This is our slogan and our truth.

As I Am was born out of a well-thought out, deliberate and caring process.

Dr. Ali N. Syed, a master hair care chemist and entrepreneur, began to hear it more and more as he traveled the world.

Growing up in rural and impoverished post-partition Pakistan, he obtained an MS in Chemistry and began lecturing at universities which eventually led him to Tanzania, Africa.

After teaching in Dar-Es-Salaam for a few tremendous years, he made the big move to the US and began working as a laborer and maintenance technician for a few different manufacturing companies in Chicago.

He got his break when he was accepted for an entry level lab position at Johnson Products Company.

At last! He could finally apply his Chemistry knowledge!

After developing award winning products at Johnson Products and Soft Sheen in the 1970s and 1980s, Dr. Syed became a renowned expert on the research and care of African descent hair texture.

In 1984, he started Avlon out of his own garage. Avlon grew quickly and became a popular brand for professional hair stylists around the world.

But in the mid 2000's, women of color with naturally coily and curly hair textures, began asking more and more:

"What products do you have for my natural hair?"

"What, from your product lines, should I use…could I use… to style and care for it?"

Dr. Syed had plenty of products that he could have recommended from Avlon, makers of Affirm and KeraCare.

With over 25 patents focused on the care of textured hair, he immediately knew that more research had to be done.

Why?

Because his instincts led him to realize that what was being asked of him was much more than an ordinary recommendation.

Among the growing numbers of women who asked him personally about products for their hair, and who also frequently contacted him via email, there was an unmistakable and definite nuance. The products of potential interest were desired as much for what they were made of as what they could do for hair. Exploration into the desires and needs of this emerging consumer group, led him and the marketing team to spend lots of time on the specialty websites and blogs, reading every word and carefully viewing numerous online do-it-yourself videos.

"We learned so much about what women wearing natural-textured hair wanted and what they didn't want in terms of certain ingredients such as mineral oil, sulfates and silicones. We also came to know what the natural ladies were doing to care and style their hair, and what they needed the products to do."

"We felt that we got into their hearts and minds", says Dr. Syed.

More than just a return to natural in terms of the hair texture, women were also adopting a healthier, more natural approach to personal care overall. Products containing more organics were demanded, and there remained little tolerance for ingredients and styling processes that would damage or otherwise harm their hair.

The vision began to emerge. Yes, there was an undeniable trend. Celebrating one's own natural hair texture was now a lifestyle for many. Even among an increasing number of employees at Avlon, women began to embrace their natural tightly-coiled textures. Fortunately for them, they were able to provide face-to-face feedback to Dr. Syed for products that would moisturize and define their curl patterns.

Without hesitation, he and his highly experienced team of R&D chemists enthusiastically began to formulate and provide them samples of products, from cleansers… to moisturizers… to curl definers.

It was a wonderful thing.

But, not so fast!

It took no less than a dozen professional hair care chemists, (several with Ph.D.'s), at least 10 professional hairstylists; countless happy "testers" among employees and the community at large; hundreds of research & development hours and hundreds of thousands of investment dollars to make the vision a reality.

It was all so worth it, because it culminated in the birth of a wonderful array of products, aptly brand-named "As I Am".

For starters, the line consists of 11 wonderfully formulated products designed specifically for tightly coiled and curly hair; each with an impressive ingredient listing that includes many of nature's finest organic ingredients.