MEET KARMELY

Founder of Bellurelle

The Interview

M

y name is Karmely, I’m originally from Montreal but lived in Toronto for a while. I run a skin care brand transitioning to be a hair care brand called Bellurelle. I make my own products from scratch and I’ve been selling them all over the world for the past five years.

MEET KARMELY

Founder of Bellurelle

The Interview

My name is Karmely, I’m originally from Montreal but lived in Toronto for a while. I run a skin care brand transitioning to be a hair care brand called Bellurelle. I make my own products from scratch and I’ve been selling them all over the world for the past five years.

WHAT MOTIVATED THE TRANSITION FROM SKINCARE TO MORE OF A HAIRCARE BRAND? 

Honestly, I just felt like a nudge for the longest time to just go all in with the hair care. That’s something I’m more passionate about and I figured that since I’ve been able to help myself with my own products, with my own hair oil, why not just keep on pushing that and help others? Especially at a time when artificiality is glorified and a lot of people wear a lot more weaves, wigs, braids, whatever the case may be, to cover up their natural hair.

The goal is really to just push women and children, you know, the next generation to just embrace their natural hair. 


IT’S PART OF WHAT WE WANT TO DO AS WELL, I AM SO APPRECIATIVE OF ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT INITIATIVES! CAN YOU SHARE WITH US YOUR HAIR JOURNEY AND HOW YOU’VE EMBRACED YOUR NATURAL TEXTURE OVER THE YEARS? 

Sure! I think that a lot of times we don’t talk about how your environment really has an effect on how you view your hair, and how it might have an effect on how you view yourself, right?

Growing up, I remember flat ironing my bangs and putting my hair in like a bun, you know what I mean? It wasn’t cute, it wasn’t cute at all, but at the time, I just felt like that would make me fit in. Then in high school, I had a phase where I was just dyeing my hair a whole bunch of different colors. I just feel like I never really knew how to take care of my hair or I never really appreciated my hair the way that it was up until this year. 

This is the first time that I’m going into the summer time without doing any braids, any weaves or anything, because I just want to see my hair on its own in that new season and just give it a chance to breathe. I feel like we were given this hair and it wasn’t by accident. So we should just learn how to take care of it and embrace it, not just tame it all the time. So that’s where I’m at right now. Just really trying to figure out what works with my hair and what doesn’t. 

THAT’S REALLY COOL! HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY NOW THAN YOU WERE DOING BEFORE THEN?

First, I want to try just touching my hair less in general. Our hair is so fragile and I myself had some problems with braids and extensions. I noticed that they were breaking or thinning out my hair. It was growing at the top but would always break at the bottom. I also want to keep on using my products consistently, doing wash-and-gos because I feel like that helps my hair a lot. Just giving my hair as much water, as much protein as possible with my products, and of course laying off of the store-bought products because they contain a lot of these drying alcohols that are really damaging for our hair. 

That’s why I created the Wash N’ Gro system! It doesn’t have any of those drying alcohols. It really just focuses on nourishing and helping the hair thrive in its natural state. 

And I also do trims. 


YOU’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT YOUR WASH N’ GRO SYSTEM AS PART OF YOUR PRODUCTS LINE. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT WHAT YOUR RECIPE IS LIKE IN TERMS OF THE STEPS?

First, always start with a clean scalp so I’ll wash my hair and then, of course, condition it. 

Second, I will use my butter. It’s light enough to use as a leave-in conditioner, but nourishing enough to use as a deep conditioner. It contains coconut butter which is really good for reviving, strengthening and reducing breakage, especially for brittle, dry low porosity hair. A side note, in my research, I’ve also noticed that our porosity changes with the seasons but also depending on where we live. For example, Montreal has hard water and it hurts our hair. I really try to make sure that the ingredients that I use work for where we live. 

The formula also contains mango butter, also a really good butter for our hair, superior to many because of its texture. There’s also baobab oil, very rich in vitamins K, D, E. It’s one of the more luxurious oils, which can make products a little bit more pricey. I also added castor oil and hydrolyzed rice protein. Hydrolyzed rice protein is different from  any kind of protein as the hydrolyzation means that it can penetrate better into the strand. Anything really, everything that our hair would love is in that butter.

