Courtney Adeleye Is back With A New Haircare Line

Source: Courtesy of Watch & Sea

Almost 15 years ago, registered nurse Courtney Adeleye captured the attention of millions with her astonishing hair transformation. The Michigan native became intrigued by the natural hair sprouting from her roots while growing out her relaxer. “My mom put a relaxer on my hair when I was 10. And as I started getting older, I put a color in my hair, and I shortly learned that color and relaxers don’t mix,” Adeleye stated. “So, I decided to lay off the relaxer, which was the first time in my life to see if I could nurse my hair back to health. But what I started seeing was the texture of my new growth, and the rest of my hair looked like night and day.”

After becoming fascinated by her natural hair texture, Adeleye entertained going all-natural. Like other Black women making that transition, she was used to her hair being trained by relaxers, but she knew that to achieve her healthiest hair, she had to let the chemicals go. “I’d never seen my true texture. And I was like, ‘Wow, it looks stronger. What would happen if my entire head?’ Like, this actually looks really healthy. But I can’t manage it as easy as I could the relaxed hair.”

Courtney Adeleye Takes Natural to a New Level

In comes the kitchen beautician phase, where Adeleye began to mix natural concoctions to make her natural tresses more manageable. The hair influencer took to her YouTube channel to document her growth process using natural kitchen products, and her hair began to flourish. “At the time, I didn’t see anything on the market that could nourish my hair. So, I was like my own science project. That’s when I took to YouTube to literally document my journey. I was not interested in followers and things of that nature. But I thought it was a cool way to document my progress,” Adeleye reminisced.

Soon thereafter, Adeleye’s follower count grew, and she discovered that women were dealing with the same natural hair issues – a lack of nourishing products. Her natural blends helped so many women transform their hair that she was prompted to create a haircare line – The Mane Choice. The CEO garnered significant success with her products, which became a staple in households and retail stores. After a six-year hiatus and selling her initial company, the hair guru is back with a groundbreaking haircare line, The Flourishing Collection, as part of her brand Watch & Sea Beauty.

Source: Courtesy of Watch & Sea

I caught up with the mogul to discuss her entrepreneurial journey, new line, and Target partnership. I also received some valuable hair tips that I am excited to try on my upcoming wash day. Get into our interview below to learn how Adeleye is taking the hair industry by storm and how you can achieve nourished hair from the comfort of your home.

Courtney Adeleye Talks New Haircare Line Watch & Sea Beauty

HelloBeautiful: So, your hair industry journey began with you documenting how you used natural products to care for your hair on YouTube?

Courtney Adeleye: That’s how it started. It was out of a passion of me being curious. I wanted to share what I was going through. And to find other people, especially women, who were going through the same thing was really like an outlet for me.

HB: Which natural products did you use?

CA: I used black strap molasses in my hair because it makes your hair super strong. I was literally mixing like a mad scientist. I posted an “Ultimate Deep Conditioner” video, which went viral. I remember these ladies reaching out, and they were like, ‘Courtney, you know, we’re not trying to tell you how to run your life. But I did mix what you told me to mix, and it’s absolutely amazing.’ And then they said, ‘I really don’t have time to mix products like this. I know this is your passion, but if you can bottle it, we would love to buy it.’

HB: This is when The Mane Choice was born.

CA: I started with one product, that one deep conditioner. I remember just getting some bottles and the ingredients, and I started my company with $500. I didn’t even have a website. I just told people. So, with $500, I made 10 bottles. I remember going on Instagram and telling people it was available. And one product sold, two products sold. By the end of the week, those 10 were sold.

HB: What are your top few healthy hair care tips?

CA: Deep conditioner is the foundation of our hair regimen. And that was the one thing that people were not doing. I always tell people hair is like a sponge. If you have one dry sponge and one wet sponge and clean up a s spill, the dry one will clean up more water than the already wet one. So, I put the deep conditioner on my dry hair, which instantly starts transitioning.

HB: Any more hair tips?

CA: So, I created this method called the baggy method. What I would do is put some deep conditioner and a favorite oil in a bowl. I would mix that together really well. Then, I would put that on the ends of my hair. I would take a little bag, like a little Ziploc bag, and then I would put it on my ends and put a rubber band around it. This actually helps to preserve and mend your ends.

HB: Tell me about your Watch & Sea beauty line. How is your line different from others on the market?

CA: Fortunately, I’ve had some extra time over the last few years. I love to research and just to see what is the latest. One thing I came across was bioavailable minerals. They’re nutrients that are in a form that the body can easily absorb and utilize. This is your calcium and magnesium, but we’re getting it from the seaweed, the sea kelp, and the algae. We are taking these ingredients from the sea, but we’re doing it because you can see those results a lot quicker. They penetrate more effectively. They are infused into your scalp, hair follicles, and even your skin because we use them in all of our products, our body, and skin products. I fell so much in love with the ingredients that I decided to build a whole brand around them.

Watch & Sea is Coming to Target

HB: And now you’re in Target!

CA: Yes! I’m making history as the first African American woman to make a comeback after having their company acquired and then come back with a national mass brand in retail. So, it’s a dream come true. I’m excited, and what makes me even more excited is that my customers are excited. 

Watch & Sea will be in Target stores on February 2nd. Click here to learn more about the brand.

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