- 9 months ago
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00:00I got that blue fever, cold as ice till you came near.
00:23You're like another fire-breathing creature, but it don't burn how it'll be as it's true.
00:33You could make me melt, but don't you forget it.
00:38If the person you felt won't ever do for reasons, it's only because you ain't here.
00:48Since I was a little girl, I was taught that our hair is more than texture.
01:08It's history.
01:09It's legacy.
01:11It's joy.
01:12It is generational love.
01:14Our growth is rooted in unbreakable strength and resilience that binds us.
01:20Every hair strand carries with it the wisdom of those who came before us.
01:26Every twist, curl, and kink is a map of where we've been and where we are going.
01:33Camille Rose is founded by a woman who knows resilience firsthand, breaking barriers to
01:39build a brand that celebrates you.
01:42And because your hair isn't just hair, Camille Rose is about curl love.
01:49I'm Janelle Stevens, founder and CEO of Camille Rose.
01:54From Roots of Resilience, we rise together.
01:58It's all about curl love.
01:59All right.
02:06So I hope y'all were taking notes because I know I was.
02:09And if you weren't, make sure to follow him on Instagram.
02:12It is Billy with two E's, Jean.
02:15And also, I do want to say Danessa Myrick.
02:19She is at the VIP area doing meet and greets for anybody that would love to go see her.
02:24So please go check her out.
02:26But to keep things moving along, our next guest, y'all, is a visionary in the world of clean
02:31beauty and natural hair.
02:33She's the founder of Camille Rose.
02:35And she's here today to talk all about the strength of black women through the lens of
02:40hair, heritage, and healing.
02:42So please join me in welcoming the lovely Janelle Stevens to the BeautyCon stage.
02:55Hello, everybody.
03:01Good afternoon.
03:04I'm here.
03:05Yeah, I'll sit right here.
03:09How's everybody doing?
03:11Good afternoon.
03:12Come on, now.
03:13I know you guys can do better than that.
03:15How's everybody doing?
03:17Yes.
03:18Thank you for being here.
03:20Perfection.
03:21Yes.
03:22Everybody, my name is Melissa Noel.
03:23I'm the senior news and travel editor here at Essence.
03:26And I am joined by the lovely Janelle Stevens.
03:30Yes.
03:30Thanks so much for being here with me.
03:32Thank you so much.
03:33I'm excited.
03:34I'm excited, too.
03:35Yes.
03:35I'm a Louisiana girl.
03:37Come on, now.
03:37So I always love coming home to Essence.
03:40And we love that you are home.
03:42You are here with us.
03:43And we're having this awesome conversation.
03:46Yeah.
03:46All right.
03:46So let's get into it.
03:48First and foremost, this is really a conversation about us.
03:54Yes.
03:54Black women, hair, heritage, all the things.
03:58And your brand encompasses so much of that.
04:01So how did your relationship with your identity influence the direction that you decided to
04:08take in starting Camille Rose?
04:10Yeah.
04:10So I think when I started Camille Rose, I really, I did not start the brand to sell or turn into
04:20a business.
04:20I made it for myself, my family, and my kids because of certain issues that they were having.
04:31Back then, you know, my daughter was born with a bunch of curls, and I knew I didn't want to
04:36relax or change her appearance at all.
04:40And so I kind of took it upon myself to, like, research different ingredients, oils and butters,
04:48natural ingredients.
04:49Yeah, natural.
04:50That would really make a difference in the products that they use on their skin and hair.
04:56So I started it as a passion, like, kind of, like, made by me for us.
05:03Yeah.
05:03You know what I'm saying?
05:04And so it just kind of turned into a full-on business because when I used the products,
05:11I loved the results that I was getting.
05:13And then I wanted to share with everybody, family and friends.
05:18Sharon is caring.
05:19Thank you for sharing with us.
05:20Absolutely.
05:20And I know one thing you say often is that if you can, if you put it on your skin, you
05:26should be able to put it in your body, you should be able to use it, do it, that kind
05:30of thing.
