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Meet Jasmine Ryans of Soul(tre) in Tucker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jasmine Ryans.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Jasmine. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
On February 10, 2016, I was sitting on my bed with lifeless, damaged hair that was promised to revert back six months ago when I got a “natural” straightening treatment done professionally August 10, 2015, for my birthday and a broken heart from yet another failed relationship that was ended with no explanation eight days prior. I had reached a point in my life where I just wanted to start all over in every area of my life: spiritual, mental, emotional and physical. I, in a joking manner, decided to ask God: “What should I do with my hair? Should I cut it or keep it?” He replied asking me these three questions: “Why are you holding on to what is dead?” “Do you want healthy hair or just long hair?” “Do you remember the vow you made?”.

At that moment, I remembered the vow that I made. I wanted my natural hair journey to be a physical representation of my spiritual journey and vowed to give it over to him to grow it and tend to it the way He wanted me to. Crazy right? But I made it and to my surprise, He kept it. So, with some hesitation and tears in my eyes, I grabbed the scissors and I cut all the damaged hair off. I looked in the mirror and started crying because I had to start over in my life AND with my natural hair journey.

Once I gathered myself, I started looking around for some safe, natural products to use on my hair since my hair was completely natural and I didn’t want to risk damaging it again.Every product I had in my possession contained harmful chemicals and ingredients, with the exception of some hair oils and aloe vera juice.

At that point, I just threw out all my products, prayed that God would take the lead (because I had no idea what I was doing) and anoint my hands to be able to create products that would be safe for my hair and my daughter’s hair and I took what I had left and created what would be known as my first hair care product: Revival.

For six months, my daughter and I used the products and started seeing amazing and unexplainable growth in our hair. Everywhere we went, I was always being asked what I was using on our 4c hair because it was so healthy and growing so well. Others interest in the products sparked my interest in doing more research on plant-based hair and skincare for African-American men, women and children. From reading several case studies, articles and information, I discovered that there were several toxins and chemicals being used in the products marketed specifically to African-Americans (especially women), which was disheartening to me.

At the time, I was attending school to obtain my Bachelor’s in Business Administration. I decided to take everything that I was learning in school to create a business selling hair and skincare products by the time I graduated. September 19, 2017, exactly three months before my completion of my degree program , I received my letter from the State of Georgia recognizing Soul(tre) LLC as an official business. Three months after graduation, March 2018, I started traveling and doing different vendor events in Florida, Philadelphia, North Carolina and Atlanta.

For a year, I worked on new product formulation and rebranding my business. In March 2019, I revealed the rebrand and the reformulated products of Soul(tre). Three months later, June 1, 2019, I released the new collection of products: The Grace Collection. Since the rebrand and release of the reformulated products, I have had much success and have received positive feedback about the Grace Collection and so excited to continue to spread the word about Soul(tre) and what we do as we continue to grow and add to our collection.

Has it been a smooth road?
The road has definitely not been smooth. Between December 2018 and January 2019, I lost my job, my house, the money I had saved to invest into my business was stolen and my business was moving at a snail’s pace. I became depressed and I felt like I could not get out of my funk. I didn’t want to produce, I didn’t want to talk to anyone and even considered just closing the business for good. But as always, God had other plans and every time I felt like giving in and throwing in the towel, He would throw it back. I started getting opportunities from other businesses to come vend, and I even had the opportunity to pitch and present my products to a potential buyer in March 2019. I had nothing but mockups of what the products were supposed to look like. I didn’t have any supplies, no ingredients, no money, all my orders were on backorder and I had nothing to show.

All I had was a powerpoint and faith. In April 2019, the buyer emailed me saying they were interested in stocking my products and wanted to do a pop-up shop with me. May 31, 2019, I did a pop up at Augusta & Co in Augusta, GA, the day before my new collection release. I only had testers because my supplies and labels still hadn’t come in but I had to work with what I had. The pop-up was such a great success, they offered me a spot on their shelves for no charge. On September 20, 2019 (the day after my business’ 2 year anniversary), I was afforded the opportunity to celebrate my first ribbon cutting at Augusta & Co, where I have my products stocked in a retail store for the first time. I lost so much, but gained even more by keeping the course, keeping the faith and focusing on the purpose and not my pain and problems.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Soul(tre) – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Soul(tre) is a faith-based company that handcrafts exclusive health and beauty products. We are known for our plant-based, toxin-free, cruelty-free hair, beard and skincare products. What differentiates us from other health and beauty brands is we are more focused on the creation of cosmeceutical and nutraceutical products.

Cosmeceuticals are cosmetic products that claim to have medicinal or drug-like benefits. Nutraceuticals is a broad umbrella term that is used to describe any product derived from food sources with extra health benefits in addition to the basic nutritional value found in foods. They can be considered non-specific biological therapies used to promote general well-being, control symptoms and prevent malignant processes.

The term “nutraceutical” combines two words – “nutrient” (a nourishing food component) and “pharmaceutical” (a medical drug). The name was coined in 1989 by Stephen DeFelice, founder and chairman of the Foundation for Innovation in Medicine, an American organization located in Cranford, New Jersey.

The philosophy behind nutraceuticals is to focus on prevention, according to the saying by a Greek physician Hippocrates (known as the father of medicine) who said: “Let food be your medicine”. Their role in human nutrition is one of the most important areas of investigation, with wide-raging implications for consumers, health-care providers, regulators, food producers and distributors.

We strongly believe in the healing powers of plants and want to educate and expose our communities to this, especially in the African-American community. As it says in Hosea 4:6a: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..” There is so much that we are unaware of when it comes to holistic healing and health and Soul(tre) is one way to bring that awareness.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
What I love best about Atlanta is how so many different cultures can co-exist and thrive freely. I also admire the thriving business environment among African-Americans that I haven’t seen as much of in the city I was born in. It’s almost a complete culture shock to see so many progressive and forward-thinking individuals that come together and just make it happen despite the competition around them. Also, I love the countless amount of resources and support available for small businesses and start-ups in the community that not only set them up for success but also prepare them for that next level in business.

What I like least about Atlanta is traffic and parking lol.

Pricing:

  • $28 Revive Hair Moisturizer
  • $28 Bless 3-in-1 Body Oil
  • $28 Alpha Beard Wash
  • $30 Smooth Beard Butter
  • $30 Bare Whipped Body Butter
  • For wholesale or private label information, email at contact@soultrenaturalproducts.com

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Darika Harris- Media Production Studios

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