Natural Inside and Out: Interview with Naturi Beauty Concepts, LLC Founder Shelley Chapman

Shelley Chapman is the Founder and CEO of Naturi Beauty Concepts, LLC, www.naturibeauty.com. Promoting radiance from “crown to core” Naturi Beauty Concepts’ services provide nurturing both inside and out. On Naturi Beauty’s blog, along with thought provoking articles and words of wisdom concerning nutrition, natural hair or life in general, you will find wonderful mouth watering recipes (videos included) such as her Vegan chocolate cupcakes and Arugula Pesto Pizza.

Shelley Chapman Defining Natural
I believe that natural is a lifestyle. It is a way of engaging what nature has gifted us and using it to live a life of wellness and prosperity. Natural includes being green and eco-friendly, using products that are not harmful to us and the environment, eating foods that are whole and that bless the body with nutrition and life-prolonging benefits, living in harmony with nature (including cockroaches – lol) and maintaining a well state of being.

Her Hair Journey
Shelley shared that she wore her hair natural until the age of 13. Like most young middle schoolers, I wanted the fly wrap that magically stayed in place after a night’s rest. No more pressing combs, no more burns, no more sweat outs, just fly straight hair that behaved and stayed. Over time, her shoulder length, thick hair was reduced to patchy neck length strands.

In 1997, Shelley began wearing her hair natural. “I knew that there had to be another way, so I grew it out and began experimenting with hair products and styles. After my misfortune of losing about half of my hair, I took back my roots and let them shine again,” she added. As a result of going natural and learning about different hair products, she also began to incorporate more natural skin and face products into her routine, and tries to keep her cabinets stocked with eco-friendly brands.

Shelley stated that Naturi Beauty began as a result of having natural hair in an era when perms were all the rave and celebrated in every hair magazine and salon. “I rarely saw resources dedicated to women with natural hair, so I did what any logical person would do….create my own! I studied women such as Madame CJ Walker, Lisa Price of Carol’s Daughter, Karen of Karen’s Body Beautiful and the sisters of Miss Jessie’s. They all are such an inspiration and I look forward to Naturi Beauty products growing and being in every women’s must-have hair product list.”

Living a healthy lifestyle.
Shelley grew up in a cooking family where they ate everything. “Even though we ate from our kitchen, we were still susceptible to all of the toxins that the FDA allows into our neatly packaged grocery store bought food. As I got older, I gained a little bit of wisdom and started making adjustments accordingly.”

While studying at Spelman and Harvard Universities, Shelley began collecting recipes, tips and culinary stories, which resulted in her consulting on meal preparation, planning and holistic consumption. I was influenced by a several individuals that I met in college who taught me about the benefits of eating whole foods and a vegetarian based diet.

While I am not a vegetarian, I saw the results of healthier eating and it made sense. I consider myself to be a flexitarian, and I approach food with a balanced understanding. I was really influenced by women who were in their 40s, 50s and 60s and looked like they were in their 30s and 20s. These women were gorgeous and they owe it all to vegetarianism and active lifestyles.

Along with natural hair products, Naturi Beauty Concepts, LLC offers private culinary services for individuals and families in the Atlanta area, specializing in Vegan and Vegetarian cuisine, as well as free range, organic meat, poultry and seafood.

Her advice
As with anything, it is a process. As I learn and digest information, I just incorporate it into my routine. Some habits are HARD to break. Like eating meat lol. However, the more I encounter others who live a healthier lifestyle, the more I read and the more I continue building my business, the easier it gets. Naturi Beauty constantly reminds of healthier ways to nourish, nurture and grow.

Do not do anything drastic. Our bodies have encountered a lot of abuse over the years and nothing changes over night. Find routines that make sense and work for your lifestyle and body type and budget. Sometimes a greener lifestyle can seem a bit encumbering, however I promise you that it is doable and the more you shift your thinking and approach, the more natural, living this way will be.

You can also check out more details on Shelley Chapman’s personal food and hair journey on her blog http://www.naturibeauty.com/blog.