Fourth-year public relations student India Gay suffered from eczema and sensitive skin all of her life.
Hence, most mainstream products never worked for her because of harsh additives and fragrances. Because of this predicament, Gay said she often spent extra time searching for serums that fit her needs.
At the age of 16, Gay decided to throw in the towel and make the products she needed herself.
“Though I have always been a D-I-Y fanatic, this brand truly came into play after I discovered many of the harmful and misleading processes that take place in the haircare industry,” Gay said.
Synai Symone is a plant-based hair care brand. While Gay began making hair, skin and body care solutions at 14 years old, she didn’t formally launch the company until two years later. The brand caters to customers with curly, oily and kinky textures. The cosmetic business sells items such as shampoo, hair oil, conditioning mist and hair butter.
Gay manufactures the products by purchasing natural ingredients, such as organic neem leaf and lemongrass, wholesale. She then combines her elements at home to make the concoctions. Gay packages and labels the finished merchandise at home as well.
“Production days, for me, are a weekend investment. On days I’m making product, I’m typically in the kitchen from around 6 a.m. to around 11 p.m.,” Gay said.
According to Gay, she doesn’t make more than ten items at a time. The stock of her products depends on how consistently they are purchased. Customers can buy Sinai Simone products through her online website, where users can also take a hair quiz to evaluate which item best matches their features. The website also offers a list of all of the ingredients in each hair care item.
“I wanted to create a line that was not only completely transparent and catered towards the needs of people like me but also a platform that could help educate our community,” Gay said.
After hearing of the brand through a word-of-mouth recommendation, third-year broadcast journalism student Isaac Louis decided to test the hair care product out for himself. Louis purchased the stimulating black soap shampoo and the aloe vera hydration mist, both of which he said he was satisfied with.
“I’ve been using the shampoo since the beginning of the summer, and it cleanses my locs like no other,” Louis said. “The consistency is great. It isn’t too thick or thin. It’s just right.”
Louis was attracted to Sinai Simone because their manufacturing methods stood out from other brands. The hair care company offers customers natural products without sacrificing accessibility or affordability.
“What makes
Synai Symone different from other brands is it is both natural and affordable. Usually, when I’m looking for loc-friendly products, they’re either affordable with potentially harmful ingredients or natural and expensive,” Louis said.
Like Louis, third-year business student Haley Carina shops at Synai Symone because of the brand’s sustainable nature. Carina said the hair products allow her to indulge in self-care without a guilty conscience.
“Synai Symone products are not tested on animals, contain no mineral oil, silicones or sulfates while being reasonably priced,” Carina said. “Most importantly, it’s a Black-owned brand. Redistribution of the Black dollar is crucial.”
Gay’s products are a love letter to her own sensitive skin, as well as others who struggle to find forgiving hair care solutions.
“What’s special about these products is that each are formulated and handmade by me, a Black woman who has experienced uncontrollable irritation from a variety of popular products out there,” Gay said. “My goal is to help other people like me embrace their hair, skin and body with my products.”