05:31Not literally.
05:32Don't eat the products.
05:33Right.
05:34Not literally like that.
05:34I got a problem with the honey hydrate.
05:37The honey bottle showing up in the honey section.
05:39In the honey section.
05:40The supermarket's like, not quite.
05:42It's not too honey.
05:42But, yeah, I believe in taking it all the way back natural, you know, like staying away
05:49from things that could be toxic to us.
05:54And that's a part of my journey when I decided to study under an herbalist for a year to really
06:01understand what natural ingredients meant, how they would affect the body, the hair, the
06:08skin, the whole nine.
06:09And so when I started Camille Rose, I started formulating with a lot of food-grade ingredients,
06:17things that you can really find in your kitchen, things that were, are nourishing to the inside
06:23of the body.
06:23And if it has all these beautiful benefits on the inside, then it must have the same benefits
06:30on the outside of the body.
06:32Yeah.
06:33So talk about how the brand has remained committed to strengthening your standing and cultural
06:39moments, right, with today's black woman.
06:41How have you done that or continue to do that?
06:44Yeah, so when I formulate anything and everything, black women are top of mind because I'm a black
06:50woman.
06:50Absolutely.
06:51And I need to make sure, of course, I'm a user of my own products.
06:56And so I never forget that.
06:58And I just stay true to my reasons why.
07:02Why did I start it?
07:04You know, who am I making products for?
07:06And so with that top of mind and not changing anything, even the bigger Camille Rose get,
07:14I'm always grounded and rooted in my purpose, my reason for starting the brand and wanting
07:21to share my products with the world.
07:24Yeah.
07:25Thank you so much for that.
07:26So when you think about how hair and identity intersect for us as black women, what comes
07:32to mind for you immediately?
07:34We don't play about our hair at all.
07:37Black women, I mean, all things beauty.
07:39We love that.
07:41Yeah.
07:41And so, man, I think our creativity and not just with hair, like with our fashion.
07:49Yeah.
07:50With the makeup, like our whole style, our culture.
07:53You know, I think for black people, our culture is style.
08:00It's creativity.
08:01And so, you know, that's pretty much it.
08:06When I formulate a product, it's all about our culture.
08:09Yeah.
08:10And I love that.
08:11I love how us as black women today, it may be braids.
08:13Tomorrow, it may be a bust out.
08:16Yes.
08:16The next day, it is curly hair.
08:19Twist out.
08:20Twist out.
08:20My hair is so versatile.
08:22Yes, and that's what I love.
08:23That's the way of being natural.
08:24Absolutely.
08:25And you can do so many things with it.
08:27And especially with curly hair, there's a lot of things you can do.
08:31You can do, and there's no rules.
08:33Like if you want to wear your hair straight one day, just blow it out, flat iron it, and
08:37rock it straight.
08:38And then put water on it and some curl up, moisture milk, and curl maker and curl it back
08:44up.
08:44So that's the beauty of natural hair.
08:46The way that curl maker defines the curls, it makes it all great, and it's very moisturizing,
08:52so I love using that.
08:54So what excites you most about, when we think about natural hair, we talk about the natural
08:58hair movement.
08:59It isn't something new, but it's something that continues to evolve.
09:02Where do you think it's heading?
09:03It's definitely not a fad, and I'm excited because this movement started before Camille
09:11Rose was even thought of.
09:14Yeah.
09:14And I'm so excited that we embraced it, and we're keeping it going, and it's not faddish.
09:22And we've accepted our naturalness, you know what I'm saying?
09:27And so we're loving it.
09:28We're learning how to style our curls, our kinks, our coils, and so it's definitely here
09:36to stay.
09:37I think that black women, we're all label readers now.
09:42You know, we care.
09:42That is so true.
09:43Yeah, we want to know what we're putting on our hair, what we're putting on our body,
09:47and so that's the beautiful thing of it because we're all educating ourselves on the importance
09:53of ingredients.
