Earlier in 2012, as part of a select test group, I received a sample of hair moisturizer called Cute & Kinky® with a directive to use it as a part of my normal styling/maintenance regimen and respond to its creators with the results. Since there are always at least two full heads of hair in need of attention the home, I tested it on my daughters’ coifs and immediately loved the feel, smell and the lasting results (no tacky residue, no irritation and flaking, etc.).

Well, just a couple of weeks ago, that well-conceived product made its debut at Dallas’ Nappiology, an annual expo that offers education and products that cater to the maintenance of natural hair, and I was glad to finally meet the locally-based enterprising husband and wife  behind the brand, Darrius and Kristen Muldrow. Not only did I get another full-sized bottle to replace the empty sampler (YAY!!!), I earned an exclusive chat with ‘the better half’ about creating the moisturizer, how they will expand on it in the near future and what its unique properties can provide to those with any type of hair.

LORRIE IRBY JACKSON- Congratulations on the official debut, so happy for you two! I know you know I loved the results that I saw on my own kids’ hair, but what’s the reception you’ve received from other customers?

KRISTEN MULDROW- “We allowed people to sample it at the Nappiology booth and what they loved first off was the smell from the peppermint oil and the texture of it, that it absorbs well and isn’t sticky, greasy or tacky; one customer even told me she used the excess that she couldn’t put on her hair onto her elbows and they stayed moisturized all day— Cute & Kinky ® can be used for any hair type, but for those with a 1a-type hair or anyone else who may find it too heavy, they can use just a little in the hair and then the rest on their bodies. We’re really proud that we were able to conceive something that worked so well and the next product will be a shampoo, but that’s later on down the line.”

LIJ- Excellent! How long did it take for you to conceive and create the moisturizer, and what do you feel it brings to the market that other products do not?

KM- “Well, a lot of those product lines are not owned by Black people, and that’s where you get all of the unnecessary oils, the petrolatum, drying alcohols, stuff like that. I’d been using the products that are in the moisturizer for about three years, since I swim and I wanted to maintain the moisture in my hair and the length despite the chlorine and other chemicals. While I was doing the research and talking with people, I learned that they still have a hard time with products failed to ‘do’ what they claimed it would, like proclaiming it would make their hair behave like something that it actually wasn’t, and Cute & Kinky ® allows versatility with what they already have. It took about a year and a half to create the formulation, and what sets apart our moisturizer apart from others is that it makes having kinky hair ‘okay’ and easy to style without radically changing what they already have.”

LIJ: That’s what you literally call a ‘good look’: I did my daughters’ hair with it again and the results are still the same: no problems with dry scalp, no skin problems and it looked fresh day after day. So, without telling all of your proprietary business secrets, what’s in the moisturizer?

KM- “The first ingredient of Cute & Kinky® is water, the main ingredient that black people are told to stay away from. We’ve been taught that water dries out our hair, which doesn’t make any sense because water by its very nature is wet. Oils have fatty properties and are good for moisture and we also put emphasis on vitamin enrichment because if the body is not nourished well, the hair won’t grow, so that’s why there is sunflower oil added.”

LIJ- What do you think of the re-awakening that a lot of African-American women are having with their natural hair texture, and what was the starting point for your becoming relaxer-free?

KM-“When people don’t like their own hair texture, what’s happened is that they’ve internalized the negative messages (from mainstream society) and it became a part of the inner dialogue that they repeat to themselves. Hair is a very important part of our overall appearance and culture, and because there is a spiritual quality to that aspect as well, I think that it’s very important that we reclaim our hair and not give away too much ownership of who we are by altering its appearance.
As for how I became natural, I was a competitive swimmer from the age of eight until I was in high school. I have sensitive skin and there would be times that, when I was a little kid getting the relaxer, it would be burning the life out of me, but I was too shy to say anything and I would end up with damaged hair.

The final straw was when I used a new stylist and asked for a simple look where I could just blow-dry it and then curl it under. She said I had damaged hair and I expected to get a trim, but when I walked out of there, I had gone from shoulder-length hair to that asymmetrical bob, and it was pretty traumatic. She ended up cutting so much of my hair away that I pretty much ended up with an asymmetrical mushroom…..in 2001, NOT 1987. So by that summer, I was tired of it, and I went to my mother’s hairstylist and instructed them to just cut it all off because I was going natural. It was something I had to do for myself because, at 20 years old, I really didn’t know how my natural hair looked, and that’s a reality that we experience a lot.”

LIJ- You’re right about it being a pervasive problem, how can we turn the tide on that reality?

KM-“We still have a lot of our women trying to affirm their daughter’s beauty by telling them that they’re pretty all of the time, but simultaneously, while she isn’t getting a perm, she’s watching her mother get one. If there was really nothing wrong, then you wouldn’t do anything to it, so that’s what the dislike of their own texture was born out of. I never saw my mom get a perm, and she always wore it well-maintained and well-conditioned. I see the same approach being used on your daughters and where’s the shame in that?”

LIJ-A. MEN. How can customers purchase Cute & Kinky ® and what’s next for the brand?

KM-“We’re available at www.lovedontlye.com ™ and the goal is to get the product stocked in specialty shops, high-end beauty supply stores and major retailers with moisturizer, shampoo and an entire styling line. Cute & Kinky® was derived so that, eventually, young girls would stop feeling like something was wrong with their hair right out of the gate.”

LIJ- We intend to be there as It grows Kristen, I’m proud of you and Mr. Muldrow for finally getting it launched: before we wrap it up, is there a ‘mission statement’ for your company or any other closing thoughts you want to leave readers and customers with as they check out your site and product?

KM-“I’m not a religious person, but the Bible makes reference to a woman’s hair being her glory, and Cute & Kinky® protects, maintains and preserves that glory. Whether the hair is relaxed or natural, my hope is that our products will help customers realize what we already now; our black hair texture, no matter what the type, is beautiful.”