If the key to beauty is healthy hair and skin, why not take care of them? Self Care @ Tiphanie’s is taking beauty regimes to new, natural levels, creating products to restore and maintain your voluminous hair and glowing skin.
Flair spoke to the beauty boss, Tiphanie Smith-McLynch, who shared her journey into this rejuvenating entrepreneurial pursuit. The registered nurse by training, and medical representative by profession, explained that her passion for owning a business stemmed from her parents’ positive influence.
“My father has always been self-employed, and growing up I was very fascinated to learn how he built his business from scratch,” she said.
The only question left to be answered when it came to her calling was what would be her area of expertise. “In my teenage years, I became very passionate about skincare and using naturally derived products. I was also very intrigued [by] pursuing dermatology,” she explained. So, combining her previous joys with newfound interests, she created JTM Wholistic Care. This passion for using natural products later influenced her decision to do a “big chop” in 2015.
“I was initially very unaware of how to take care of my natural hair, and delving into finding healthy products made me fall in love with natural haircare.”
Her introduction to skincare came when she decided to find a solution for her son’s eczema. “I began treating him with a lot of pharmaceutical products, but my efforts were unsuccessful.” She eventually tried the natural route that she was already using for her own skin, and formulated a mixture using natural products for her son. The results proved to be just what his skin needed and her son has never had a flare-up since. That gave birth to her first skincare product, the Whipped Moringa Butter. With a science background and a reignited passion for dermatology, her fate was sealed.
One year and four months into the beauty business, she could not be happier with her career choice. The company’s name, JTM Wholistic Care, pays homage to her family and signifies her union with her son and husband. Now, the business’ focus has shifted from just topical products to caring for the entire being; mental, physical, spiritual and emotional.
“Self Care @ Tiphanie’s reminds me to check in with myself regularly, to ensure that I am not serving from an empty vessel, but from one that is overflowing.”
Currently providing both skincare and haircare products, Self Care @ Tiphanie’s targets and treats conditions like hair loss, dry and/or itchy scalp, hair breakage, acne-prone skin, eczema, psoriasis, dark spots, and dry skin, among others. “It has been doing very well thus far. The brand is knocking on many doors and has resonated with a lot of persons. I have gotten touching reviews from customers, and many have become regular purchasers, due to the pleasing results they have received.”
Most of her product ingredients, she said, came to her randomly in the middle of the night. She recalls going to bed at nights with a notebook and pen close by, so sure that she would wake up with a new idea. She then did thorough research and a lot of trials before settling on these combinations.
Among the favourites are the Ayurvedic Hair Growth Oil, the Turmeric Clay Exfoliating Face Mask, and the turmeric, moringa and cannabis soaps. “I believe that customers love these products because they trust the brand, the work and love that go into making them, and also because of the desirable results that they have gotten from using these products,” she said.
And she has the success stories as added proof. She shared one with us. “One of my clients who was experiencing significant hair loss (bald spot), wanted to know if the Ayurvedic Hair Growth Oil would grow it back. I shared the truth with the client, and told him that it has been tested and proven to promote hair growth and reduce hair fall. But everyone is different, so I couldn’t guarantee that it would work. I informed him that he would just have to try it. He purchased a bottle in February and soon after, he started seeing results.” He is now a regular customer.
But no triumph is without its trials. The hurdles presented themselves in the form of unreliable moringa oil suppliers. She later took matters into her own hands by purchasing a machine designed to extract the oil. “Obstacles are a part of entrepreneurship, and life in general, which I remind myself every time I face one,” she added.
When asked why self-care is so important to her, she gave an insightful response.
“Every time we fly, we hear flight attendants sharing some variation of the oxygen mask rule: ‘Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area, please place the mask over your own mouth and nose before assisting others.’ In a nutshell, this is why. You can never give optimal service to others if you deprive yourself of care, and it is my belief that only my best is good enough.”
Smith-McLynch’s long-term plan is to make Self Care @ Tiphanie’s a household name globally.
For more information, you can follow the business page on social media platforms Instagram and Facebook, @selfcaretiphanies.