09:55Ingredients, yeah.
09:56You know, I can think of some times I've gone into the supermarket, and I meet another black
10:00woman in the aisle, and she's like, what you think about this, sis?
10:03And we'll just stand up there chatting about what worked on our hair, what didn't, what
10:07we're trying next, and it's always a really great conversation.
10:10It's definitely a conversational piece.
10:13Yeah.
10:13And so it's also exciting because we are making our own products.
10:20You know, our voices are being heard.
10:23We are saying what we want for our hair, for our skin.
10:27And you have black-owned brands like Camille Rose that's actually listening and delivering.
10:33Yeah.
10:34What is something would you say that, you know, supporters of the Camille Rose brand have
10:40said they wanted, and you listened, you know, and then you were like, okay, we're listening.
10:43We're going to try something else.
10:45We're going to add something.
10:46Oh, yeah, girl.
10:47People be in my DMs.
10:48They're right.
10:49I need, can you make a harder, extreme holding gel?
10:54Like, we need another foam in this collection.
10:56And so I definitely take that to heart.
10:59The good thing about Camille Rose and myself is I am a formulator.
11:05And so I call myself a kitchen chemist.
11:07Yes, kitchen chemist.
11:08I love that term, kitchen chemist.
11:09And so, you know, whatever people are wanting, I'm going to my kitchen, I'm on my lab, and I'm
11:17playing so I can deliver there.
11:19You can deliver.
11:19So to keep the conversation moving here, Camille Rose is the number one black woman-owned brand
11:27in the multicultural here space.
11:30Why do you think that is?
11:31What makes this brand stand out in such a crowded market?
11:39Well, everybody's not black-owned anymore.
11:42And so I think that in our community, we definitely want to have ownership.
11:51And so with me and my brand, I decided to grow organically, grow naturally, grow at my own
11:58pace.
11:59Grow at your own pace.
12:00Yeah.
12:00And so by me doing that, I was able to afford, you know, to keep growing.
12:10And so I didn't put too much pressure on myself at all.
12:13Like, we want all the stores.
12:15We want to be here.
12:16We want to be there.
12:17You know, I didn't.
12:18Just scaled up.
12:19Natural scale up.
12:19Yeah, natural and organic.
12:21Over time.
12:21And because of that, you know, I was able to keep Camille Rose in my own house.
12:26Yeah.
12:27Yeah.
12:27Yeah.
12:28Love that.
12:28Thank you so much for sharing that.
12:30We're talking about heritage here, legacy, all the things.
12:34What are some of the things that you learned from, you know, your own family, the black
12:38women in your family, other generations that you still carry with you today as a hair care
12:43entrepreneur?
12:44And I know, like, that's part of your story.
12:47Yeah.
12:47So my brand, Camille Rose, is dedicated to my grandmother.
12:52And I did that because she was the original Camille Rose.
12:55She lived until she was 99 years old, never went to a doctor, you know, never really could
13:02afford to go to a doctor.
13:03So anytime, like, we got sick in a family, she was in the kitchen making her own meds
13:10and, you know, working on us herself.
13:13And so that's the root of Camille Rose because we're handcrafted with love.
13:19Absolutely.
13:19You know, all of our formulas are made by me, I own my own formulas, and it all started
13:24with me.
13:25Yeah.
13:25And so I think that because of what I saw my grandmother do, you know, for us, it just
13:32inspired me to do the same.
13:34Yeah.
13:35I love that.
13:35And I love that there's that story, that family story.
13:40Definitely.
13:41Behind the brand.
13:42And you mentioned your children a little bit earlier and how part of why you even started
13:47the brand was trying to find remedies for some of the ailments that they were dealing
13:51with.
13:52What do your kids kind of say now, all these years later, this brand has become so big
13:56and it started, you know, started with the kitchen chemist, mixing things up in the kitchen.
