My Roots & Recipes – Purity, Potency, Purpose

Learn the story of The Unrefined Co. by Kurly Kittys, her philosophy, premium plant-powered ingredients, and the science behind her unrefined skincare and haircare products.

My evolution

I had been doing friends & family’s hair for quite a few years, making DIY skincare for most of my life — long before Kurly Kittys became a brand. Growing up, my mom always had us mixing egg masks, turmeric blends, and witch hazel pads, so creating natural products became second nature. I spent a good amount of timr doing hair before ever taking clients professionally. In 2019, I officially launched Kurly Kittys as a professional business, bringing together all those years of hands-on experience I began to notice … Hair is something anyone can do—but I quickly realized not everyone truly cares about the hair they’re touching. Seeing people with locs that were itchy, filled with buildup, or struggling with scalp issues, and hearing “oh I have locs this is normal” scared me. I knew there had to be a better way.

That experience pushed me to study ingredients as a formulator and herbalist—something I inherited from my mom, I was surrounded by the wisdom of her—an island girl from the Big Island with a deep love for herbs and natural remedies. She's always been a herbalist at heart, whipping up tinctures, teas, helping people feel better, naturally. Shes always been my “witch doctor”! One thing she instilled in me early on was the importance of using products free from harmful ingredients and dyes.

That mindset stayed with me and has shaped the way I see self-care today. In 2020 I decided I want to create products free of harsh chemicals, harnessing plant-derived actives that actually work. Along the way, I also incorporated a few scientific verification tools from research to books or my favorite— Yuka to make sure my products were effective and safe (see Yuka info at bottom of page).

By the end of 2020 — early 21, I had moved from experimenting to truly formulating. That’s when I launched my first official products: my handcrafted bar soaps, nourishing skin and hair oils, Loc-Ya Lave loc shampoo, & my ACV loc detox bath bomb.

By the start of 2022, I expanded the line with perfected sugar scrubs, hemp seed scrubs, followed later that year by my loc retwist gel. This was when my brand identity really began taking shape with my core messages: “Skincare that cares about skin™” and “Embracing the power of plants for wellness and beauty™”.

In early 2023, I developed a sell-ready, all-hair-type Radiant Roots shampoo and conditioner, along with my Butter Bliss whipped body butter. From day one, this butter was never basic—it started with mango and kokum instead of the typical cocoa and shea. As of 2025, it has evolved into a supercharged, luxury formula infused with rare exotic oils and butters.

Through 2024, my collection expanded even more with products like the Koji Glow coffee scrub and my full line of facial washes. Each year, my formulas improved, my ingredients elevated, and my vision grew clearer.

By 2025, I realized Kurly Kittys was evolving beyond just a hair & skincare brand—it was becoming a whole movement. She was gonna explode!! To support that growth, as my line grew, & kept growing I knew I needed a sub-brand for my expanding formulations—and so The Unrefined Co. was born: a clean, conscious, plant-powered, dedicated to high-end, pure, plant-derived formulations designed for real results!

The Unrefined Company by Kurly Kittys.

Why Unrefined ?

The Unrefined Standard
Cold-pressed & unrefined isn’t just a label—it’s a commitment. Every ingredient is kept pure, potent, and unprocessed, so your skin and hair receive real nutrients, not diluted leftovers. Embracing The Power Of Plants For Wellness & Beauty™

  • Refining can remove up to 70–80% of an oil’s natural nutrients, including vitamins, omegas, polyphenols, and natural aroma.
  • When the good stuff is stripped, all that’s left is moisture without nourishment.
  • Our products contain no fillers, no synthetics, no refined oils, just plants with purpose.
  • You may notice natural scents like nutty, chocolaty, or earthy tones—that’s a sign of purity, not masking.

Products made in the USA with 11 globally sourced ingredients — 8 rare imports + 3 domestic essentials.
Pure. Powerful. Never refined™.

