Natural Hair Shield: Bruna’s Ecommerce Journey from Lockdown Experiment to Thriving Brand

And I keep working and one piece of advice that I will always give my friends, my family, and anyone, the listeners right now, is that you don't have to do everything in one day. You don't have to figure it all out now. You just have to do something each day that will take you towards the journey that you're trying to go.

Welcome back to another exciting episode of Struck Bits Unplugged. Today, I have the opportunity to speak with Bruna. She's the founder of Natural Hair Shield, a brand she launched in 2020 during her final year of university.

As she launched in 2020 during her final year of university, starting as a personal experiment, it's now a successful line with over 15 natural hair products. Alongside this, Bruna works as a forensic mental health support officer combining her skills in mental health and entrepreneurship. Welcome Bruna and thank you for joining in.

Hi Faisal, thank you for having me today. Amazing, amazing. I've been excited to talk to you and I think it's good to tell people that we wanted to record this video two weeks back, but Bruna had a dental appointment.

Suddenly dental appointment and we had to cancel everything. 10 minutes before the show when I was sitting ready like this and Bruna is like, I cannot talk. 

I apologize Faisal, I had a root canal done. So one side of my cheek was like numb and like out here and I wouldn't feel my confident self and you probably wouldn't even understand anything that I say. So here I am today, my best self, I'm ready. 

I understand, no problem, no problem. Things happen for some good reasons, that's what I believe. 

I agree. 

I would like to start with, I would like you to share a bit about your background and how Natural Hair Shield came to be and what was your initial inspiration? 

So this is a very kind of sensitive topic for me because when people ask me like, I have this business now, it's established and it's doing really well and I've expanded in so many different ways. I offer different services and to think now where I am, myself in 2020 would not believe how far I've come. So I was actually at university. I was in my last year of university and obviously there was COVID. So there was lockdown, I had to do my studies from home. So no study in the present lecture room or anything, no physical support from teachers. It was a very stressful period for me but thank God I got through it. So during that time, my hair was really damaged. Nothing like how it looks today, very healthy and it never used to look like that. I used to bleach my hair, I used to dye my hair, I used to straighten my hair and that completely damaged my natural curly defined hair. So I started researching. Obviously, I'm spending a lot of time at home. I started researching online natural remedies to grow my hair, to strengthen my hair and I came across just random videos on YouTube and I started to make these products for myself. 

You're talking about 2020, right? 

Yeah, all of this is in 2020. That year just felt like it was a very slow year. Like so much happened in just that year. 

It was insane. Like I started making the first batch to give out for free in May 2020. So yeah and then by the end of the year, I was selling that one product only and I had got it like lab tested. I registered to actually sell it online like legally and I was just selling that one product and everyone was giving me amazing feedback and with all the feedback and everything, I finally got the courage to actually make a page on Instagram. What was that product name and what was specific that product? Could you tell about that product as well? That product is called the Natural Hair Shield Treatment Spray and it's a bunch of herbs infused in pure distilled water and then obviously, I would separate the herbs from the water and you only use the liquids without the herbs in it. So just the liquid and when I started, I made that liquid and with product formulation, it's trial and error. 

You will make... Before you get the perfect product, you've made so many samples and my first batch was like trial and error. Very overwhelming, very discouraging but once I start something, I have to finish it. I can't give up halfway. 

I can't give up at the beginning. I can't give up at any stage. If I've started it, I trust that God has given me the idea that God has given me whatever it is that I just need to keep doing it and I will figure it out somewhere down the line.

 So yeah, it was a treatment spray. It was water-based, something you kind of just shake and you just spray all over your hair and kind of leave it overnight. It didn't have a great smell and that was one thing I was really working on changing because I wanted it to be something that people felt comfortable to even go outside wearing. 

Exactly. So when I started it, it was pretty much that discomfort of that. I wasn't really confident in the smell of the product but as it's a treatment, I marketed it as an overnight treatment.

 So you kind of just spray it all over your hair, kind of brush it into your hair and you just put a cap, go to bed. When you wake up the next morning, you rinse it out or you wash your hair and that was the product. You can use it as many times as you want in the week.

 

It's 100% natural, not harmful or anything. So you can leave it for as long as you want. You can leave it overnight.