13:59You know, first of all, I had them working for a very long time and when I started the
14:06brand in 2011, it was because of them, because of like the bleeding eczemas.
14:11I really started with skincare.
14:13I started in skin first and then when I started, it was right at the natural hair movement.
14:20Right.
14:20Right on the cusp of when everything was like happening and that turn was taken place.
14:25Yes, and so hair just took off and we are now, I don't know if you guys know this, but
14:34we have two booths this year.
14:35We have the hair booth here and then we have Camille Rose Wellness up front in Soca Market
14:42and I've always wanted to, I had a notebook full of formulas, so I always wanted to bring
14:50Camille Rose Body Out, Camille Rose Home.
14:52We got great candles, Camille Rose Clean and Surprise, Camille Rose Baby, so everything.
14:58Oh, you have us covered.
14:59Yes, because I was making everything.
15:01I was like, okay, I got to, I don't want to buy it from a store.
15:05Like, let me, let me figure out how to make this.
15:07How to make it.
15:08Washer powder for our clothes, all purpose cleaner.
15:12And so I did just that and so I'm excited to finally have the bandwidth to show a little
15:17more of products.
15:18Yes, I think you brought me right into one of the next questions, which has to do with
15:26just talking a little bit about that evolution of the brand and what's next.
15:30So you gave us a little bit about home wellness.
15:33So where can we, how can we support and find these products?
15:36Like, are all of them out on the market yet?
15:38Are things still to come?
15:40Let us know.
15:40No, well, it's on our number one retailer, at the number one retailer, which is CamilleRose.com
15:47because we always look at our e-commerce as a retail store.
15:52So you can find more than hair products definitely on our website.
15:57Yeah, awesome.
15:59But it's not in stores yet.
16:01Okay.
16:02It's coming.
16:02But it's coming.
16:04But we heard it here first.
16:05Absolutely.
16:06So I have to ask you, I know this may be tough, but what are three must-have CamilleRose products?
16:15Like your CamilleRose holy grail, if you will.
16:18Look, Curl Love, Curl Maker, y'all.
16:22Everybody's into mousses right now, so y'all got to try a Spine Honey Mousse.
16:27Almond Jai Twisting Butter.
16:28These are oldies with goodies.
16:30And our Cocoa Nibs Growth Serum, oldie but goodie.
16:35It has all of the Ayurvedic MSM binds and herbs in it.
16:39So we have them all here.
16:41Okay.
16:41All right.
16:42We, I got to make sure that the Curl Maker will always be on the holy grail for me.
16:47But now I have the two other ones that I have to try.
16:50What's good about the Curl Love Moisture Milk, that is the number one moisturizer in not just our category, like in the hair care department overall.
17:05Overall.
17:05Not just in textured hair.
17:07So we're very proud of that.
17:08Yeah, as you should be.
17:09Clap it up for that.
17:10That's amazing.
17:10Clap it up for that.
17:40No rules.
17:42Because when I first went natural, it was so many rules.
17:47Like, don't use the shampoo.
17:49You got to keep cold washing.
17:51Never straighten your hair.
17:53Like, all that.
17:54Don't use protein.
17:56And I think that it made it tough.
17:59Like, especially if you don't really know your true texture.
18:05I mean, I started getting a relaxer at the age of 12.
18:08I don't know about you.
18:09It was like probably 12, 13 for me, too.
18:12Yeah, at the age of 12.
18:13So you really don't know what your true texture is.
18:17And that takes time to figure out.
18:19It took, listen, there's something called scalp head.
18:23I don't know.
18:23When I transitioned, my true texture felt like a Brillo pad.
18:29And I was like, well, what's going on?
18:32You know, I don't remember my hair really feeling like rough like a Brillo pad.
18:36But I started researching.
18:37And it's something called a scalp head.
18:40And they said that you have to allow your scalp to heal.
18:46I mean, if you're putting a relaxer on your hair every three months for years, your scalp and everything has to heal before it comes back as its true texture.
