We had the good fortune of connecting with Natalia Riettie and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Natalia, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Growing up, as a Black Jamaican girl I remember always wanting to have long hair. But due to a lack of knowledge, I wasn’t able to grow my hair past my shoulders.

I remember being told growing up that in order to grow long, thick hair, you had to be either biracial, mixed-raced or non-black. Not much information was available to us about how to take care of type 4 natural hair.

In the 90s and early 2000s, we didn’t have much representation in the media either and the only representation that was available to us, on-screen were usually biracial women with loosely textured hair.

 However, everything changed when I met my Physics teacher on December 2012. She was a black woman with waist-length relaxed hair. I was indeed amazed to see a black woman with such a long head of hair that wasn’t mixed.
 I began asking her questions about her hair because I was so fascinated with how long and thick her hair was.  At that moment, that’s when my passion for natural hair began. I began to educate myself on how to care for afro-textured hair and I started my very successful natural hair journey.

Originally, my plans were to become a doctor. Everything I had done, the subjects I did, paved the way for that goal. But one faithful night I remember asking myself a very important question. “Do I want to become a doctor?” and the answer was no. I then prayed to Jesus Christ asking him to help lead me to the right career path and I was led to start my own Natural Hair Company where I educated Black people about natural hair care and help them achieve their hair goals.

Fast forward to April 2022 I launched my natural hair care company that is geared towards helping, empowering and inspiring black people to grow and rock their natural hair.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I am most proud of launching my Natural Hair Company “Nature’s Natural Remedies” which is a plant-based natural hair brand. I get so emotional every time when I think about my company because it was truly a journey.

I have been on social media for a hot minute and most of my content is centred around do-it-yourself (DIY) natural hair care products. During this time, I would get DMs daily asking if I was selling the products I created and my answer was usually no.

I honestly, wanted to launch my company years ago but I let fear cripple me. My biggest obstacle was self-doubt. I often wondered if people would like my products, if I’m good enough or if it was too late to be a part of this industry.

Before 2014 there weren’t a lot of natural hair care brands because back then natural hair wasn’t as popular. But now in 2022, the market is a bit saturated. Everywhere you turn someone was launching their own hair care line and it got a bit overwhelming.

But thank God for my mom because she gave me an analogy about a supermarket having multiple bread companies and each bread company was striving. Then she began to say, “when God says it’s yours then it’s yours and no weapon that formeth against you will ever prosper.” My mom, dad and fiance’ were very supportive of my dream and they helped encourage me to launch my business.

The lessons I have learned along the way are:

1. Always do your research to ensure that you have the correct information.
2. Never doubt yourself. If God put it in your heart to do something, then he will equip you with the right tools to do it.
3. Not everyone is supportive of your dreams. Do not let negative energy influence you. Pray and trust God and God will carry you through.
4. You are going to make mistakes and that is 100% okay. If there is no failure then there won’t be any growth.
5. Be patient and consistent. Patience and consistency work hand in hand. Consistency is the key to success but you should also be patient because Rome wasn’t built overnight.

Lastly, I want the world to know that I am truly passionate about hair care. Hair care has thought me so much about myself and has helped build my confidence. It has made me appreciate my beauty so much and keeps me connected to my African roots. My goal is to inspire black people to love and take care of their hair, whether it’s thick, fine, coarse or thin. I want to share my knowledge and help as many naturalistas as I can retain length using natural ingredients and Ayurvedic herbs.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Firstly, if my best friend was visiting the area I am heavily introverted so 9/10 we would probably be at home chilling. But if we were to go out I am a born foodie so we more likely do a week of eating at different restaurants.

Sunday: We would go to Devon House in Kingston for ice cream.
Monday: We would have a panic at Hope Gardens.
Tuesday: We would go to Chilitos for Taco Tuesdays.
Wednesday: We would have lunch at Abar.
Thursday: We would go 100 for good food and a vibe
Friday: To start the weekend right we would go back to Chilitos for Margarita Fridays.
Saturday: We go to the beach in Ocho Rios.

The most fun and interesting exciting people are Jamaican people hands down. Jamaican people are one of the nicest, funniest down-to-earth people you would ever meet. Our authenticity is unmatched period!!!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The natural hair influencer that deserves a shoutout is @prettylaize on IG. She Is an amazing woman and I admire how she balances her career, motherhood, content creating and being a wife. She works hard and she truly deserves the shoutout.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/findingtaliana?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCeBHAhS_Z-JbSgUR8R8Puhw

Other: Pinterest https://pin.it/1G0ARNO Tik Tok https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMNLt8bGy/

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutMiami is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.