I went back to my roots.

When nothing worked.

As a hairdresser and beautician, I had spent years with men and women struggling with hair loss and skin problems — brought on by stress, by hormonal changes, by life being unpredictable. But nothing prepared me for my own battle with severe hair loss after a health crisis. It was more than just losing hair. It felt like losing a part of myself.

I tried everything — doctor's treatments, expensive products — and nothing worked. The hard water and the weather only made it worse, leaving my hair brittle, my scalp dry, my skin in distress. I felt powerless, as though I had no control over my own body any more.

Back to my roots.

My mother said the words I needed to hear: you have been in the Western world, you have forgotten your roots. She had always said it. This time I had to think about it — and I thought, all right, you are my last hope.

So I went back to the wisdom passed down through generations of my family. Using a cherished family recipe, I blended 29 natural oils, herbs and spices, with intention and with prayer, and I changed it until it worked. It worked on me. Then on my children. Then on my neighbours and friends — until everybody said: Samina, this should be out there.

“I am not taking the credit. This is Mother Nature. I am just representing it.”