We were lucky to catch up with Tineeca Hughes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Tineeca, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

BareNine Holistics found me at a time where I was purposeless. It took almost two years to actually move forward in faith to start this business. The year was 2017. I had just graduated from college and was sure I knew what I wanted to do with my life. That was until March 10, 2017 when I was fired without warning from my hospital job. I spent the next four months unemployed, depressed and hopeless. This season of my life led me to fall severely ill. After a consultation with the doctor, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and instantly placed on medication. Against my innate feelings, I started taking the medication to help me cope with my newfound illness. I hated the way it made me feel. I remember being in bed and hearing God tell me to quit the medication & allow Him to heal me. I quit the medication cold turkey and started my self healing journey. I discovered that with diet and exercise, I could reverse the symptoms of hypothyroidism naturally. In my self healing journey I started making my own skin care products because nothing I purchased from the store was helping my terrible skin. I started by making shea butters and eventually started making my own cleansers. After months of research and seeing my skin change before my eyes, I started to advertise my products. People quickly gravitated to my products which eventually led to me having to create an Instagram page, then a website and now a whole brand! I launched my business in November 2019, but after gaining followers/revenue quickly, I decided to rebrand and relaunch my business the right way. I officially launched BareNine Holistics LLC on May 20, 2020. God gave me a purpose when I felt purposeless. I felt so small and insignificant and He gave me a platform to help others heal naturally alongside myself. I have helped people all over the United States gain their confidence back through my products. I am a fairly new business, but the amount of orders, customers and revenue I’ve generated in such a short amount of time, is a testament to where hard work, vision and faith can get you.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello, my name is Tineeca Hughes, owner and founder of BareNine Holistics LLC; a vegan skincare and aromatherapy company going on three years in business. BareNine offers a plethora of plant based self care products for the entire family including; face washes, toners, body butters, shower gels, serums, face masks and more. All hand crafted and formulated by me. Our goal is to heal the underlying causes of disruptive skin to bring healthy skin to the surface, Our products help our customers heal skin ailments like acne, eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and dry skin. BareNine is a brand beyond skincare! Our name explains our story. BARE (Being Acceptive of your Raw Essence) encourages customers to embrace authentic lifestyles by being exactly who they are and accepting what that may or may not look like. We also seek to educate consumers on the nine dimensions of holistic healing which are; physical, emotional, financial, spiritual, social, career, intellectual, creative and environmental. We seek to encourage healthy, authentic lifestyles inside and out. We are most proud of our brand being a FAMILY! Our customers engage and share a genuine love for our products and that is what has kept us going since 2019.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

I actually do not manufacture my products. I do however purchase ingredients from websites to assist in my formulations. I hand formulate and handcraft every single product BareNine offers. I have my Bachelors in Health Science and have been a lover of science my entire life. I throughly research each ingredient to get an understanding of what ingredients work best together to create safe, ready to use products. One thing I’ve learned as a cosmetic chemist is that patience and love are the key. Every product won’t be a hit, even if you’ve made the product a million times. Due to the handmade nature of my products, textures, colors and appearances may vary but love is ALWAYS the main ingredient!

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

Yes! I sell my products through my online website with Shopify. I originally started with Wix but due to me growing so quickly and needing more options for campaigning and promotion. In my opinion Shopify offers the best apps and services to keep my business running with little assistance. My favorite aspect of Shopify is the email campaigning app. It allows me to connect with my customers via email regarding upcoming sales, pop up events, skincare bibles and more. Staying connected with my customers beyond social media is important to me, and through these email campaigns I’m able to schedule campaigns months in advance. \

Contact Info:

• Website: www.barenineholistics.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/bare9holistics
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/bare9holistics
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/bare9holistics
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/TeeLaShaun