We recently connected with Mistura Adeyemi and have shared our conversation below.

Mistura, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

I am a braider but I not your average braider. I am The Braids Doctor. I treat clients’ hair and scalp before their braids. I also educate them on their hair and help them achieve their hair goals. I do this because I saw a gap in the braiding world. I’ve been braiding for years and I noticed that a lot of people who wear braids did not have healthy hair. They were dealing with things like dandruff, alopecia, thinning, and breakage but no one was doing anything about it and they also did not know how to fix their hair problems. I started educating myself on hair and became obsessed with it because I wanted people to feel beautiful in their natural hair. Especially us with afro/curly/coily hair because we’ve been made to believe our hair were ugly. I figured if I’m able to help people achieve healthier hair, it’ll help them learn to love their hair.

Mistura, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve always been interested in braiding since I was 4. My mom was a braider and I would sit and watch her braids then started learning from there. I believe braiding and hair is in me, not on me. I went to school originally to become a nurse but after graduating and working on the field, I still felt strongly drawn to hair & braiding so I decided that I was going to get my cosmetology license and pursue it.

Like I mentioned, I’m The Braids Doctor and I provide healthy braids. My braids experiences has helped tons of women achieve healthier hair and even some men. I’m additional to that, I also have an organic hair product line called Within The Roots. Within The Roots has also helped hundreds of people with hair issues such ask scalp problems, thinning, breakage, and dryness. The products contain ingredients like peppermint and tea tree oil which is amazing for our scalp and hair. They are also heavily African inspired so they contain Africa’s secret ingredient Chebe Powder, which is a natural protein that’s helping tons of women in Africa achieve healthy long hair. Some of these women have hair all the way to their waist!

What sets me apart is the compassion I have for others to help them with their hair. I love listening to people tell me their hair stories and I listen to every detail so that I can be able to see what went wrong with their hair and what advice can I give to help them. I love sending people off with hair affirmations and even package a hair affirmation with every order I get because I truly want people to believe in their hair.

I am most proud of my resilience. I don’t give up no matter how hard it may get because I’m on a mission. I see my life as I am meant to help others with their hair. One day I was looking at myself in the mirror with my afro out. But I didn’t see myself looking back at me. I saw my ancestor and she told me, “you remember, go remind them.” So I don’t give up because I’m reminding as much of my brothers and sisters that I can to see the beauty in their hair.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn believing that I was ugly in my skin. I have beautiful, dark skin. But growing up I thought I was ugly because of my skin color. I was bullied for being the darkest and everyone always pointed it out to me. I just grew up believing no one would want me because I was ugly but I was also okay with not being wanted. I figured it’ll be okay for me to live my life alone. Then a couple years ago, I went through a program called Foundational Womanhood. That program made me confront myself in the areas that I have been ignoring for years. I remember feeling like I was 14 again and I cried so hard because all these years I’ve held on to the belief that I was ugly because of my skin color. That moment was a breakthrough for me and needed to happen. Because if I did not believe my skin color is as beautiful as it is, I would still be causing damage to myself.

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

I sell on Etsy but what really helped me was creating a funnel system for my site. In my funnel system I’m able to “date” my audience and immediately convert them into buying customers unlike traditional website. Through my funnel system I’m able to make it clear to them who my products are for, how it’ll help them, how to use the products, and see results of others who have used it as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: Discount.withintheroots.com
• Instagram: @thebraidsdoctor
• Facebook: The Braids Doctor
• Youtube: The Braids Doctor
• Other: TikTok: @thebraidsdoctor