Inside the Boutique of Karen’s Body Beautiful

You can not log-on to a natural hair community website without finding a discussion on Karen’s Body Beautiful aka KBB – products. Her innumerous fans post page after page of KBB praises – talking about the overall quality, scent, moisturizing properties, product versatility (i.e. using the Hair Milk as a deep conditioner), and natural ingredients. As the name denotes, Karen’s Body Beautiful not only provides natural hair products, but products for your face and body, for the entire family.

“My mission is to promote a healthy, holistic approach to beauty by creating handmade hair, body and bath products made from a diverse selection of the highest quality natural ingredients from around the world. I firmly believe that health, beauty and wellness are entwined and so nature supplies us with all of the ingredients we need to create products to enhance your natural beauty. “- Karen Tappin Saunderson – of Karen’s Body Beautiful

Karen Body’s Beautiful Boutique and soon- to-come spa is located in Brooklyn, New York. But no need to worry if you can’t make it to BK, because you can experience her wonderful natural goodies with a few keystrokes by visiting the store website – karensbodybeautiful.com. Her most popular hair products are Hair Milk and Luscious Locks Moisturizing Hair Mask. The most popular scent is Pomegranate Guava.

Karen Tappin Saunderson’s hair story…
At around the age 13 or 14 – as most young girls do, Karen began getting interested in boys. She noticed that the boys were paying more attention to the other girls – the ones with perms – so she wanted one as well, but her mother was not having it. At that time Karen viewed natural hair, like her mother’s signature teenie-weenie-afro, as a style for older people. So although her mother told her she could not get a perm, Karen went behind her parents’ back and put one in herself.

Years later, her soon-to-be husband and Co-Founder of KBB, Damani Saunderson, and his family and friends, influenced Karen to stop perming her hair. Karen noticed that his family and circle of friends all wore their hair natural and it was beautiful. One day when she announced to him that she was going to get her hair “done”, he asked her, “Why?” That “why” although it was just one word, it carried a lot of weight with it. Karen began to ask herself “why” too.

Why do I perm my hair? Why alter my hair at (literally) all costs? What message am I telling the world by covering my natural hair with perm? Karen also felt that she was damaging her hair at all costs. She has since been natural for 10 years. Karen says that she understands that not everyone wants to wear their hair natural, but advises women to seriously ask themselves the question “why?”

“Can you look in the mirror and be happy with yourself 100%?” she asks. “Be true to yourself, do what’s most comfortable for your lifestyle, she added.

Karen’s Boutique …
Deciding at an early age that she wanted to be her own boss, at the age of 17 Karen was the CEO of her own mail order business, selling care packages. Karen’s Delicious Deliveries provided gourmet food gift baskets. Karen began paying attention to the labels of the items that were sold as a part of the baskets. As she read and studied the ingredients, she found that many of them were made with potential harmful chemicals such as carcinogens. She began replacing the items with natural ones, dropped the gourmet food and KBB was born.

In February of 2004, Karen and her husband opened Karen’s Body Beautiful, and after having to get up hours early before the shop opened to make her products in her home and then transport them to the shop on a daily basis, they added a kitchen within the shop. “I decided, why not work at work?” Karen shared.

Karen and her husband are also adding a spa to the back half of the shop that will offer manicures, pedicures, waxing, massages and body treatments, both for men and women. KBB is also planning a completely new look as far as product packaging – “It will be really fly and gorgeous,” Karen assures.

As far as switching to natural products Karen suggests finishing the products you have and as you run out, replacing them with natural ones. “Once you use them you will realize your hair and skin will benefit so much. You will see the difference in your life and your health. You’ll get inherent nutrients for your hair and body just as you do when you eat healthier. To me, it’s a rational decision,” she said.

More info on Karen’s Body Beautiful:
Website - www.karensbodybeautiful.com
Facebook Fan Page - www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-NY/Karens-Body-Beautiful/173856026169?ref=nf
Twitter: twitter.com/karensbeautiful