By Amaya Nichole

When Shaina Rainford’s sister’s hair began falling out as a result of ringworm misdiagnosed as dandruff, her mother, Leslie, took matters into her own hands. She drew on her 25 years as a science teacher to create a homemade remedy. When Rainford, now 35, began losing her own hair as a side effect of Covid, she turned to the same family recipe and shared the results on social media. At the end of 2020, while working as a nurse practitioner, Rainford launched Bask and Lather. With the help of her teenage son Jayden, Bask and Lather took off on TikTok and is on track for $269 million in revenue this year.

I grew up in the Bronx, and the Dominican hair salon was a constant in my life. So when my sister Aaliyah’s hair—and later my own—began falling out, it was especially challenging. As Black women, our hair is not only tied to our identity, but also inextricably linked to how we’re perceived in the world.

After I posted Aaliyah’s and my hair growth results on social media, we got more than 5,000 likes and over a million views. People wanted to know two things: what products we used and how to get them.

In December 2020, my family and I launched Bask and Lather. We filled orders in our living room. Within three months, the monthly income from the business replaced my annual salary as a nurse practitioner. In 2021, I submitted my resignation, and the next month, the business tripled.

I was nervous, but I realized that I was more prepared for this than I’d thought. Nursing taught me all about assessment, delegation, and critical thinking, which I use every day in my business.

As the company matured, so did its needs. I began bringing on senior-level hires and building out the team, and now we have nearly 50 employees. In the spring of 2023, I brought on my first social media manager. Shortly after, my then 14-year-old son looked at the content that was being posted and said, “Your social media team sucks. Let me do your TikTok.”

I wasn’t entirely convinced, but I figured it was worth seeing what he could do. His first video—a behind-the-scenes look at the family packing orders in the warehouse—received a million views overnight. I couldn’t believe it and wanted to keep that momentum going. Once we cracked the code, we ran it back relentlessly until the algorithm worked in our favor.

Around the same time, we began selling products on TikTok Shop, which was in its early days, and we skyrocketed to the top 30 vendors. A few months later, TikTok Shop added its live-selling feature. I would stand in my warehouse, pack orders, and talk to customers. It was helpful because I got to answer their questions and give personalized recommendations.

As the brand’s profile grew, larger platforms began to take notice. In 2023, Amazon invited us to join their Black Business Accelerator program. The program has since ended, but the foothold it gave us on the platform has lasted. Our products are bestsellers in multiple categories on Amazon, which remains a healthy and consistent part of our business.

The experience drove home a lesson that has shaped how we think about growth ever since: People buy in the channels where they feel the safest, and it is your job to be there. For many consumers, that place is Amazon, and if we were not showing up, our competitors would be. We applied the same thinking to Walmart, expanding our footprint and ensuring we were accessible wherever our customers chose to shop.

This year, we are projected to hit $269 million in revenue, and I couldn’t be more excited for all that we have in store, including international expansion. My son is 18 now, and he just graduated from high school. He’s joined the company as head of growth while he attends college. What started as a family effort has grown into something I never imagined, and the pride I have for the family and the business we have built together is something I carry every single day.