The Story

&Relief Botanicals® was created from a lived experience, research, persistence, and a desire for something truly different.

Being a scalp-focused stylist for 25+ years, I witnessed the same pattern—clients sitting in my chair frustrated and discouraged, saying that oils weren’t moisturizing their scalps, made irritation worse, or amplified the very issues they were trying to solve. Many were prescribed medicated shampoos by specialists, instructed to use them once a week, but that cadence simply didn’t align with the realities of textured hair care or protective styling. Washing too often can disrupt fresh hairstyles, compromise style longevity, and add emotional and financial strain—especially when you’ve just paid for professional grooming, loc maintenance, or intricate styling.

So, I started asking deeper questions.

This led me to embark on a 2-year journey of learning scalp conditions, product formulation, and herbal extraction. I completed a formulation course to better understand how to craft cosmetic products with science-backed intention, while simultaneously learning how to extract, strain, and build raw materials from the plants themselves. Along the way, I partnered with a chemist to conquer the complicated—but necessary—science of product stability. One formulator unfamiliar with my process even insisted I abandon my own handcrafted extracts and use manufactured alternatives, simply because she had never collaborated with someone who truly crafted raw materials from scratch rather than purchasing pre-made extracts.

I kept going anyway.

Every night after servicing a full day of clients, testing, heating, cooling, straining, adjusting, failing, and reformulating again.

For 2 years—working tirelessly late nights, battling separation issues, reworking viscosity, clarity, texture, and viscosity, watching formula after formula fall short—I was slowly getting closer to exactly what my scalp and my clients had been asking for: deep hydration, soothing stimulation, botanical potency, and a formula that felt light but effective.

And then it clicked.

That breakthrough became my flagship and cornerstone offering: Signature Scalp Herbal Elixir—a water-based, highly-concentrated herbal formula crafted from extracts made fully in-house. It delivers the hydration level that oils alone cannot mimic, providing true moisture, scalp relief, and follicle support without the heavy, sealing feel many people associate with traditional “moisture + seal” spray-and-oil systems.

We don’t follow trends. We follow results.

We also wanted to build something different because many brands offered the same method in two steps: a moisture spray, then an oil to seal it in. For some hair types, that system has value—but it never delivered what we needed for scalp flares, dryness, itching, or deep hydration. Our approach is orthodox, intentional, and revolving around what actually works for textured hair, protective styling, locs, and scalp health in real time.