Behind CurlyEllie: An Interview with founder Zaina

In celebration of Women's Healthcare Month, we're thrilled to sit down with Zaina, the visionary founder of CurlyEllie and CurlyEllie Intense. With a passion for empowering women through self-care and natural beauty, Zaina has transformed her personal journey into a mission to revolutionise the curly hair care industry. In this exclusive interview, we delve into Zaina's inspiring story, her vision for CurlyEllie, and her dedication to providing innovative and nurturing products for women of all ages. Join us as we explore the intersection of health, beauty, and empowerment with the remarkable woman behind CurlyEllie

Why did you create CurlyEllie Intense after creating CurlyEllie? 

We listened to our community and understood that many adults using the CurlyEllie collection required more intensive nourishment and protection. This was due to leading more active outdoor lifestyles, use of straighteners, frequent styling, colouring and bleaching and scalp irritation. So, I decided to focus on developing a very bespoke intensive collection to combat thes hair challenges.

What was your inspiration for the Intense range?

CurlyEllie was always supposed to be very gentle with great results, but there are also people whose curls need something stronger, and that’s where CurlyEllie Intense was born. Hair time should be special and I wanted to make every shower feel like a spa day, whilst also giving the same great results that people have come to know our original CurlyEllie Range for!

What are some of the hero ingredients that you chose to include (and how do they help curls)? 

There’s so many! We love to use quinoa for protein, colour retention and shine! In our gels we use a natural corn starch gelling agent infused with Abyssinian oil to give natural heat protection for your hair, whilst leaving you with perfectly defined stronger, shinier and less frizzy hair! We also love Mango butter. 

I think it’s also important to mention what we don’t use! We are free from silicones, parabens, sulfates, SLS/SLES, wheat, dairy, synthetic fragrances, and mineral oils!

Do you have any secret tips / tricks? 

We have so many tips all across social media and our website, both from us, our friends, family and of course, our customers! But I will give you a few of our favourites at CurlyEllie HQ:

• Satin is your best friend when it comes to protecting your curls. We all use our satin pillowcase to sleep on and our satin scrunchies to avoid breakage and frizz, it works wonders!
• All hair gets tangled, it’s unavoidable at times, but comb hair when it’s wet and has our Indulgent Conditioner in it, start from the ends and work your way up! 
• Try to avoid heat where you can, but if you do make sure you use heat protection! Once your curl pattern is ruined by heat, there’s no going back!
• Adapt your curl routine for the weather and changes in weather, for example, you should try to use heat protection in the sun and extra moisture in the cold!

What advice would you give mothers out there looking to care for their waves / curls? 

There’s no time as good as the present to start caring for, and loving your curls! We have such a wide range that can be tailored for any hair type, curl pattern etc. It doesn’t have to be complicated or take hours to achieve nourished, shiny and healthy curls! Taking care of your hair or your little ones hair doesn’t have to be hard or involved many different products. That’s why we’re here, to give you incredible products that are simple to use!

What can we expect from CurlyEllie over the next few years? 

I can’t give anything away but you’ll have to wait and see, but we have some very exciting things in the pipeline!