Issa Rae's Sienna Naturals Is Officially On Sephora.com — Here's What The Star Has To Say

Sienna Naturals Wants To Transform How You Think About Clean Products

Backed by awards like the Essence's Best in Black Beauty and Byrdie's Eco Awards, it was only a matter of time before Sienna Naturals began expanding to a larger market.

When Hannah Diop founded the brand, she only ever had one goal in mind: to show that healthy products that work can be accessible.

"I always say this, but I think about the brand life and our journey in these core memory moments. The first one being my childhood. I grew up in a family that really valued natural living. We had a juicer. We were part of a community supporting agricultural farming," she said. Her experience with harvesting vegetables and volunteering at the farm helped create a foundation where she knew it was possible to have access to things that were truly good for our bodies.

Learning how to care for her textured hair proved to be full of trial and error. "My mom was white and my father was black. My mother did not have textured hair or know how to care for it. To add to that, I was on a swim team from a very young age, so I was in chlorine water during Minnesota winters." She had to learn how to wash her hair with products that claimed to be the "best," but didn't work.

"It was a very public display of me trying to comb through my hair and not being able to detangle it, often wearing a ponytail on top of the lump of hair that wasn't detangled. That really left this impression on me as a child like, 'I hate my hair. Why was I born with this hair?'"

However, Hannah realized that her hair wasn't actually an issue when she attended Howard University — a prestigious HBCU where she received her BBA degree in International Business. "It was an industry issue." she said. Her main question then became, "Why, when we have the innovation to do better, companies don't?"

This propelled her towards making sure Sienna Naturals was the answer to that. "We've always formulated with extremely high standards for clean. Our products are EU Certified so they pass all of the ingredients standard in the European Union and the most stringent retail standards in the U.S. as well." One thing that's apparent about Hannah's commitment is that she's always been passionate about doing thorough research in order for Sienna Naturals to truly be a clean brand that doesn't implicate the health of customers.

"Also, I knew the consumer was burned like me. She'd also go to the natural food store to try to find something and realized, 'Oh my God, this stuff does not work for us.' So, I knew that performance had to beat out conventional product," she added.

Hannah's other obsession? The way the product feels in customers' hair. "Starting with the shampoo because I only have three seconds to allure her in the shower from the moment the water and shampoo hits her hair. It's gotta make an impression and stand out."

Similar to Hannah, Issa has also been natural for most of her life with the exception of when she moved back to L.A. while in middle school. "I tried to convince my mom to give me a perm and she was like, 'Your hair can't handle that. It's gonna fall out' and I was like, 'You don't know what you're talking about.' And I got one...and my hair fell out," she recounted. That experience scarred her, but she also began understanding that she didn't know how to manage her natural hair.

"In high school I used to cover it up and then right after college, it was really just my experimental phase where I wanted to learn how to 'deal' with my natural hair and try different hairstyles. Also, I experimented with different textures and weaves. By the time I got of school, I had like seven different hair textures going on and was like, 'Let me just start over.'"

Starting over for Issa involved getting a big chop — cutting off damaged or overly processed hair. "Around the time I did the big chop — a couple of years into it — Hannah had started making these products. Every time I'd visit my brother and her in New York, I was trying out these products and it was really a part of my journey to hair health," she said.

"By the time Hannah felt officially ready to scale the business and kind of take it more seriously, she was talking to me about coming on and being the face of the products. It was organic because I was already using her products and also, making an effort to showcase natural hair and the beauty of natural hair through my own show Insecure. I believed in her [Hannah] and she believed in me so it was a no brainer to collaborate.

Sienna Naturals is a brand that's derm-tested and approved, making it gentle, yet effective for those who have eczema and psoriasis.

"The first ingredient that's in all of our products as either an oil or a protein form from the plant is the Baobab. Baobab oil and baobab protein is a foundational ingredient. The chemist I've been designing these products with from the very beginning — because we create all of our formulas in-house with a cosmetic chemist and our suppliers — we started with research," said Hannah.

In addition to being Sienna Naturals' founder, Hannah has a consulting background and is also received her MBA in Marketing from The Wharton School. Her background and approach to research is what led her to discover Baobab and its benefits to the scalp and skin. "Part of my personal theory is that since we [Black and brown people] are using so many products that contain harsh chemicals, our scalps are more inflamed and irritated. We have more scalp sensitivity issues and so I wanted to make sure we were addressing that with every single product," she said.

The great thing about Baobab oil is that it's lightweight and is easily absorbed into the skin as well as the hair. "It's a polar oil so it absorbs without leaving a heavy finish or 'film' on the hair. There's a lot of research that says it's helpful to treat eczema. It has two times the antioxidant properties as Argan oil."

Basically, customers won't have to guess whether they're going to get products that perform without compromising their health when using any of the Sienna Naturals products.

Shop Sienna Naturals On Sephora.com

Hydrating H.A.P.I Shampoo (Best Seller, $28)

"I have a whole ritual for wash day in particular, which can be daunting. But, the H.A.P.I. shampoo — anybody who uses it, raves about it. It just feels so good to wash your hair. You don't need a lot of it," said Issa.

Benefits:

• Soothes scalp irritation
• Detangles
• Restores natural texture

H.A.P.I. Hydrating & Frizz Control Untangled Conditioner (Issa’s Pick, $32)

Benefits:

• Adds slip for easy detangling
• Drenches hair in hydration
• Reduces frizz

Dew Magic Hydrating Anti-Frizz Leave-In Conditioner (Best Seller, $28)

Benefits:

• Hydrates and softens
• Defines natural texture
• Provides a smooth finish

Plant Power Damage Repair Strengthening Hair Mask (Best Seller, $34)

Benefits:

• Boosts elasticity
• Repairs damage and strengthens
• Adds shine and hydration

Curl-Enhancing Dream Hair Curl Cream (Best Seller, $32)

Benefits:

• Gives curls maximum definition
• Provides shine
• Controls frizz

Curl-Enhancing Dream Curl Hair Mousse (Issa’s Pick, $30)

Benefits:

• Provides superior definition
• Protects from heat damage
• Prevents color from fading

Daily Elixir Scalp Treatment Oil (Issa’s Pick, $32)

Benefits:

• Rebalances and soothes the scalp
• Promotes growth
• Softens and protects hair

Lock & Seal Hair Oil Split End Treatment ($32)

Benefits:

• Re-bonds split ends
• Smooths down damaged cuticles
• Provides shine without residue

Curl Elixir Anti-Frizz Leave-In Conditioning Spray ($30)

Benefits:

• Hydrates the scalp
• Revives curls
• Reduces frizz

Mini Damage Repair Strengthening Hair Ritual Set ($35)

Focus on repairing and strengthening your hair with two-ounce sizes of the H.A.P.I. Shampoo, Dew Magic Leave-In Conditioner, and the Plant Power Repair Mask.

Mini Hydrating and Detangling Hair Ritual Set ($35)

Traveling soon and want to try Sienna Naturals while on the go? Get this Mini Hydrating and Detangling Hair Ritual Set that features two-ounce sizes of the H.A.P.I. Shampoo, Untangled Conditioner, and Dew Magic Leave-In Conditioner.