— Our Story —
Chocolate Kinks & Kurls is a brand founded on love and responsibility.
I'm Juanita Henderson, founder of Chocolate Kinks & Kurls and The Kurl Koach.
Being a mom of 4 is my greatest accomplishment — 2 boys and 2 girls. I always knew I wanted to keep my daughters' hair natural, so I did. Although I wasn't natural myself, I was always intentional about telling Nayla and Alaira how beautiful their hair was. I affirmed them and taught them how to affirm themselves as well.
Little did I know, that wasn't enough. One afternoon while preparing to go to my salon appointment, Nayla came into the bathroom and asked me the question that would change the course of my life.
"Mom, if you didn't get your hair done, would your hair look like mine?"
I immediately felt guilty. I responded that yes, it would likely be similar to hers.
Nayla's heartbreaking, but honest, response? "Well, I don't believe you anymore when you say my hair is beautiful. If you thought that, you would wear your hair like mine."
That day, I realized that I had to do more than speak words of affirmation, I had to be a direct reflection of what I was teaching my daughters. I transitioned for 7 months and on October 24th, 2012, I did the Big Chop!
The Timeline
In November 2012, I started out as an Independent Retailer with an aisle in our locally Black-Owned Pharmacy, where I was Senior Pharmacy Tech. The response was phenomenal! So many women were looking for support and products!
In July 2013, I opened a Natural Hair Care Boutique, where the focus was educating women on healthy natural hair care. I offered everything from product consultations to 1-on-1 Kurl Koaching sessions and live events called Kurl Talks. These services have always been a part of the Chocolate Kinks & Kurls brand and will continue to be.
Finally, in 2016 I took the leap! With the encouragement of my daughters and the support of my customers, I released the Chocolate Kinks & Kurls hair care line. Chocolate Kinks & Kurls is here to support our customers on their journey to healthy natural hair, our goal is to have women and young girls with textured hair see a reflection of themselves in the Chocolate Kinks & Kurls brand.
I'm so happy to have you here learning our story, and I'd love to have you as a customer! And if you're already a customer, thank you for your support!