THE STORY OF ONYX Botanicals

Cyndi Peterson

Cosmetic Architect

Heyyy I’m Cyndi Peterson—Cosmetic architect for Onyx Botanicals, and I love making products!

If I’m being honest with myself (and I’m sure some of you can relate), when combing my hair over the years, I wanted to catch every strand... I did everything from braids, weaves, cornrows, ponytails, and pulled my hair back into tight hairstyles!

Not only did I change and weaken the structure of my hair shaft by using hair relaxers and other chemical products (as long as my hair was on point) I was good or so I thought. Looking back I remember my hair being so tight I would sleep sitting in a upright position because it hurt to put my head on the pillow.

I would get small pimples on my scalp around my braids and at times my scalp became red and itchy.

In December 2020 as I was taking out my braids my hair felt extremely dry and thin, there was a lot of hair falling with each braid I took out. I was concerned but still didn’t think much of it until I finished and looked in the mirror. As I stood there, I was shocked at what was staring back at me.

I’m not sure how long I stood there but I just started crying! Not only was my hair broken and damaged in so many places, my hair frontal, side, the most of the back edges were completely gone.

I developed a medical condition called Traction Alopecia from over a decade of continuous trauma to my hair follicles.

I started hearing comments from people close to me like “You look like a balding old man” “Wow, girl what’s up with your hair”. I was devastated and went into hiding. I stopped posting on all my social media platforms and taking pictures was a thing of the past.

I went on a hunt to find products to help repair my hair but hit a road block. I was truly unaware of how many products contained harmful chemicals for my hair type and not to mention ingredients that triggered my allergies.

I made a decision to create my own haircare products in January 2021 because I read somewhere that if you caught Traction Alopecia early my hair may grow back. However, I didn’t have a clue where to start.

In my quest to fix my hair, I researched ingredients and had a couple consultations with a cosmetic chemist specializing in natural hair care.

I started working with a combination of raw natural and organic botanical ingredients, and formulated my first hair oil, hair grease and an edge treatment in Feb. 2021. I began a very strict haircare routine which began with cutting my hair and eating even healthier.

I became obsessed with needing to know the science and benefit behind every ingredient and how it affected my body... and with that, I started to make my own hair and skin care products.

Applying the Science

I found myself at times drawn to the internet for advice and with all the false information circling the web I enrolled in two diploma programs from the School of Natural Skincare: Natural Skincare Formulation and Natural Haircare Formulation.

I loved that not only did I learn how to formulate high-quality natural, organic, vegan, clean and sustainable professional skincare products that comply with the cosmetic regulations, I learned the science behind it all.

Real Results

Within 3-4 months, I started to see real results and now when people saw my hair, they would make comments like “wow, your hair is growing back”, “What products are you using?" and “Wow girl I can’t call you bald anymore”.

I explained my journey and before long my friends were calling me asking and if they could purchase my products. I was a bit hesitant but asked if they would be product testers instead. After testing for a couple of months, I loved the results I saw, welcomed any feedback and implemented changes accordingly.

I found there was a huge gap in the market for natural hair product for black hair. For decades society has made us feel that our hair isn’t good enough and because everyone wants a sense of belonging, we straighten and permed our hair without knowing the full cost or should I say “loss of our hair”.

"One of the biggest things I love about formulating my products is that it got me to fall in love with me. I truly love the way my hair and skin looks and feels. It’s so healthy and it smells so good too (hahaha). Oh gosh, I just love it" .