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Kitiya King

Source: Fitsum Belay / Fitsum Belay

Mother, beautician, entrepreneur, Kitiya King has taken the nail care industry by storm. Her love for beauty and science led her to create Mischo Beauty, a collection of nail polishes that are toxin-free, vegan-friendly, cruelty-free and gluten-free. Women love to pamper themselves with bi-weekly manicures and pedicures. Unfortunately, we aren’t made aware of all the hazardous toxins that are found in nail polish.

Similar to most women, King learned of the dangerous ingredients in nail polish when she was pregnant. She told Madame Noire in an exclusive interview, “Before I became pregnant, I did not pay attention at all (to the toxins in nail polish). I have a background in chemistry and I went to cosmetology school but I just didn’t pay attention. I wasn’t reading the label. It wasn’t until I became pregnant – and then you become aware of everything – what you should be eating, what you should not be eating, what you should be putting on your body, what you should not be putting on your body,” King explained.

Mischo Beauty by Kitiya King

Source: Fitsum Belay / Fitsum Belay

She continues, “I always had my nails done. I was into beauty, I had a beauty blog, I had tons of polish and it was at that time that I started investigating ingredients in nail polish. When you open a bottle of nail polish and the smell alone knocks you out, you kinda have to step back and reevaluate that. In all fairness, I never paid it attention. You go to the nail salon and you’re used to smelling those fumes. When I was pregnant, I could barely tolerate any of that. I was so sensitized to so many smells and fumes. That gave me the push to create something that was cleaner.”

And so it began. King set out to create a product that not only promotes healthy nails, she took full advantage of the resources provided to her as a black, female entrepreneur. Over the last couple of years, black women have dominated the business world. According to Forbes.com, black women represent the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs in America. Now, women of color are better equipped to carry out their dreams and start that business they’ve always wanted.

I feel as though now is the time to take matters into our own hands.  Now is the time to stop relying on everyone else to provide what it is we want or what it is we need.  There are resources out there, there are networks out there who can help us create whatever it is that we desire, we need, and want. If there was ever a time to step out and do that – and don’t get me wrong, Black women have been stepping out since the beginning of time and creating what we didn’t have and what we needed – but in the world that we live in now, with technology, with knowledge, with those who have paved the way before us, there’s no reason we can’t start whatever it is that we’ve been wanting to start. There is no excuse.

There is no excuse, except for maybe one. In the world of black female entrepreneurs, there is a general lack of support that can hinder a business’ growth and potential. Social media has sparked the conversation of the need of support within the black community. Specialized days like Small Business Saturday has raised awareness around keeping small businesses afloat so that we can continue to keep money within our community. If you think about it, other communities have mastered the art of circulating their dollar. Slowly but surely, we are making strides in that direction.

I really want people to put action behind the tweets, the Instagram posts and the conversation. The posts are fine, the tweets are fine, the conversation and the seminars are all great, but please put your dollar behind that. One of the main reasons why I was doing the crowdfunding campaign is because women get 2.5% of district capital funding but black women get 0.02% of that. So the funding for us really isn’t there like it should be. We need support from our community, support from our friends, support from our family, support from everyone we know to really stand behind us and put their money where their mouth is, where their tweets are, where their posts are.

Currently, King is seeking the support of the community to expand her brand. The We Love Mischo initiative was launched to help create more products that are clean and safe. “Unfortunately, I lack the funding to do the research and development needed to launch these products,” she explained.

Ultimately, King would like to expand into a full-purpose brand that is a one-stop-shop for beauty. “My passion is clean beauty, green beauty, safe beauty, healthy beauty. Now that I’ve launched this nail polish line, it needs to be extended to color cosmetics. With my background being in chemistry and being a licensed cosmetologist and esthetician, I want to extend that even further into skin care and hair care. But first, it will be color cosmetics.

King continued, “Beauty is my passion and I love science, its always been a passion of mine to combine my love of science with my passion for beauty and so if I can continue to get into the lab and develop cleaner, safer beauty products then theres no stopping. The sky is the limit.

If you’re looking for hazard and cruelty-free products for your nail regimen, Mischo Beauty is the brand for you. Not only is King passionate about bringing clean beauty products into the industry, she is a huge advocate for building the black dollar. Essie is cool but I’d much rather paint my nails with products that are made with love and positive intentions. Keep up with Mischo Beauty on Instagram and sign up for their newsletter to receive discounts and updates!

 

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