18:57And so I had to get like an aloe vera plant and pure tea tree oil and start greasing my scalp with that like twice a day for months before my true texture came back.
19:12And so just remember, there are no rules.
19:16Like enjoy your hair.
19:18Enjoy discovering what your hair really looks like.
19:22Enjoy different styles.
19:24If you want to straighten it and blow it out one day.
19:26Because back in the day, if you was a natural girl and got caught blowing your hair out, child, it was going to call the police.
19:34So just no rules.
19:36Throw all the rules out and just enjoy your naturalness.
19:39Enjoy your hair and no rules.
19:41And try things, like you said.
19:43Try stuff out.
19:44So what's next for the Camille Rose brand?
19:49Like I said, Camille Rose Beauty is launching.
19:53You know, I really want to get to a point where you have a Camille Rose product in every category of a store.
20:01You know, it's no black-owned brand that's done that yet.
20:05So we are more than a hairstyle.
20:08We are a lifestyle.
20:08So I want to make sure it's Camille Rose Baby Products, Camille Rose Home, Camille Rose Face, Camille Rose, everything.
20:18Everything.
20:18Yeah.
20:19Yeah.
20:19Well, we'll be watching and waiting.
20:21We've got a lot of work ahead of us.
20:22But we're here for it.
20:25And we need y'all's support.
20:29No.
20:30Thank you, Janelle.
20:31I want to thank you so much for being here with us today.
20:34As we wrap up, I just want you to please let everyone know, like, how we can keep up, where we can go and find things.
20:40I know you mentioned the site before, but let us know again, how can we connect on social, all of those things.
20:45Absolutely.
20:45So we are in every major retail store.
20:48Of course, we are in, you can find us on our website, CamilleRose.com, TikTok, Instagram, me, myself, Janelle, J-A-N-E-L-L, underscore Stevens with a P-H, S-T-E-P-H-E-N-S.
21:06Y'all, make sure y'all follow me for behind the scenes, what it takes to grow a business because it's not a game.
21:13But, yeah, just everywhere.
21:17Thank you so much, Janelle.
21:19Thank you, our amazing audience.
21:21Please give it up one more time for Janelle Stevens.
21:43We'll see you next time.
21:51White diamonds, 2 a.m.
21:52She's wildin'.
21:53Bitches sick, got they stomach in her comments.
21:56What school you into?
21:58God, dinner, something.
21:59Westchester, King, Drew, do we function?
22:02Little nigga, but that dog gave me that some cup.
22:05All my kids, I'll sock you niggas up.
22:07How you ever took a fade in red?
22:09Three more back to back.
22:10All you having, then shut the fuck up and keep it rap.
22:13Cuck, cuck, cuck.
22:15Bitch, I'm from the land.
22:16Don't say you hate L.A. when you don't travel past the 10.
22:20Am I tripping?
22:21Yes, I am.
22:22Meditate over some money.
22:23I see Franklin, I find Zan.
22:26Bitch, I'm from the land.
22:28Don't say you hate L.A. but live in L.A. and pretend.
22:31My neck on Tarantino, Alejandro, Whiteley.
22:34Just know you took the scene and brought a few stand by me.
22:36So, bitch.
22:37So, fly in this bitch.
22:3950 on me, don't die trying and shit.
22:42No, I'm up and down when I slide in this bitch.
22:45Femurs and the jets outside in this bitch.
22:48West side, get the money.
22:49Yeah, that's the job.
22:51Straight down.
22:51I'm really glad to meet you.
23:03You're recommended to me by some people.
23:06Hey.
23:08Is this illegal?
23:10Hey.
23:11It feels illegal.
23:13I've solved it quite a few times with paranoia.
23:17Oh, I should name it.
23:18No, I should call you.
23:20Hey.
23:21It's 24 long.
23:23Hey.
23:24We're getting higher on the corner.
23:26We're up to work.
23:28Now you're sitting on my bed.
23:30Then
23:30then