I’ve also added neem powder which is a herb that is really, really good for our hair and shedding and fenugreek.

YOU’VE BEEN TESTING THESE FORMULAS SO WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT’S DIFFERENT WITH YOUR HAIR NOW? 

Well, I’ve noticed that my hair is a lot thicker. I actually went through a few trials and errors when it came to this product line (test with Moringa for example or figure out ways to remove residues) until it became the perfect formula with the perfect consistency. And now I notice how my hair is thicker, definitely longer. It’s also a lot softer, even on days when I’m not deep conditioning. And the products just last longer on the hair!


THIS IS AMAZING! NOW, SWAYED IS DEDICATED TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE FROM 3A TO 4C CURLS. DO YOU CATER TO THE SAME RANGE OF HAIR TYPES?

Bellurelle is more for textured hair, just because of how thick the butter is. But I’ve learned over time, especially while formulating these products, that technically all products can work for everyone, it really just depends on the amount that they put on their hair. Someone with 2A or 2B hair could use it, but they would have to use a lesser amount and more water. 

But I definitely kept us in mind when I was creating these products just because I really wanted us to have the best products for our hair, because there is a shortage of that in stores and pharmacies. Bigger companies catering to us launch cheaper products that introduce a lot more fillers instead of butters (we end up with products containing about 2% of the real butter). 

I just wanted to make sure that we get everything that we’re actually paying for. 

I ALSO WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT EXPERIENCES WITH HAIRSTYLISTS, CERTIFIED OR SELF-TAUGHT. HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO FIND THESE SERVICES AND WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE? 

I’ve been getting my hair done since I was about 16 and it was always really tricky to find hairstylists.  It was always from word-of-mouth or from me digging on Instagram, trying to find someone that does hair at a specific place. And then sometimes you would DM and won’t get a response for days. 

So whenever I find a stylist that I like, I stick with them forever instead of possibly giving other people a chance. For example, in my old area, I only go to one braider, Glad’s Touch near Henri-Bourassa and she’s really good; she’s always been my favorite braider. But now that I’ve moved to another part of Montreal, and it takes so much longer to get to her, it’s impractical. But I don’t even know who’s around me and who could possibly braid as well. I’d love to give other people a chance. But then, on Instagram, they don’t really show that much information. Honestly, it’s not even that reliable either, especially these days, so yeah, that’s been my experience. 


UNFORTUNATELY, IT’S BEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE’S EXPERIENCES. I’M HOPING THAT SWAYED CAN ALLEVIATE SOME OF THESE ISSUES AND MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE CAN FIND THE SERVICES THEY NEED WITH THE HELP OF GOOD REVIEWS. IN YOUR OPINION THOUGH, SINCE YOU KNOW THE PLATFORM, HOW DO YOU THINK SWAYED COULD HELP?

I definitely know that’s the way it will help because it will, you know kind of , how do I say this? I remember when I was at the launch, there were a lot of steps for stylists to even be credible on the site anyway.

They’d have to provide pictures. They’d have to provide what they specialize in, the hair type and everything. So that would definitely narrow down a lot of stylists so that people could find what and who exactly they’re looking for so that and also you know having the reviews accessible so that they’re able to see all of that and then knowing that it’s like the platform is you know for people with textured hair that just helps a lot in general so  yeah I think that will help 


CAN YOU SHARE ANY CULTURAL OR PERSONAL SIGNIFICANCE BEHIND YOUR HAIRSTYLES? FOR EXAMPLE, I’M WEST AFRICAN. WE BRAID OUR HAIR A LOT. 

Culturally, I don’t know if there’s anything specific because I’m Haitian. Of course we have a West African heritage so a lot of people wear braids, myself included. My mom used to put braids on us since the moment we were young. But for me personally right now, I was just trying to embrace or take care of my natural hair.  But over time, I’m starting to see more and more my hair as an accessory and it just adds to everything. Like, you know, if your hair is done, you look good. And if your hair is not done, it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. I’m trying to lean more towards taking care of my natural hair and lay off like all kinds of other styles, whatever it is. I might do a quick weave here and there, but that’s a quick weave, nothing that would break my hair.

