some extra perks, like anti-inflammatory properties and pollution protection. It’s an awesome hydrator and does wonders for frizz control in hair. Next, is fermented rice. I’ve got a soft spot for anything fermented because it’s like giving these ingredients superpowers. Fermenting rice amps up key elements like B vitamins, starch, and lactic acid, making it a powerhouse for hydrating and strengthening both your scalp and hair. When it comes to how we source our ingredients, I love ingredients that are upcycled and farmed vertically indoors. Both of these methods, along with fermentation, are easier on the planet. They either reuse what’s already out there or use minimal resources and have lower land use. This way, we’re not just treating ourselves with top-notch products, but we’re also being kinder to the environment. That’s the win-win I love to see.
Q: In the future, do you think brands made for and by people of color will be necessary? Why?
A: In the future, the ideal scenario would be that products automatically resonate with us, thanks in part to inclusive narratives in marketing. One reason people of color are inclined to support brands founded by individuals who share their ethnic background is that it serves as a shortcut to knowing the product will likely meet their specific needs. When products don’t reflect our identity, either online or on physical store shelves, it sends a message that our unique requirements have not been considered in their design or formulation.
Although African hair and skin have basic functions similar to those of other ethnic groups, there are unique challenges that often go unaddressed by mainstream products. These challenges could range from more severe hyperpigmentation due to higher melanin content, to drier scalps, fragile hair prone to breakage, and specific styling practices that can lead to conditions like traction alopecia. Products that do not acknowledge and address these unique traits are unlikely to be effective for us.
For a future where products feel intuitively designed for everyone, inclusivity needs to be prioritized at every stage of product development. This means that from the team that creates the product, the initial market research to formulation, and from efficacy testing to marketing campaigns, the process should be inclusive of a diverse range of consumers. Designing products with this level of inclusivity not only serves a broader community but can also offer solutions that may benefit everyone. For instance, a product designed to combat dryness in African hair may also serve as an excellent solution for someone dealing with dry hair due to color treatment or heat damage. Ultimately, inclusivity in product design and marketing enriches the consumer experience for all, and that should be the goal we’re all striving for.
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Read Part 1 in the “Female Founders Q&A” series with the Glowbar CEO HERE.
Read Part 3 in the “Female Founders Q&A” series with the Kinship CEO HERE.
Read Part 4 in the “Female Founders Q&A” series with the Raw Sugar Living CEO HERE.
Read Part 5 in the “Female Founders Q&A” series with the Alchimie Forever CEO HERE.
