We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Daniella Addison a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Daniella , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

Growing up in London, ON in the 90’s I was surrounded by young girls who did not look like me or have hair similar to mine. I was the only black girl! All I saw on TV were commercials of women with hair that blew effortlessly in the wind (or off-screen air blowers ha!). Entering my teen years I was introduced to hair relaxers that turned my afro hair straight. I was also told of skin bleaching creams that turned my dark skin light. In high-school i was teased mercilessly by other black people for having “nappy hair” and black skin. I used these products to fit in not realizing that I was conforming to European beauty standards. These products also contain toxic chemicals that cause burns on the head and skin. I want to teach women of colour to love themselves, their hair and their beautiful dark skin. I want to teach them how to care for their hair in its natural state and the harms of relaxing their young daughter’s hair. I want to retrain the minds of adults who have been living by these beauty standards for decades. We need to love the skin we are in and the hair we are born with and stop colorism within the black community. I hope to be a positive example for many young women.

Daniella , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Ofori Beauty aims to create educational content, tools and resources to teach various ethnicities on the decades of social conditioning that has produced generations of minorities resorting to self-harming ideologies and beliefs about blackness, beauty and the standardization of conformity within the industry.

Growing up in a lower socioeconomic environment, my mother taught me how to achieve and maintain clear skin and healthy hair on a budget. As I entered my teen years, I began experiencing colorism causing me to use skin bleaching and chemical hair relaxing products to lighten my skin colour and straighten my hair.

Ofori Beauty will not only challenge this self-harming perspective but will also change the hearts and minds of BIPOC (black, indigenous and people of colour) consumers for the greater good of society. Our products and services operate with a dual purpose that cultivates consumers’ perceptions around identity, acceptance and self-care and crosses multiple
customer segments by honouring and celebrating our diversity for its beauty.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn European beauty standards and stop wearing wigs/extensions that do not represent my natural afro hair. I had to learn to love my afro hair and how to care for my hair rather than caring for my extensions to cover and hide my hair.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I started my business I was unsure of where to start. I learned the hard way that business is more than just running ads. I was very discouraged when I realized how much money was being spent on ads with no sales. I decided to stop and start everything again from the bottom up including market research. I am here today because i didnt give up and will continue to learn and grow everyday.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.oforibeauty.ca/
• Instagram: @ oforibeautyy