Where to find Bellurelle products :

Karmely-Ann Mayard is the founder of Bellurelle!

You can find her Wash N’ Gro kit on: www.bellurelle.com

Follow Bellurelle on Instagram: @bellurelle

Follow Karmely on Instagram: @karmelyann

WHAT MOTIVATED THE TRANSITION FROM SKINCARE TO MORE OF A HAIRCARE BRAND? 

Honestly, I just felt like a nudge for the longest time to just go all in with the hair care. That’s something I’m more passionate about and I figured that since I’ve been able to help myself with my own products, with my own hair oil, why not just keep on pushing that and help others? Especially at a time when artificiality is glorified and a lot of people wear a lot more weaves, wigs, braids, whatever the case may be, to cover up their natural hair.

The goal is really to just push women and children, you know, the next generation to just embrace their natural hair. 

IT’S PART OF WHAT WE WANT TO DO AS WELL, I AM SO APPRECIATIVE OF ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT INITIATIVES! CAN YOU SHARE WITH US YOUR HAIR JOURNEY AND HOW YOU’VE EMBRACED YOUR NATURAL TEXTURE OVER THE YEARS? 

Sure! I think that a lot of times we don’t talk about how your environment really has an effect on how you view your hair, and how it might have an effect on how you view yourself, right?

Growing up, I remember flat ironing my bangs and putting my hair in like a bun, you know what I mean? It wasn’t cute, it wasn’t cute at all, but at the time, I just felt like that would make me fit in. Then in high school, I had a phase where I was just dyeing my hair a whole bunch of different colors. I just feel like I never really knew how to take care of my hair or I never really appreciated my hair the way that it was up until this year. 

This is the first time that I’m going into the summer time without doing any braids, any weaves or anything, because I just want to see my hair on its own in that new season and just give it a chance to breathe. I feel like we were given this hair and it wasn’t by accident. So we should just learn how to take care of it and embrace it, not just tame it all the time. So that’s where I’m at right now. Just really trying to figure out what works with my hair and what doesn’t. 

THAT’S REALLY COOL! HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY NOW THAN YOU WERE DOING BEFORE THEN?

First, I want to try just touching my hair less in general. Our hair is so fragile and I myself had some problems with braids and extensions. I noticed that they were breaking or thinning out my hair. It was growing at the top but would always break at the bottom. I also want to keep on using my products consistently, doing wash-and-gos because I feel like that helps my hair a lot. Just giving my hair as much water, as much protein as possible with my products, and of course laying off of the store-bought products because they contain a lot of these drying alcohols that are really damaging for our hair. 

That’s why I created the Wash N’ Gro system! It doesn’t have any of those drying alcohols. It really just focuses on nourishing and helping the hair thrive in its natural state. And I also do trims. 

YOU’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT YOUR WASH N’ GRO SYSTEM AS PART OF YOUR PRODUCTS LINE. CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT WHAT YOUR RECIPE IS LIKE IN TERMS OF THE STEPS?

First, always start with a clean scalp so I’ll wash my hair and then, of course, condition it. 

Second, I will use my butter. It’s light enough to use as a leave-in conditioner, but nourishing enough to use as a deep conditioner. It contains coconut butter which is really good for reviving, strengthening and reducing breakage, especially for brittle, dry low porosity hair. A side note, in my research, I’ve also noticed that our porosity changes with the seasons but also depending on where we live. For example, Montreal has hard water and it hurts our hair. I really try to make sure that the ingredients that I use work for where we live. 

The formula also contains mango butter, also a really good butter for our hair, superior to many because of its texture. There’s also baobab oil, very rich in vitamins K, D, E. It’s one of the more luxurious oils, which can make products a little bit more pricey. I also added castor oil and hydrolyzed rice protein. Hydrolyzed rice protein is different from  any kind of protein as the hydrolyzation means that it can penetrate better into the strand. Anything really, everything that our hair would love is in that butter.

I’ve also added neem powder which is a herb that is really, really good for our hair and shedding and fenugreek. 

YOU’VE BEEN TESTING THESE FORMULAS SO WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED THAT’S DIFFERENT WITH YOUR HAIR NOW? 

