Welcome to Bloggin’ with LBXS!
Here’s the formalities: I’m Mika, a mom of two beauties and I’m infatuated with all natural skin care! Come on this journey with me as we celebrate our first anniversary of Love By XSample. We look forward to bringing you new brands, products and endless ways to enjoy self care, from your hair to your toes. Let us continue to provide you with guilt free self care indulgence...
Why I Started an All Natural Subscription Box
You ever walked into a beauty supply store knowing exactly which brand of leave-in conditioner you were going to buy? You zoom past all the other rows and head straight down that familiar aisle. And then right there, second shelf, on the right… nothing. Sold out. I mean, sure, you can substitute for another brand just this once. But if you’re like me, ever since you went natural, you’ve become awfully particular when it comes to your hair care. Gone are the days when pretty labels and amazing scents were top of the criteria list. So what do you do when the next closest beauty supply store is 20 minutes away and you just don’t feel like doing the drive? Well, since you’re already there, you start scanning the shelves. But if you’ve been down the natural hair care aisles lately, you know that there is no shortage of brands all claiming to treat, moisturize, repair and grow your tresses like no other. So how does one choose?
You could cop a squat mid aisle while you read through the ingredients of randomly selected brands, right? I mean, how much time could that take? More than one is willing to invest.
So there I was, on the sofa with my heat cap on, trying out a conditioner my cousin suggested. Unable to make a decision, I called her to find out which she had been using. Here’s the problem with suggestions, unless you share the same hair follicle, strand and texture, there’s no guarantee what works for them will work for you. But I was taking a chance. When suddenly, a commercial for Boxy Charm came on the tv. A subscription box featuring curated beauty products, sent out monthly to their subscribers. I started wondering why there wasn’t a similar subscription box for hair products, particularly African American hair. I mean, I could already think of several ways I could benefit from one.
- Test out products before committing to full price.
- The chance to discover new emerging brands
- Reduced cost by bundling
- The convenience of doing it from the comfort of my own home.
- The option for customization.
According to a 2020 study done by McKinsey & Company and published in Forbes, 49% of consumers are currently using a subscription service.
Lightbulb. Why not create my own subscription company? If this sounded like the answer to a problem for me, surely there’s a market of other women that could relate, right?
I began my research to see if what I thought was a new idea, was in fact just new to me. I suddenly began discovering an abundance of hidden gems, not just in hair care but in self care as a whole. All boasting about their all natural, plant based and cruelty free ingredients. I had an epiphany; why stop at a haircare?
Recently, Statista made the following 10 year projection for the natural and organic industry:
Global market value for natural and organic cosmetics and personal care from 2018 to 2027 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Market value in billion U.S
2027** 54.5
2026* 51.8
2025* 49.2
2024* 46.8
2023* 44.5
2022* 42.3
2021* 40.2
2020* 38.2
2019* 36.3
2018 34.5
I think it’s pretty clear that consumers are becoming increasingly conscious about what they put in and on their bodies.
This information was all I needed. It was time to make my presence known in the subscription world. I was going to create a box that features all natural, vegan friendly & cruelty free self care products. Enter Love By
What sets us apart from other subscription boxes is that our boxes cover self care in a number of ways: skin, bath, facial, hair, aromatherapy, fragrance, feminine hygiene and snacks.
We recently hit our one year anniversary, and it was quite a ride! There were highs and lows but ultimately, we were able to accomplish a goal: getting 100 boxes into homes across the U.S.
We look forward to improving and expanding in the new year. If you haven’t already had the pleasure of receiving one of our boxes, we would love to welcome you to the family. (Click Here). Come enjoy nourishing skin care, moisturizing hair care wrapped in relaxing & tantalizing aromas. Allow yourself to experience self care indulgence from the comfort of your home.