Customers Called Her Hair Product “Hair Crack”

Brandon Andres Green, host of Good Neighbor Podcast Tulsa, sits down with Shatory Jackson of Magnifiscents to talk about handmade bath, body, and hair care, naturally derived ingredients, and how a home-based beauty brand grew from faith, science, and a real problem she wanted to solve.

Shatory shares how her journey started while she and her husband were trying to conceive their second child. After years in the medical field, she wanted to build something from home that could become a legacy for her children while still giving her room to be present as a mother.

This conversation gets into the science behind self-care. Shatory explains how she takes separate ingredients, studies how they work together, and turns them into soaps, scrubs, lotions, shampoo bars, conditioners, beard oils, hair oils, and other products made from scratch. She also talks honestly about the word “natural,” why it can mean different things in the beauty world, and why she aims for ingredients that are as close to the ground as possible while still creating products that are safe, stable, and effective.

You’ll also hear the story behind the product that made her realize Magnifiscents could become something bigger. After struggling with her own postpartum hair changes, Shatory created a recipe to help restore her hair, launched it, and watched customers start telling others about the results.

If you care about clean beauty, handmade products, natural hair care, small business, faith-led entrepreneurship, or building something meaningful from home, this episode is worth your time.

Sometimes the best product starts with the problem you had to solve for yourself.

Transcript

Welcome To Good Neighbor Podcast

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Brandon Andris Green.

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast Live. A love of science and a desire to build something lasting for her children helped inspire today's guests to create magnificence. Since 2018, Shitori Jackson has been building a handmade bath, body, and hair care company centered on naturally derived ingredients, thoughtful self-care and products made from scratch. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Shitori Jackson, with Magnificence. Shitori, how's it going?

SPEAKER_02 0:46

It's going wonderful. Thank you so much for inviting me to be on the podcast. I'm excited.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

You're so welcome. I'm excited.

Where The Name Magnificence Came From

SPEAKER_01 0:54

I'm excited to learn about your story and what all you have going on. Magnificence is truly a memorable name. I like it. Where did it come from?

SPEAKER_02 1:01

Thank you. You know it just dropped in my lap, honestly. Um I didn't, I didn't, I can't say that I did any clever brainstorming to get it. I just kind of prayed and it and it fell.

SPEAKER_01 1:16

I love it. And what first inspired you to start this business?

From Medical Field To Home Business

SPEAKER_02 1:22

That's a really great question. And I'm gonna try to nutshell it for you. Um, I was actually in the medical field before I started Magnificence, and simultaneously my husband and I were trying to conceive our second child. Um, and it took us five years to do that. And I knew while we were waiting and praying that um once I had that second child, I would not want to go back to working in the medical field. Um, and so I did much prayer and and brainstorming on that occasion, and I I wanted to know what I can do from home, still build a legacy, still build something that my kids could be proud of, but also be available to pour into them. And um, this is the thing that that I stumbled across, and I just knew like this is it.

SPEAKER_01 2:09

I love it. And I and I noticed on your website you

The Science Behind Formulating Products

SPEAKER_01 2:12

talk about your love of science. What do you enjoy most about turning ingredients into a finished product that people can actually experience and use?

SPEAKER_02 2:22

Oh, you have you okay. Um that's really good. I I don't, you know, honestly, the whole process is is very exciting for me because while people don't see the behind the scenes and like how things are made, it's amazing that I can take a table full of separately packaged um ingredients and then you what we call like emulsify, you bring those things together like water and oil don't naturally mix. But um if you use an emulsifier, for an example, then they do mix and they become something amazing. And so um I think I just love the idea of things not naturally blending together, but learning how to add science to it and making something that otherwise would separate, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 3:11

Totally to me, it sounds like one of those life lessons.

SPEAKER_02 3:15

Yes, absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 3:20

So, do you remember maybe the first product or first customer response that really made you realize magnificence could become something bigger?