 

Well, I’ve noticed that my hair is a lot thicker. I actually went through a few trials and errors when it came to this product line (test with Moringa for example or figure out ways to remove residues) until it became the perfect formula with the perfect consistency. And now I notice how my hair is thicker, definitely longer. It’s also a lot softer, even on days when I’m not deep conditioning. And the products just last longer on the hair!

 

THIS IS AMAZING! NOW, SWAYED IS DEDICATED TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE FROM 3A TO 4C CURLS. DO YOU CATER TO THE SAME RANGE OF HAIR TYPES?

 

Bellurelle is more for textured hair, just because of how thick the butter is. But I’ve learned over time, especially while formulating these products, that technically all products can work for everyone, it really just depends on the amount that they put on their hair. Someone with 2A or 2B hair could use it, but they would have to use a lesser amount and more water. 

But I definitely kept us in mind when I was creating these products just because I really wanted us to have the best products for our hair, because there is a shortage of that in stores and pharmacies. Bigger companies catering to us launch cheaper products that introduce a lot more fillers instead of butters (we end up with products containing about 2% of the real butter). 

I just wanted to make sure that we get everything that we’re actually paying for.

I ALSO WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH HAIRSTYLISTS, CERTIFIED OR SELF-TAUGHT. HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO FIND THESE SERVICES AND WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE? 

I’ve been getting my hair done since I was about 16 and it was always really tricky to find hairstylists.  It was always from word-of-mouth or from me digging on Instagram, trying to find someone that does hair at a specific place. And then sometimes you would DM and won’t get a response for days. 

So whenever I find a stylist that I like, I stick with them forever instead of possibly giving other people a chance. For example, in my old area, I only go to one braider, Glad’s Touch near Henri-Bourassa and she’s really good; she’s always been my favorite braider. But now that I’ve moved to another part of Montreal, and it takes so much longer to get to her, it’s impractical. But I don’t even know who’s around me and who could possibly braid as well. I’d love to give other people a chance. But then, on Instagram, they don’t really show that much information. Honestly, it’s not even that reliable either, especially these days, so yeah, that’s been my experience. 

UNFORTUNATELY, IT’S BEEN A LOT OF PEOPLE’S EXPERIENCES. I’M HOPING THAT SWAYED CAN ALLEVIATE SOME OF THESE ISSUES AND MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE CAN FIND THE SERVICES THEY NEED WITH THE HELP OF GOOD REVIEWS. IN YOUR OPINION THOUGH, SINCE YOU KNOW THE PLATFORM, HOW DO YOU THINK SWAYED COULD HELP?

I definitely know that’s the way it will help because it will, you know kind of , how do I say this? I remember when I was at the launch, there were a lot of steps for stylists to even be credible on the site anyway.

They’d have to provide pictures. They’d have to provide what they specialize in, the hair type and everything. So that would definitely narrow down a lot of stylists so that people could find what and who exactly they’re looking for so that and also you know having the reviews accessible so that they’re able to see all of that and then knowing that it’s like the platform is you know for people with textured hair that just helps a lot in general so  yeah I think that will help 

CAN YOU SHARE ANY CULTURAL OR PERSONAL SIGNIFICANCE BEHIND YOUR HAIRSTYLES? FOR EXAMPLE, I’M WEST AFRICAN. WE BRAID OUR HAIR A LOT. 

Culturally, I don’t know if there’s anything specific because I’m Haitian. Of course we have a West African heritage so a lot of people wear braids, myself included. My mom used to put braids on us since the moment we were young. But for me personally right now, I was just trying to embrace or take care of my natural hair.  But over time, I’m starting to see more and more my hair as an accessory and it just adds to everything. Like, you know, if your hair is done, you look good. And if your hair is not done, it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. I’m trying to lean more towards taking care of my natural hair and lay off like all kinds of other styles, whatever it is. I might do a quick weave here and there, but that’s a quick weave, nothing that would break my hair.

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Where to find Bellurelle products :

Karmely-Ann Mayard is the founder of Bellurelle!

You can find her Wash N’ Gro kit on: www.bellurelle.com

Follow Bellurelle on Instagram: @bellurelle

Follow Karmely on Instagram: @karmelyann

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