 You can leave it for three days, however long you want it. There's no harm in the product. But yeah, I no longer sell that product anymore.

I'll be honest. What was the reason for not selling it? That's one question and then I also want to know that when you started inventing these, you used to experiment it on your own self first and... Yes, of course. Myself, my mum, my immediate family before I gave it to friends and other people.

Yeah, so before I even started selling them, I was actually giving them free. So you can make a meal for someone and give it to someone for free. You don't need any legal certificates to just give your family or your friends a container of food you've cooked. 

That was kind of what I was doing. It was free. I wasn't charging anyone and it was immediate friends and family. 

It wasn't anyone outside of my day-to-day circle. So I was giving them out for free and there was over 15 people testing the products, over 10, over 20 at one point. So many people within one household, everyone was using it.

So yeah, I definitely got the products trialed with different people because if I was just to test it on myself and my mum, for example, the results wouldn't be accurate because we have similar hair textures. So I had to kind of expand like curly hair, kinky hair, afro hair and even Caucasian, like straight hair. So I had to test it on different types of hair to kind of understand what market I was going for.

Amazing, amazing. I was saying that since we are talking about the background, I know that you have studied criminology and psychology as well, I believe. So how did you end up studying these two subjects and then coming to Natural Hair Shade? Like these are so different to each other, like Natural Hair Shade here, criminology, psychology here. 

If I tell you a story about me, I think anyone listening would think, this woman is insane. I've just all my life been changing my mind on what I want to be and what I want to do. When I was in school, I did business studies. 

When I went to college, I did travel and tourism. When I went to university, it's like... Faisal, I've been so indecisive and finally I'm at the age where I kind of know what I want to do and I'm enjoying what I'm doing and I'm kind of just not lost anymore. But I believe a lot of my teenage years, I was kind of just figuring out what I like to do and who I am before I actually figured out who I am today.

It took a long process, you know. So I decided to study criminology, psychology in university because I used to watch a lot of CSI and I wanted to be a crime scene investigator. However, university is a... It can be a bit challenging because if you stick to one course, it kind of closes some windows, some options for you when you go out and go into the real world and find a job. 

So I thought instead of just studying criminology, let me add something that kind of makes it two courses in one. So I studied criminology with psychology. And trust me, Bruna, since my childhood, anything which I see in the market which labels itself as natural, it's always expensive.

 

Because everyone, you know, as the world is developing, everyone wants natural things because natural things are reducing in the world. In the planet, you know, everything is being processed. So we want to eat natural things now.

We want to, you know, have everything natural and it's getting rare. So if you are really putting up, you know, so much energy and efforts to make something natural, I think it's nothing. You should maybe charge more, Bruna.

That's what I'm trying to tell you. Indirectly increase your prices. A lot of people have told me that.

A lot of people have told me that. And potentially, maybe in the future, I will. But it's just a journey, I guess.

And the ingredients, natural ingredients are very, very expensive. Yeah, you know, you can get these different chemicals. Let's say, for example, you want to smooth, like you want like something that makes your hair silky.

You can either go for like silicone. Silicone is a product that you can buy and you can put your products and that will really give your hair that silky touch. But me personally, I wouldn't want to put silicone in my products. 

Not that it's like the worst product in the world, but I believe there's natural alternatives that you can put instead of putting silicone. And yeah, so it just depends on the business, the brand, their mission, what their intention is behind their products and the results they want, the feedback. And yeah, I try to focus my products on the natural side of it.

As you can see, my slogan, my logo is natural hair shield. So it's natural and I try to keep it that way, you know. You were showing us your handbook, I believe.

It was a manual or something. I would like to see it. Yeah, so I created a manual.

Amazing. Yes, I created a manual that I will be giving out to my students. It will be available to purchase separately without purchasing the course.

But everyone that buys a course will receive this manual. And this manual is everything about formulating. So the formulates in nature and it's basically a comprehensive guide to skincare and hair care science.

Amazing. By the way, I love your designs. All the labels, product designs, they were amazing.

I designed all of them by myself. Amazing. I like your website as well.

I think you hired a very good company to design it. What was its name, by the way? I was waiting for you. So I've been very grateful. 