The First Big Win With Hair

SPEAKER_02 3:31

Yes, absolutely. So um, I did start off doing soap. Um, and then when I was probably maybe, I don't know, six months postpartum with our with our second child, the one we were praying and waiting for, um, my hair just seemed to not bounce back, like um maybe the hormones were doing what they wanted to do. And um, I was really feeling away about it. And so I I prayed and I said, Well, I need a recipe for something to, you know, restore my hair, something um that's healthy and natural. And um, you know, I I got this recipe and I tried it out, and I'm like, I think other people will really enjoy this. And I did a launch, I made it, I put it on sale just to see kind of how it did. And uh I didn't necessarily encourage this term, but people just started calling it hair crack. And that's when I knew, like, oh, okay, like this this could be something.

Confidence, Self Care, And The Why

SPEAKER_01 4:38

So when you create something new, what usually comes first? It would it be like maybe a problem you're wanting to solve, or or some ingredient you're feeling passionate about, maybe a sense idea, or is there something else?

SPEAKER_02 4:52

Um, usually it's a problem I want to solve. Um, the whole it's it's the my why is kind of very layered, it's not a one size fits all why. Um, as a kid, I grew up in a predominantly Hispanic um neighborhood, and I wasn't very well received all the time. And so confidence was at an all-time low during childhood. And um, so making these soaps and scrubs and lotions and stuff, it was a way for me to feel like I'm treating myself, to um kind of feed my self-esteem. Um, all of the products are just prayed over, and I pour a lot of love and things of that nature into the product. And so um, I think when you feel good, you have just more confidence, right? Like you get a new cologne and you just suddenly feel like the the big guy in the room, or you know, you get a nice haircut and you just feel like you can stand up a little bit taller, you can do your presentations and all those good things. And so um, a lot of the times there's a problem that's highlighted to me, and then I say, Well, let's see what we can do to fix that.

What Natural Means In Her Formulas

SPEAKER_01 6:02

I love it. And and I noticed that you uh it's important to use all natural products. Um, but it it seems like the word natural gets used very loosely in the beauty industry. What does natural mean uh for you, like the way you formulate and choose your ingredients?

SPEAKER_02 6:21

Um, when I say natural, like I I mean that um natural as possible, because like I just mentioned earlier, there are emulsifiers for like you know, the hair conditioner that I make. Um, there's not a one ingredient plant that I have access to that would just be you know shelf stable with no preservative, with just just the that one plant, you know, for example, by itself. But for the emulsifier that I use, just for an example, um, it comes from corn. It's derived from corn. So while there are um like some levels of synthetic ingredients, you know, used to make it, I try to get it as close to from the ground as I possibly can.

SPEAKER_01 7:10

That makes sense, yeah. And and I know I know your products have to work well, but scent, texture, and obviously presentation, I would think would also kind of shape that experience.

Quality Standards Over Profit Margins

SPEAKER_01 7:23

How do you balance all of those pieces?

SPEAKER_02 7:26

Um lots of prayer, lots of research. Um you know, because it's it's kind of like also what I'm doing, it represents my name. And so I want to make sure that I'm being integral in everything that I'm doing, even if I'm not getting the best profit margins, because I want people to really get the result of the product versus just like having it and it's really no good. Um, I'd rather be known as the girl that has really good result-yielding products, right? So um sometimes I'll have to pay a little bit extra, you know, to get what I'm wanting, um, like no folates, no sulfates, you know, no drying alcohols and all that stuff. And of course, the industry is well aware that it's it's a trend for some people, but for others, it's it's like an integral standard. But you know, they try to capitalize on that. Um, and I just try to do the best I can with research and being open and willing to like spend that extra money to like

Best Sellers And Favorite Products

SPEAKER_02 8:31

remain integral.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

That's awesome. And and now you're creating products for hair, body, and even men's grooming, which I was impressed to see. Which products or customer reactions have kind of surprised you the most?

SPEAKER_02 8:49

Um I think this probably the scrubs. Um, and honestly, it's really kind of hard for me to answer that if I'm just being transparent, only because I don't I don't sell anything that I don't think is wonderful, and so I already think it's wonderful before I give it to the people. So when I'm giving it to people, I feel pretty confident that they'll enjoy it. Like if anything, I'd be surprised if someone did not like the product. So I think the as far as the body um products are concerned, the scrubs get the most like jaw-dropping, you know, responses and statements and stuff like that. And that's always fun to get those, but um I'm not really surprised because I try everything before I give it out.

