Photo courtesy of Benny Renee Photography LLC
Jhalesa Seymour is the founder and CEO of Salt.Xo, which promotes self-care through skin care products. The brand sells a variety of products for the entire body as well as a woman’s private parts.
One of their most popular products is the Yoni bar, which helps the vagina maintain a healthy pH.
Seymour shared the inspiration for the self-care brand.
What inspired you to create Salt.Xo?
I started Salt. Xo when I was in college because I was tired of having recurring yeast infections, experiencing discomfort, and not being confident in the soaps I was using. I was using products like Summer’s Eve, and it really was giving me adverse reactions, until I decided I can’t keep doing this. I started looking into holistic care, so I looked up herbs and essential oils that could help and make me have that good, clean feeling that I was looking for. Ultimately, I was able to achieve that by creating … natural bar soap. I made it, gave it to my roommates, and they were literally obsessed. I was like, I might be onto something because at first, I didn’t plan to sell it. I just was trying to to give myself a solution. Then I realized there were so many girls like myself, that were having the same issues. It was really a game-changer for a lot of women, and it went crazy.
Is vaginal care as important as skin care?
Our skin is the biggest organ in our body, and with our vagina, we have cycles, we go through hormonal imbalances, and we experience, changes in our discharge[s]and pH balance. It’s such an intricate part of us. Like I tell all of my customers, get that mirror and check on it, and make sure you’re getting your Pap smears. There are so many things that can happen that can go wrong, and it’s so fragile. You don’t want to take it for granted and end up in a position where you have to take antibiotics or you have to take these medicines over the counter so frequently.
I think it’s important to make sure that you stay hydrated. It’s almost like you’re growing a plant, and you’re watering it daily because you want to see the fruits of it. I would say that’s how I take care of my vagina. I make sure that she’s a high priority as well as my skin. I make sure my skin is glowing because at the end of the day, we all want to make sure we look good and we feel good from the inside out. I tell all of my customers to make sure they’re not eating chips, cakes, and cookies and not drinking water. Make sure there’s a balance. Have fun, but balance it out so that your vagina is healthy.