Someone was calling it called Struckbiz or someone. I've been so grateful. Honestly, you guys have always been at my disposal and always there when I need any support with technicals everything to do with online.

You guys are always my go-to and I appreciate you guys always for creating a beautiful web, very well-functioned website for me. Thank you. Thank you very much.

That's what Struckbiz mission and vision is for all the clients around the world. Coming back to the natural hair shield, starting a business is never easy. We both agree on this.

I'm very sure. And especially during a pandemic. So what challenges did you face and how did you get yourself motivated? My motivation is always my family.

My motivation is always my mom, my baby brother. My mom raised me as a single mom and I've never gone without anything. I've always had everything I needed.

Potentially everything I wanted. I've always... My motivation is my family always. So that definitely keeps me going.

And I have God. I have God. And when you have God, you have everything.

He gives you the strength. He gives you the tools to just keep walking. He gives you the tools, the strength to just keep walking. 

And when you feel low, when you feel tired, when you feel burnt out, when you lose hope, you just need to remember how far you've come. You need to look back. Obviously, it's not always good to look back.

 You have to always focus on the front. But in times of doubt, in times of fear, you should always look back in how far you've come. Where you started and where you are now.

And it would be such a shame for you to give up if you've come this far. The next chapter isn't so far. You're closer to the next chapter than you are from the past chapter.

So keeping myself going has always been... I've always been very, very, very hard working. I've always been very determined. I've always been very motivated.

And as I am a human, so there are days where things feel like they're not going your way and you feel discouraged and you feel in doubt. But I always turn to my faith. I always turn to God.

He always gives me the confidence and the reassurance that I need to just keep walking. Even if I don't know where I'm going, I just keep looking forward and I keep working. And one piece of advice that I will always give my friends, my family and anyone, the listeners right now, is that you don't have to do everything in one day.

You don't have to figure it all out now. You just have to do something each day that will take you towards the journey that you're trying to go. Amazing.

 

And the thing which you said that you were improving yourself in the things when you said that, I like to do things which I'm good at. I want to do it myself. But you're learning to dedicate that task now because I feel like when I started Struck Biz, there was everything I used to do.

 I was the administration person. I was the HR person. I was the project manager.

 I was the CEO as well. I was doing everything. But now I have all the departments.

 And let's talk about fundraising. So are you planning for fundraising? As far as I remember, we were discussing about your pitch deck a few months back. So what are your plans? Like, do you think you're ready to give up some equity of natural hair shield to someone who invest in your company or something? So I did get like a, I would say a small investment, but that was from my father. 

So I fortunately didn't have to give up anything from my business. But all I did was take that money. And I have used it to improve in certain aspects of the business and working on the course, as you know, and I'm doing all the things behind the scene.

I don't really like to give away too much about what I'm going to do in the future. I like to do more than I like to speak because I just think it's important to protect certain things. So I think I've given away enough to say that I am going to, I'm doing wholesale. 

I'm going to do a course which isn't even out yet, but I've already shared that. And yeah, and eventually, very shortly, very soon, I will no longer be doing my products from my home. So yeah, but in terms of giving equity out, I know that at some point it's something that I will be willing to do, but I don't just want to do it just to anyone.

 I don't want to do it for exchange of money. I wouldn't want to give a percentage of my business for money because money runs out. And I've now given away a part of my business that holds weight.

And my business can become anything in the future, can be a multi-billion business. And I've now given someone a percentage of my business for however much I needed in that time when it's worth so much more. So ideally, if I was to sell a percentage of my business and give that away to someone, I would want it to be someone who is passionate about what I do, someone who can also add to the business, not just financially, but knowledge, experience, and ideas, and a partner, like, you know, a partner and someone who will not just invest financially, but invest into the business physically, emotionally, and make it easier for me, not just take away from me, but add to the business, if that makes sense. 

Value is more important than money over here because value doesn't run out, but money runs out. And thank you very much for giving us time. And especially our viewers or community, thank you for tuning in into this episode of Struck Bits Unplugged.

 If you have enjoyed it, don't forget to subscribe and hit that like button and follow us for more inspiring stories. Thanks again and until next time. One of the biggest hurdles is not having a co-founder.

 A technical co-founder, maybe?