We were lucky to catch up with Laverne Amara recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Laverne thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

Yes, I am happy as a business owner – but it’s a different kind of happiness, than one might experience when working a traditional job – it’s rooted in passion and endless possibility. Launching NVLX Labs has required me to lead with creativity and resourcefulness; there’s no manual, no checklist, no blueprint- for how to grow a clean beauty brand from scratch.

At the same time, I actually do still have a regular job – I’m currently serving in the Army as a Project Manager and preparing to retire after what will be more than 27 years. This dual role has given me a greater appreciation for both worlds. In the Army, I’m used to structure, established policies, and a culture with little room for ambiguity. In contrast, building my business has demanded autonomy and authenticity, which can feel intimidating but is also where growth and legacy are built.

That contrast has made me deeply admire entrepreneurs who step out with no safety net at all. I’ve been fortunate to lean on the stability of my military career (and paycheck :-) while laying the foundation for NVLX Labs, and I don’t take that privilege lightly. It’s one of the reasons I’m so determined to give my business everything I have once I transition.

Soon I’ll be moving fully into entrepreneurship, leaving behind the comfort of a strict regime and stepping onto a path with no guaranteed outcome — just my vision, my resilience, and my passion. What I’ve learned from the Army is that structure and discipline can be carried into anything, and what I’ve learned from this business is that freedom and purpose are worth pursuing, even when the path isn’t clear.

Laverne, 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?

I’ve always had a passion for natural hair. Growing up, it was a way of expressing myself. But as a Soldier – who had to work out constantly, deploy to areas with limited resources, and juggle life as a mom of three kids (including two little girls with natural hair), I struggled to find styles that were healthy, practical, and aligned with such a busy, active lifestyle. That challenge pushed me deeper into learning more about natural hair care.

I became a certified Loc consultant more than a decade ago and started doing hair on weekends. Over the years, I saw the same frustrations repeated again and again across my clients: scalp issues, dryness, unraveling locs and breakage. Underneath the tangible challenges related to nurturing locs, remained the reality that Black hair was constantly politicized and oftentimes deemed unprofessional in many workplaces.

Amid everything else unfolding, the “Army hair drama” made national headlines — and I became one of “the hairstyles” deemed unauthorized (search “Army/hair/unauthorized/2014”). Alongside several other Black women, I played a role in advocating for changes to regulations so women could finally wear locs (and other natural hairstyles) in uniform. That “female unauthorized hairstyles” photo of myself alongside two other women – is currently in the Smithsonian’s African American Museum! Once the regulation changed to accommodate natural hairstyles, I transitioned to locs myself – both as a personal and professional statement and as a commitment to the beauty of our culture, especially in professional/corporate environments.

But even after that victory, I was reminded that if women and men chose to loc their hair, there were very few clean, water-soluble, high-end products to truly support the health of their hair and scalp throughout their transition. There were even fewer communities that understood their journey and could offer real guidance. That frustration is what sparked NVLX Labs – an eco-luxe haircare line created specifically for the loc’d community.

What sets NVLX Labs apart is that I don’t just make products — I come from the chair. I’ve listened to my clients for over a decade, I’ve walked the journey myself as someone who has cultivated a healthy head of locs. I also hired a black chemist who dove into the science behind which ingredients work; she advised me on selecting the plant-powered nutrients that support the natural loc’ing process.

Most importantly- I know what it feels like to be rejected — figuratively and literally — and to feel like there’s no space for people who look like you. This brand centers our community. NVLX Labs is built on clean, sustainable formulations that are water-soluble (so they don’t cause buildup inside the locs) and they are designed with the health of the hair and scalp in mind. Just as importantly, the brand is about community — creating a safe space where people can learn, share, and be celebrated in their natural beauty. We also make a point to give back- a percent of all sales go to support underrepresented communities in need.

For me, it’s bigger than hair. It’s about creating products and spaces that affirm our identity, challenge outdated perceptions, and make it easier for the next generation to show up fully as themselves. I’m most proud that we’re helping shift the conversation. Locs are not a trend — they’re a legacy, a lifestyle, and a source of pride. I want people contemplating locs to know that NVLX Labs isn’t just another haircare brand; it’s a movement created explicitly for them, with clean beauty, cultural respect, and representation at its core.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

I didn’t start out knowing how to manufacture haircare products, but I did come into it with a strong background as a Project Manager. I leaned on those skills and wove them into my beauty journey — conducting market research, testing, budgeting, and managing timelines were second nature to me. When I realized there were no products on the market that truly filled the gap I saw, I treated it like any other program I had managed. I hired a chemist, researched products I admired over the years, studied their key ingredients, and carefully hand-selected what I did and didn’t want in my own blend.

I also pulled my clients into the process. For years I’d been listening to their frustrations in the chair, so I hosted focus groups and gave them samples to test. Their feedback helped me refine my formulas in real time. Still, the journey wasn’t smooth. My first vendor didn’t work out, and I had to go back to the drawing board with revisions. From there, I transitioned from working with a chemist on the recipe to finding a manufacturer who could scale it responsibly. That meant learning a whole new world — logistics like bottles, labeling, and compliance with MoCRA (the FDA’s Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act). I also had to consider sustainability, from packaging choices to minimizing waste, because I wanted NVLX Labs to reflect not only clean beauty but conscious beauty. And of course, there were the realities of minimum order quantities (MOQs) and the financial pressure of being a solopreneur funding everything myself.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that clean beauty requires patience and persistence. It would have been easier to cut corners and lean on harmful synthetic ingredients, but I was determined to create a formula that stayed true to my values: clean, water-soluble, effective, and safe. I also learned that every misstep is part of the process. The setbacks with vendors and revisions taught me how to advocate for my vision and never compromise on quality.

Today, I don’t just see myself as someone with a product line — I see myself as a builder who took the discipline and structure of project management and translated it into beauty innovation. And while it hasn’t been easy, I know the challenges I’ve faced will ultimately set NVLX Labs apart as a brand people can trust.

How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.

Right now, I sell both on my website and on Amazon. I knew early on that I wanted NVLX Labs to be accessible on the biggest platform in the world. Amazon is where millions of people go to search for beauty products every single day, so for visibility, there’s really nothing like it. Getting into Amazon’s system was definitely a learning curve, but once I figured it out, the opportunities have been incredible. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), for example, takes so much weight off my shoulders because they handle storage, shipping, and even returns — which means I can focus more on my customers and my brand.

That said, Amazon isn’t perfect. The fees are significant, and as a small business, every percentage matters. You’re also competing on a massive marketplace, which means your product has to really stand out with branding, storytelling, and reviews. You don’t “own” your customer data the way you do on your own site, so building deeper relationships has to happen outside of Amazon.

For me, the pros outweigh the cons because of the exposure and credibility Amazon provides. But I also believe in having balance — that’s why I keep investing in my own site, where I have more control over the customer experience and can really showcase the values behind NVLX Labs. In my view, Amazon is like a megaphone: it helps me reach new people, but my website is where I get to bring them home and let them experience the brand in full.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nvlxlabs.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nvlxlabs
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nvlxlabs
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nvlx-labs
• Twitter: https://x.com/NVLXLabs
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@nvlxlabs?si=TJC_B-EIYG631rIt
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/03CC21F8-8245-4758-B1EB-E58DF99181D4