A F R O C H I C K M A G A Z I N E | Vol. 1 (December 2013) | Page 6

AFROCHICK|MAGAZINE6

UP CLOSE &
PERSONAL
AFROCHICK Business Interview |
Daphne Wills, Owner: Herbal Nature

When did you decide to start your own natural hair care
business and how long have you been in business? My
intent wasn’t to start a business. I was merely trying to find a
natural solution to regrow my hair after hair loss from years
of chemical relaxers after which I developed alopecia. After
successfully regrowing my own hair, I began to give my
natural concoction to friends and family with other hair loss
conditions such as male and female pattern baldness,
alopecia, hair loss from weaves braid & bonds, medication, anesthesia, chemotherapy, stress, hormones
and health cond itions such as lupus. It was after I began to see hair growth in others with many different
types of hair loss after using my home made products that I realized I was on to something. I continued to
make my products as a hobby for many years but then the demand became too large and I decided to
start my company, HerbalNature. I began making HerbalNature Organic Hair & Body Products nearly 3
decades ago at the age of 18. HerbalNature was born as an official business 1997.
What does it feel like to be an entrepreneur? It feels like everyone should be doing this! I was in
corporate America for over 20 years and although I don’t have the horror stories about how terrible my
bosses or coworkers were to me, I wasn’t happy because I was not following my passion or purpose.
Being an entrepreneur carries a sense of accomplishment, pride and servitude. Creating my health giving
products provides value to the lives of others seeking to regrow their hair. Every time I reflect on the
freedom I have to do what I do, what I want, whenever I want . . .I just can’t believe God chose me for this
work! I’m so grateful that God selected my hands to be the instrument for this job. What I do NEVER feels
like work. I get to wake up every day and get paid to do something I used to do for free.
African American women have a long tradition of being in the hair industry and making bold
statements - What is your bold statement as an entrepreneur and how does it reflect in your
business endeavors? “I want to look in the mirror and see myself the way God see’s me.”
As Black women we have been conditioned to see a reflection of ourselves that does not embrace the
true essence of how God created us; our full lips, big hips, our beautiful strong facial features, our many
shades of skin color and our kinky, coiled, curly, wavy “happy” hair! My business endorses and teaches
women to examine why we feel the need to conform to other standards of beauty. I then ask them to
stand in the unique essence of how their physical beauty was created by the Creator and to live, love and
FEEL the power of that God Expression and own it! We should respect and appreciate ALL of God’s
unique expressions of physical beauty including all races, all people and all hair textures. When we began
with genuine love for The Self, inside and out it becomes natural to love everyone and anyone else for
their unique expression of God as well. My mission through my company and products usher women into
a space of love for their mind ~how they think about themselves~, body ~conscious of the types of