From Left to Right: Ensie Durin, Locsanity Global Brand Ambassador & Charmaine James, Founder & CEO
Charmaine James, Founder & CEO of Locsanity
Ensie Durin, Locsanity’s Global Brand Ambassador, moisturizing her locs with the Locsanity Rosewater & Peppermint Daily Spray
One of 10 Winners Selected from Nearly 4,000 Applicants
— Charmaine James
CORAL SPRINGS, FLORIDA, USA, May 17, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Locsanity is one of 9 companies that has received a $20,000 small business grant from FedEx Corporation. Fedex announced that they have awarded over $230,000 in grants. Nearly 4,000 businesses from across the country applied to their Small Business Grant program. Charmaine James, founder and CEO of the loc, natural hair and personal care brand has an extraordinary story which she shared in her application by video.
James, who is from Jamaica, has had a history of hair horror stories, trying to live up to “mainstream societal beauty standards.” A story resonating with so many people who suffer in silence and succumb to the pressures of trying to fit a certain image. “For most people of African heritage, wearing your hair in a perm is daunting,” says James. “It’s not only time consuming to manage, but treated hair generally cannot get wet. That means being extra careful every morning in the shower. In Florida, if you’re caught in the rain or a take a beach day, it’s back to the salon, which can get quite costly.” That’s why James ultimately turned to locs.
Her traumatic hair journey began when James arrived in the U.S. at just 6-years-old. Her grandmother immediately permed her hair to make it look more “acceptable,” a prevalent mindset that harkens back to Jamaica’s colonial roots. The results: her hair fell out and kids at school teased her, calling her a little boy. By 5th grade, James had had enough. She began taking control of her own hair care, learning how to braid hair, not only for herself, but others. Turning it into a business by 13!
But when she entered the corporate world after college, she felt pressure to comply with an image that felt inauthentic and unsustainable. She began perming her hair to make it straight, once more. She continued with this grooming regimen until one day, her daughter told her she wanted to have straight hair like hers. James said, it was a “gut punch.” She wanted her daughter to understand her hair was beautiful in its natural state so she wouldn’t have to go through the same hair trauma. So, James decided to go all natural. There was just one problem – she was a novice at natural hair care. Undeterred, she closed this gap with meticulous research and ultimately came up with various product formulas which all now bear the Locsanity name.
James’ team bottles all the products by hand in the company’s Coral Springs warehouse. With the $20,000 FedEx grant, they will have the financing to automate many of these processes.
“We’re so unbelievably thankful to FedEx for being an amazing business partner,” said James. “This award is a validation of all the hard work we’ve done to create something meaningful for our family and our community.”
Oneil Williams
Locsanity
+1 954-489-8109
oneil.w@locsanity.com
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Locsanity FedEx Grant Video Submission
