Adria Marshall’s “plant-powered” Ecoslay hair care brand has your back if saving the planet, going vegan and realizing your hair’s full potential top your new year resolutions list.
I join many in turning the corner of a new year seeking a deeper connection to the planet and more actions to show my body some appreciation. From way down South in Georgia, the Ecoslay hair care brand came up to help me out. It’s the most truly natural and environmentally conscious beauty brand I’ve come across in years. And the most diverse and democratic, with no binding to a particular hair type or ethnicity. It even has the offshoot “Silver Slay” for underserved gray tresses.
So are you going vegan or vegetarian this year, keeping in mind that the lifestyle applies to what you put on your body as well as into it? Ecoslay farms and harvests many of its own powerful natural ingredients, including marshmallow root for slip and flaxseed for protein in its bestselling Orange Marmalade Flaxseed and Aloe Curl Definer, so natural minerals and vitamins in locally-sourced botanicals trickle into your body with each use.
Are you over just sharing #HappyEarthDay posts and emojis every April, knowing good and well you haven’t recycled or checked labels for Earth-friendly products all year? Ecoslay partners with TerraCycle to supply its compact refill pouches and rewards customers for returning used pouches through its Recycling Club, so you earn discounts for minding Mother Earth.
And are you tired of trend or hack after trend or hack boomeranging your hair journey back to dry dead ends? Ecoslay’s 4-step Cleanse, Condition, Tone and Style system is just the old-fashioned, tried-and-true routine rebooted with botanicals. These work with and not against your hair. Many products warrant refrigeration for the absence of preservatives, with cute accessories like the Ecoslay Mason Jars and Fridge-to-Shower Caddy to make your new Ecoslay habit easier to maintain.
Many entrepreneurs dream of whipping up the next miracle cream and hair sensation at home, going TikTok viral and selling out to big retailers. This was not Adria’s vision when she let intuition guide her to mix batches of foods and herbs she felt her unprocessed hair craved most. Her eventual idea to offer her potions to personal contacts, then to form a company to distribute to the public, didn’t prepare her for the demand. Did she ever plan to head a now-internationally distributed brand?
“Absolutely not, it was all organic, pun intended!” she says. “What started off as a small idea continued to grow as we stayed focused on our company values and vision.”
Those values and that vision are why, to initiate changes in 2026, you should choose Ecoslay above all others. The brand didn’t just yank my attention because I’d spotted their Satin Pillowcase and Bonnet right after I saw the current “World’s Largest Afro” Guinness Book world record holder Jessica Gonzalez on her Jennifer Hudson Show appearance. Jessica’s quick, short answer to Queen J-Hud’s probe for the secrets to her 9-foot mane? Pretty simple: “A satin pillowcase and bonnet!”
I admit that I shouldn’t need to see the reigning queen of length retention to remember to find my crumpled bonnet and put it on. And neither should you. But with these far more attractive than usual and stay-on options from Ecoslay, you won’t need a reminder.
And these are just the curtain we must pull back on a sensational suite of yummy-sounding, hand-harvested and sustainably-packaged wares. You’ll surely want to rush your shipment of the Chai Latte Hair Cleanser, Vanilla Styling Whip and more just to sample the eye-opening aromas. Patience, please! Each order is truly made on demand, with a 3-5 day allowance for workers to get to your order.
Adria tapped into the Atlanta Mission shelter and Talent Pipeline to build her staff with unhoused or disenfranchised job applicants most likely to face discrimination for employment. As a woman committed to justice work and activism beyond #bekind posts, this sold me the most. Adria is now enjoying the good karma of folding goodwill and a helping hand to her fellowman into made in America capitalism.
“We are actually closing on our “Forever Home” in January, where we will have twice the manufacturing space and farmland so that we can meet increased customer demand,” she reports after a hectic but successful holiday season.
Just one browse through Ecoslay.com shows why this isn’t a website you just drive by but linger on and share.
Its Education Hub alone hooked me, where the user-friendly site didn’t overwhelm me with sales and marketing content more than direct me to truly analyze my hair—from its pattern, to its major concerns, to even its density and how long it takes to dry. The bestselling Ginger and Moringa Tea Rinse is my first return to toning my hair and scalp for optimal cleansing and moisture absorption since my early college days, when I was chained to Chicago South Side hair salons for full days. The difference is softness and natural waves I forgot my unrelaxed hair was capable of. The apple cider vinegar makes a dry, itchy scalp a thing of the past. You’ll want to invest in the $38 8oz option and refillable jar for this treat, which is best sprayed.
Ecoslay’s effective, active approach with customers does not seek to change their hair, as most others promise to do, only to strengthen and nourish what is there. And after all that schooling and clinical work comes the good part… Whimsical product formulations and aromatherapy concerns call to mind Southern citrus orchards, hearty hot drinks and warm vacations after you Take the Hair Quiz to select what will work for you.
For a fun introduction without pressure to makeover your hair, only to slay your look, try the founder’s simple favorite: Jello Shot Curl Defining Gel. Many like me are drawn into the endless “all-natural” bonanza available for Black hair, without recalling how low qualifications are for such labeling, often requiring only a few extracts or oils on top of the same chemicals mainstream brands depend on.
“The idea for Jello Shot actually came from a favorite hair gel in the curly hair space – one that is effective but actually has toxic ingredients,” Adria says. “Jello Shot is a much more effective and incredibly safer alternative to this widely-used product.”
Okra, strawberries and aloe are those genius alternatives. At just $10 for a 2oz mini, you can afford to sample all your friends or stock up for yourself.
I’m just now digging into my fave new year find, Ecoslay. I’ll spend my whole year and beyond getting familiar with it, basking in its positive effects on not just my body, but my consciousness. Here’s what’s topping my list of recs so far.
Lemon Drop Styling Foam
You’ll greet the day or night uplifted by the scent alone before the effects, perfect for all kinds of hair including loose and wavy. This is one product technically not vegan, since honey joins cornstarch as adhesive. Reams of customers still rave for this one, starting at $26 for a pouch.
Banana Cream Deep Conditioner
This super thick conditioner is intended to moisturize and protect all hair patterns, with its promise to “melt tangles” fulfilled. The condition’s notable weight and hint of smell work hard without overpowering. 8oz start near $20 on Ecoslay’s website.
Rice Pudding Leave-In Conditioner and Moisturizer
Hmmm… Rice water, marshmallow root and aromatics like vanilla and jasmine will addict you. And since this is a daily leave-in for everybody in the household, that is okay. You’ll appreciate the refill pouches when you probably subscribe to this one for just $8 a month.
In New York City? Visit these brick-and-mortar salons to stock up on what’s available for Ecoslay: Head Chop, Lilchop Salon, Sabine’s Hallway Natural Hair Salon and Modern Maven Collective. Check their Authorized Retailers listing for other towns and follow along on Instagram. And you may always visit the Ecoslay Store on Amazon.