SPEAKER_01 9:43

Do you have uh a personal favorite or is each new one your your newfound favorite?

SPEAKER_02 9:50

Yeah, I think I'm I'm kind of a sucker for everything. Like um some things I want to keep to myself and not put on the website just because I just feel like I just love to use it. It makes me feel good, it makes me feel confident. Um, but obviously then that would defeat the purpose, so I have to share with others. But um uh if I had to pick though, I'd say the scrub is probably my favorite.

Full Product Lineup And The Heal Line

SPEAKER_01 10:17

Now, how many products do you currently have?

SPEAKER_02 10:20

Um, I have soaps, scrubs, shampoo bars, conditioners, um lotions, men's beard oil, um, hair growth oil, men's soap, curl cream. So, and then I have a heel line, which is also a scrub, and then a body bomb. So 10. 10 things all together.

SPEAKER_01 10:49

And when you say heel line, is that uh heel as in the foot, heel, H E E L.

SPEAKER_02 10:57

H-E-A-L, as in like H E A L. Yes, yes, because I put magnesium in it, and uh magnesium is like uh yeah, it's like a naturally um um occurring like sleep aid, and it helps with like aches and pains and stuff, and so I thought heel would be a good name.

Retail Fit, Fragrance Choices, And Values

SPEAKER_01 11:19

I love it, and you you work with both individual customers and retailers, is that true?

SPEAKER_02 11:24

Yes, that's correct.

SPEAKER_01 11:27

What makes a a store or retail partner a good fit for magnificence?

SPEAKER_02 11:35

Um honestly, I feel like the customers do make a a big difference. Um, although I do do things handmade, and I think when people hear that, they kind of naturally tend to lean toward like, oh, like it's only essential oils that you sent your your soaps and your products with. But in this case, it is not. Like um I don't want to down that group of creators because there's definitely like space for all of us, but um I'm more so into you know, if I want a good men's beard oil and I need like a little like leather scent to it or something, um something I can't get from an essential oil, I don't mind using it as long as the fragrance oil is clean. So um if if that store is not one that is like whole food, who would like me to, you know, have only lavender scented or only cedar wood or something like that, then that would not be a good fit. They'd have to be open to things that we couldn't get from um essential oils. Um stores that appeal to people who don't mind products that are named fillin' pretty or um you know Mr. Distinguished or something like that. So I think the audience really makes a difference on who's a good fit. And of course, their moral morals and values is at the top of the chart.

Shipping, Location, And How To Buy

SPEAKER_01 13:05

And uh do you ship nationwide?

SPEAKER_02 13:08

Yeah, I do. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 13:11

And where are you based out of?

SPEAKER_02 13:13

I'm in California.

SPEAKER_01 13:15

Yeah, nice part.

SPEAKER_02 13:17

Uh I'm in the Central Valley. A lot of people don't know. Um, I'm in the city or I'm I'm next to the city of Modesto. I'm in a little small city called Ceres. It's very like agricultural out here, so we're not like the cool kids on the block, but you know.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

I I would imagine Siri uh quickly uh thinks that she's being spoken to every time you guys say your town name.

SPEAKER_02 13:46

Absolutely. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 13:50

So how can listeners maybe shop magnificent or ask about carrying the products in their store?

SPEAKER_02 13:59

Yeah, you can definitely go onto the website uh magnificentsilk.com. Synth is spelled S-C-E-N-T. Um, there is a chat box there that comes directly to me, or um, you can also locate the email address on the website and just ask how we can do a business-to-business transaction, and I'll be happy to answer any of those questions.

SPEAKER_01 14:22

And are you also on social media?

SPEAKER_02 14:25

I am on social media. I'm on Instagram, MagnificentSoaps, uh, also Facebook with the same um username, and you can find me on TikTok at Magnificent Main on TikTok.

SPEAKER_01 14:38

I love it. Shitora, so appreciate you being on this show. And I wish you and Magnificent Magnificence the best as you continue to grow your company and really trying to build something meaningful for your family and customers.

SPEAKER_02 14:51

Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for having me.

Nominate A Local Business

SPEAKER_00 14:57

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnptulsa.com. That's gnptulsa.com or call 918 301 6356.