A Year After Its Debut, Curly Hair Brand Naturally Drenched Launches At Cult Beauty And Other Retailers

“I’ve been busy,” says Jamila Powell with a laugh after listing off the retailers, both national and international, her curly hair brand Naturally Drenched has partnered with since its launch a year ago.

Its American retailers include Credo Beauty, J.C. Penney by way of its association with Thirteen Lune, Beauty Heroes and Plain Tiger, and its retailers and e-tailers abroad include Germany’s Sari Curls and Locken Box, and the United Kingdom’s Kiyo Beauty. Naturally Drenched is also slated to premiere soon at e-tailer The Collective in the Philippines, which is co-founded by influencer Dominique Cojuangco, and currently going through the onboarding process at HSN. On top of all of that, the brand launched with its biggest stockist to date in February: the The Hut Group-owned British e-commerce player Cult Beauty. “I really believe there’s global excitement for embracing curls,” says Powell.

When determining whether a retailer is a fit for Naturally Drenched, she looks at its ethos, sustainability efforts, commitment to diversity and inclusion, and support of vendors. “I just like working with brands that take what they do seriously,” says Powell. “Are they marketing brands? Are they giving them an opportunity to shine? Is it a situation where we can work together? Just like anything, with retail, it’s a relationship so it’s not only just about them pushing you, you have to be just as supportive of their efforts.”

In the U.K., Powell hired the public relations agency Muse Communication to get the word out about Naturally Drenched’s Cult Beauty launch. Cult Beauty provided an awareness assist by placing the brand’s hero product Rebalance Pre-Conditioner Treatment in its Curl Edit box and spotlighting it in a hair campaign in February.

“I was grateful for the exposure because I was basically given a chance for people with curls to experience Rebalance, and then hopefully fall in love and make an actual full-size purchase,” says Powell of the box. Of Naturally Drenched’s appearance in the campaign, she continues, “To see my picture next to Gisou, K18, Olaplex and some other pretty heavy hitters was a very surreal moment. I know my product is good, and I believe in it, but to see it with million-dollar companies who are backed and have funding was a proud moment.”

Powell planned to take Naturally Drenched worldwide from the outset. She made sure the recyclable aluminum packaging housing its ($38) Rebalance Pre-Conditioner Treatment was compliant with Canada, the European Union and the U.K. before arriving on the market. Along with Rebalance Pre-Conditioner Treatment, Naturally Drenched’s range includes Keep It Tight Styling Clips ($10), Brush With The Best Detangling Brush ($19) and Fogless Shower Mirror ($13.50). A Kalahari melon seed oil named Watermelon Dreams, a microfiber towel and a summer kit with a travel-sized version of Rebalance Conditioner are in the product pipeline.

Naturally Drenched launched in February 2021. Looking back, Powell admits she was a bit naive going in. “It takes a lot of time and, in order to make more money, you have to spend money,” she says. “I always say aloe doesn’t grow on trees, it’s expensive. Aluminum is expensive. There are all of these things that I don’t really think I took into consideration.”

Supply chain woes brought on by the pandemic didn’t help. Powell recently had to increase the price of Rebalance Pre-Conditioner Treatment from $36 to $38 due to the rising costs of transportation and raw materials. Even with minor bumps in the road, Naturally Drenched has experienced a 23% growth in revenue. Powell reinvests the money made from sales back into the business.

“I know my product is good, and I believe in it, but to see it with million-dollar companies who are backed and have funding was a proud moment.”

Marketing is the name of the beauty game, emphasizes Powell. Naturally Drenched’s customers respond most to seeing her—and she’s far from camera shy. She often pops up on TikTok or Instagram Live to share gems about entrepreneurship and provide healthy hair tips. For Black History Month, she filmed a trip to her grandparent’s house, where her family members shared stories about the Great Migration in the 1930s. “I try to personalize some of the things I post to my own experiences or things that have directly affected me,” says Powell. “I like to take the veil off and be vulnerable and share who I am.”

Powell’s busyness extends far beyond striking retail partnerships. On top of being a brand founder, she’s a single mom, owns Maggie Rose Salon in South Florida and works full-time as an attorney for the federal government. She’s hired a part-time manager for her salon and a full-time marketing assistant for Naturally Drenched to ease her workload. Delegating is a big focus this year. “You have to be able to hire people who can do things that you’re not capable of for you to be able to make time to do a lot of the other things that need to be done,” says Powell.

She’d love to work on Naturally Drenched full-time, but, at the moment, her retirement and health insurance for herself and her 9-year-old daughter are tied to her attorney job. “I can’t be out here acting crazy,” she quips, adding, “[The brand] would have to be bringing in enough where I have money to put away or I’d have to win the lotto. I’d take the lotto.”