Patience Pays Off

It’s every curly girls’s worst nightmare: waking up in a hotel room the morning of a business meeting, beginning the readying process, and realizing you somehow managed to leave home without your products!

In the summer of 2016, this scenario became a real-life dilemma for Tracy, an anthropologist and college professor. In the midst of pouring rainfall, she realized she’d left her Curly Magic back in Baltimore. Tracy was in North Carolina for a conference, and she needed a solution — and fast.

Tracy quickly conducted an internet search for the closest available retailer to purchase her Curly Magic, but without a car, her options were limited. So she decided to call the UFD office for additional help.

“The lady on the other line took my name and number and told me she was going to call me back,” Tracy explained. “But she didn’t tell me why she was calling me back.”

That lady was Trissa Rosette, UFD’s Marketing Director. What may have not been explicitly explained at the time was that just as soon as hanging up the phone with Tracy, Trissa had begun working the phones to with retailers in the area where Tracy could get her hands on a bottle of Curly Magic.

After about ten minutes, Tracy’s phone rang. It was Trissa, with an address and hours for the only place remotely close to Tracy with Curly Magic in stock. And while it was ultimately a bit too far of a trek for Tracy to make on short notice, the helpfulness and attentiveness of the UFD team left an immediate imprint on Tracy.

“It was really just great customer service,” Tracy recalled. “I never forgot it.”

Even prior to that, though, Tracy was already a big fan of Uncle Funky’s Daughter’s products. She discovered the line through Baltimore’s Diaspora Salon back in 2008, a salon that focuses primarily on natural and transitioning hair. After her career moved her all over the country to places like Atlanta and LA, Tracy moved back to her hometown and was in search of a salon that could not only meet the needs of her hair, but get her in and out of the shop in a timely fashion. In Diaspora, she found that, and much much more.

“I went there for the first time, and she introduced me to Curly Magic,” Tracy says. “It helps my natural curls form and stay, and it’s not too heavy.”

From there, Tracy delved deeper into UFD’s line. She’s tried their shampoos (Rich & Funky and Squeaky), conditioners, (Richee Rich and Midnite Train) and shine producers (Thirsty Curls and Glossy). But her favorite (aside from Curly Magic) is the Good Hair Conditioning Styling Creme.

“Good Hair weighs it down just right and makes it shiny,” Tracy shared. “I section it off, and put the Good Hair on, I squeeze just a little bit of water out, and then massage the Curly Magic through with my fingers.”

Having now been natural for ten years, Tracy says she feels more confident and assured in her hair than she ever has before.

“I feel like my hair looks more like me now. And I don’t have to go and spend hours and hours and hours in the hair salon!”, she exuberantly admits.

Even still, though, Tracy admits that she appreciates the journey of getting to this point. After having to cycle through different stylists, routines and products throughout her life, she acknowledges that the feeling of truly being happy with your hair is worth the wait.

“Remember that it is a journey and it takes time, and it’s really important to be patient. There are times when you feel impatient or you feel your hair is not looking quite where you want –– it’s not one way or the other, it’s in between and that can be a challenge. But just hang in there!”