{"id":22920,"date":"2024-12-02T06:03:18","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T11:03:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/multi.nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/?p=22920"},"modified":"2025-02-13T09:40:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-13T14:40:21","slug":"from-battling-flames-to-championing-curls-gregory-shepherds-journey-with-kultivated-hair-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/from-battling-flames-to-championing-curls-gregory-shepherds-journey-with-kultivated-hair-care\/","title":{"rendered":"From Battling Flames to Championing Curls: Gregory Shepherd’s Journey with Kultivated Hair Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Moses Jeanfrancois<\/a><\/p>\n

Firefighter by day and hair care entrepreneur by night, Brooklyn native Gregory Shepherd is making a name for himself in the world of natural hair care.<\/p>\n

Since launching\u00a0Kultivated Hair Care<\/a>, a local company that specializes in natural hair care products\u00a0three years ago, Shepherd is hoping\u00a0more people will feel empowered with natural hair styles.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want people to love their hair in its natural state,\u201d said\u00a0Shepherd.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"cb1e6c2d-132f-4726-8672-5615281fa526\"
Firefighter and owner of Kultivated Hair Care Gregory Shepherd. Photo: Supplied\/Gregory Shepherd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Growing up between Crown Heights and Flatbush, Shepherd maintained a healthy afro style at a young age thanks to his parents. Once he hit junior high, Shepherd traded in the long hair for waves, citing basketball player Jalen Rose and rapper Fabolous as inspiration.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs far as hair care, they always seemed clean cut and sharp,\u201d said Shepherd whose own short, wave style makes his job as a first responder\u00a0for Battalion 38\u00a0in Crown Heights easy.<\/p>\n

After seeing multiple fires in the late 80s and early 90s, Shepherd knew that the best way to serve his community was to join the fight to make the area safer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted more. I didn’t want some mundane task of being behind a desk, not really doing anything,\u201d said Shepherd.<\/p>\n

After fulfilling his childhood dream of being a firefighter, Shepherd found a new ambition during the pandemic, creating his own natural hair care line.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a product junkie\u2026 And I\u2019d look at the back of the label, there are like 30 different ingredients I couldn’t even pronounce,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Shepherd has noticed\u00a0the hair care industry’s\u00a0evolution\u00a0into adding sulfates and parabens into their products for mass production. Over the past few years, many people have spoken against these added ingredients citing hair damage and dryness. More people have\u00a0opted whole-natural ingredients, a trend Shepherd is trying to capitalize.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t have a team, everything is me from start to finish,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"2a186777-2d77-4cc6-b5af-2d695b92eee6\"
Gregory Shepherd in his first responder uniform. Photo: Supplied\/Gregory Shepherd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Many of his products use\u00a0macadamia oil, which hydrates dry hair, while other products that target scalp growth uses jojoba oil, which mimics sebum,\u00a0an oily substance that protect and hydrate the skin’s surface.<\/p>\n

Shepherd noted that\u00a0his grandmother was\u00a0a guiding inspiration for his product line and its ingredients.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has a lot of allergies and a sensitive scalp\u2026 it was tough trying to find something that would work for her,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Searching for hypo-allergenic alternatives for hair care for her gave Shepherd his final push to launch his brand.<\/p>\n

Shepherd’s products can currently be bought on his online store<\/a>,\u00a0Etsy<\/a>, and the occasional Brooklyn market or event where he sells directly to the consumer while promoting the brand’s benefits. Kultivated Hair Care products are vegan, cruelty-free\u00a0and organic.<\/p>\n

Shepherd’s next step is to open a brick-and-mortar shop, a place where he can further enhance the beauty of his community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best thing about our people is we don’t have to do much to look beautiful\u2026 I want products to promote growth and to give it that look and confidence that they’re seeking without having to go elsewhere for it,” he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Moses Jeanfrancois Firefighter by day and hair care entrepreneur by night, Brooklyn native Gregory Shepherd is making a name for himself in the world of natural hair care. Since launching\u00a0Kultivated Hair Care, a local company that specializes in natural hair care products\u00a0three years ago, Shepherd is hoping\u00a0more people will feel empowered with natural hair […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5904,"featured_media":22921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,523,31,2717],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-restaurants-features","category-brooklyn-businesses","category-whats-buzzin","category-bk-news"],"yoast_head":"\nFrom Battling Flames to Championing Curls: Gregory Shepherd's Journey with Kultivated Hair Care - Brooklyn News and Events<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nycnewsnetwork.com\/brooklynbuzz\/from-battling-flames-to-championing-curls-gregory-shepherds-journey-with-kultivated-hair-care\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From Battling Flames to Championing Curls: Gregory Shepherd's Journey with Kultivated Hair Care\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By: Moses Jeanfrancois Firefighter by day and hair care entrepreneur by night, Brooklyn native Gregory Shepherd is making a name for himself in the world of natural hair care. 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