1. Who is Shelley Chapman?

I consider myself a Goddess and architect of life!  I believe this journey is magical and I enjoy creating it each step of the way.  I defy boundaries, I move through fear, I create consciously, I desire the best and I love fully. 

2. How long have you been natural?

I am celebrating 13 years in May!  I denied myself the privilege of saying all of my life, because I decided to do a 4 year stint with that creamy white stuff!  Though I am proud to say that I have spent more years with my precious, natural mane than NOT!

3. How was your transitioning experience?

The transition was considerably easy considering the times.  In '97 there were not a lot of resources and the only hair idols I had were Eryka Badu and Lauryn Hill.  Being the Naturi Beauty and natural hair guru that I am, I researched and decided that wearing braids for a year was the best way.  Every time I changed them, I trimmed about an inch of my ends and always did a deep conditioning treatment.

4. What advice would you give those who are transitioning?

Patience and Acceptance!!!!!  There is nothing like it.  Unless you're a Chia Pet, your hair is gonna take a little more than a month to fully transition.  I've met a lot of woman throughout my career, who have no idea what their natural looks like and have conjured up "ideal textures and patterns", however some realize that their hair doesn't match their ideal and they become frustrated.  I like to remind them that our curls run the gamut of z's and s's and all of those patterns are divinely beautiful.  I say, find a hair twin and ask her what she does and become inspired.  

5. What inspired you to create your own natural hair care line?

I think it would be cool to have a really lofty answer, like I wanted to revolutionize the hair care industry and change the face of beauty, etc.....however the truth is, my inspiration was due to lack of good products out there! I got tired of the shelves being polluted with chemicals and the labels not fulfilling their promises so I fulfilled my own and voila! Naturi Beauty was born. Who knows?   Naturi Beauty is here, and  the industry has no choice to be revolutionized!  The new face of beauty is already here :)

6.  How long did it take you to find the right combination of natural ingredients for your products?

Not long, it came to me effortlessly and blissfully . I, like Madame CJ Walker, received all I needed in a divine dream. 

7.  What do your products provide to natural hair?

Nourishment - I use goodies like shea butter, coconut oil, honey, and aloe.  Nurturing - My products are created with love and positive energy and I really believe in the energetic exchange from creator to customer.  When Naturi Beauties use our products they feel a sense of knowing that their hair has been cared for.

8.  In your opinion, how does cooking with natural ingredients and using natural ingredients on our bodies relate? Do you feel that what we put inside of our bodies will show on the outside?

Squealing with delight at this question!  Naturi Beauty is all about promoting radiance by encouraging individuals to nourish, nurture and grow. I promote radiance and beauty by using quality, energizing, life-enhancing and above all, yummy ingredients in my recipes.  I really believe in the relationship that we have with food and how we can energetically use this to beautify our bodies.  I also, like to remind people that our skin is our largest organ and it soaks up everything we put ON it as our bodies soak up everything we put IN it.  Naturally, this makes perfect sense :)

9.  What are some reasons to go natural and live a healthier lifestyle?

There are a plethora of reasons from better health, longevity, vitality, ability to relate better, enhanced sex-life, being in tuned spiritually, etc.  However, I am less interested in persuading individuals via a list of benefits and more interested in being a shining example of a Naturi Beauty who lives naturally without compromise.  I live, work and play in an urban environment and I love it.  I think, a lot of people, have stereotypes of "natural living" and images of long haired, tree hugging, plant eating hippies pop into their minds, and the truth is, that's not for everyone! I desire to demonstrate that it's possible to be a green machine in the city and be natural fabulously!

10.  Do your products work well with all hair types?

Good question! I design my products, such as Naturi Quench Intense Moisturizer and Naturi Curl Define/Hold Curl Cream, for Type 3 and Type 4 hair types.  However what I don't offer in products to other hair types, I offer in skin and hair care tips on my blog, where I post recipes for natural beauty care using every day ingredients from our kitchens in my Kitchen Chemist series.

11.  What do you think the key is to healthy hair?

Nourishment and Nurturing!  The end result? Growth.  The key is to nourish our hair with healthy ingredients.  I'm not only referring to the ingredients in our hair care products but also the foods we digest and making sure we get enough vitamins and minerals to give it what it needs. The key to nurture your hair is to spend time with it and give TLC (regular trims, deep conditioning treatments, protective styling, etc.)

 12. How do you feel about using shampoo in natural hair? (shampoo vs. "noo -poo")

I definitely use way too many products to not shampoo!  The question for me, is less about "to poo or not to poo", and more of what type of poo should I use and how often?  Anything with SLS (Sodium Laureth/Lauryl Sulfate) is a huge no-no. I wash once a week or every 2 weeks if I have a style. Lately I have been using Bobeam Shampoo Bars via my new virtual friend, Laquita at Etsy.com which are all natural and do a great job of ridding hair of build up and delivering shine!