Small Business Spotlight: Sisterhood of Natural Hair + WIN A Super Cute Headband!!!

I have a love-hate relationship with headbands. For one, my forehead is rather large, and at times it appears that headbands only accentuate said largeness. Two, it's rare that I find a headband that stays exactly where I put it for more than an hour without the assistance of bobby pins.

Enter: Sisterhood of Natural Hair. Founder Sarah Mukibi sent me two absolutely adorable headbands -- one to test drive and one to give away. I chose to test drive the red one, because I know ya'll would be ALL OVER the leopard one. It went a lil' something like this:

For the first time in a long time, I felt like a headband didn't make my forehead look larger than it already is. Two, the headband stayed on all day. Like all day, with no assist from bobby pins. Added bonus: it's almost like a bra strap that you can adjust around your hair...seriously. The material feels great, and I loved the red. It jazzed up my normally basic and boring bun. Every time I wear red, black, or grey (which is pretty often...I'm the queen of grey), chances are I've got this headband on....until it's workout time because well, I don't want to get it all yucky and sweaty.

Check out my interview with SNH founder and CEO Sarah Mukibi, and keep scrolling to find out how to WIN your very own SNH Headband featured above (leopard bow headband)!!!!

Tell me a little bit about yourself. Share some of your natural hair journey.

I started my natural hair journey in April 2010. It's been three years since I have been natural and I never knew that with being natural came freedom. I decided to go natural because I was tired of damaging my hair with relaxers and heat. Going natural has been one of the best decisions of my life and it has empowered me to do more/be more as a person. I started my journey with the “big chop” and as my hair started to grow I decided to lock it.

Where is Sisterhood of Natural Hair based?

It’s based in Maryland but most of our products are sold online and we do vending shows.

How did you come up with the concept of Sisterhood of Natural Hair?

One day in my sociology class my professor asked me why I wear my hair the way I do. He kept insisting that I was being rebellious against the system and told me that I will not be able to get a good job in corporate America. This hurt me but at the same time empowered me to reach out to other African American women who may be natural or considering going natural that it is okay if you choose not to covet and conform to European standards of beauty. 

What distinguishes Sisterhood of Natural Hair from other natural hair brands out there, whether large retail-chain or small? 

Sisterhood of Natural Hair is for African American women to be empowered, improve self-image and pathways for future generations to come. Through re-engineering the hair products African American Women use, we will also bring back the make-up that highlights the beauty of the African American women. SNH currently offers headbands that are specifically designed for African American women with natural hair. I started creating them because when I went into stores to find headbands for my hair some were so loose that I would have to double wrap them which would end up pulling my hair. Now I sell headbands that are very unique and adjustable that range between $5 and $7.

What is your favorite accessory, and why?

Our headbands because they are just the perfect fit and don’t cause headaches.

What is your most popular selling accessory?

Our black headbands because they go with anything!

Any new products or accessories on the horizon for Sisterhood of Natural Hair?

We are adding some new headbands to our line we already started selling sunflower and violet at different vending shows which have been doing pretty well.

The Mane Objective has nationwide readers. Are you or your products making any appearances at any meetups, or natural hair events anytime soon?

I feature different events that I attend on my social media sites so you can get updates from there.

Any transitioning or natural hair advice you'd like to leave with the readers? 

Sure, make sure that it is a decision that you want for yourself because becoming natural is literally a journey - you have ups and you have downs. Close family and friends will even ridicule you for your decision, but as long as you’re happy that’s all that matters and eventually you will start hearing compliments from them.