The Oils & Butters — Spotlight on Origins & Power

These ingredients aren’t just “ingredients” — they’re plant superfoods for your hair and skin. From fruit, nut, or seed, each one brings targeted nourishment:

Triple Butter Barrier Complex

  • Mango Butter (India) – “The Elasticity Booster” → light weight emollient, boosts elasticity, softens rough patches, improves skin tone, protects, and restores suppleness with vitamins A, C, & E.
  • Kokum Butter (India) – “The Barrier Builder” → Rich in stearic acid; strengthens skin barrier, locks in long-lasting moisture, prevents moisture loss, repairs cracks.
  • Cupuaçu Butter (Amazon rainforest, Brazil) – “Plant Hyaluronic Acid” → Attracts + retains moisture like a natural humectant absorbs up to absorbs up to 4x its weight in water (440% - 200% more than shea butter), deeply plumping and hydrating skin.



Seen in almost all my products

  • Baobab Oil (West Africa) – “Superfood Repair” → also known as The Tree Of Life packed with omegas 3-6-9 & antioxidants, supports elasticity, restores and nourishes dry, stressed skin.
  • Marula Oil (South Africa) – “The Elasticity Enhancer” → This is the squalene queen rich in antioxidants (vitamin C & E) and omegas, protects against environmental stressors, softens, protects, and rejuvenates fast absorbing.
  • Cacay Oil (Amazon rainforest, Brazil) – “Retinol Powerhouse” → plant-based vitamin A (retinoids) gentler than synthetic retinol, natural retinol alternative, boosts & stimulates collagen, smooths fine lines, contains omegas 3, 6 & 9; firms, smooths, and fights fine lines, contains traces of squalene.
  • Prickly Pear Seed Oil – “Brightening Gem” → this liquid gold is high in vitamin C & E; (highest natural vitamin E content), fight free radicals, brightens, evens tone, and reduces inflammation.
  • Rosehip Oil – “Scar & Tone Repairer” → rich in vitamins like vitamin C + trans-retinoic acid, promotes cell turnover, and omegas, supports skin regeneration and glow.
  • Grapeseed Oil – “The Lightweight Balancer” → high in linoleic acid, tightens pores, balances oil production, light, fast absorbing, & delivers actives deeper.
  • Jojoba Oil (Israel) – “The Sebum Mimic” → balances sebum mimics skins natural oils, locks in moisture, calms irritation, & enhances absorption of actives.
  • Kukui Nut Oil (Hawaii) – “The Deep Soother” → a rare oil that penetrates quickly, repairs, softens, and soothes sensitive skin.

Each oil and butter is carefully sourced for potency, purity, and ancestral wisdom, giving your skin and hair the nutrients they actually need.

Product Lines

  • Butter Bliss™ → deeply nourishing body butter with triple butter and exotic oil complexes.
  • Rooted in Clean™ → a variety of bar soaps crafted to cleanse without stripping.
  • Koji Glow ™ → turmeric & kojic acid-based brightening products (face wash, coffee scrub bars).
  • Radiant Roots™Shampoo & Conditioner → nutrient-rich hair care for all textures.
  • Loc’d in Purity ™→ Gentle, effective, no build up and scalp-friendly for locs. From Loc-Ya Lave Loc Shampoo, ACV Detox kit
  • Root & Remedy Oils ™ → Formulated for every scalp, every strand, every need. This collection brings together my most powerful unrefined, cold-pressed oils—each chosen for a specific purpose - dryness, itchiness, breakage, slow growth, or scalp imbalance, every blend in this line is made to target your unique hair concerns 



Products

Important Safety & Patch Test Notice

Some ingredients especially in my Koji Glow ™ line are naturally active, and natural doesn’t always mean inert. AGAIN, yes this is natural — but natural doesn't always mean it's without impact. Even plant-derived ingredients are active & effective, which is why this formula works.

  • Turmeric & Kojic Acid Products: these Are naturally occurring ingredients known to help brighten hyperpigmentation, even skin tone, & reduce acne. While the ingredients are gentle compared to synthetic chemicals, they are still active compounds & may cause dryness or sensitivity in certain skin types - especially those with very dry or delicate skin. That doesn't make it harmful — just effective. While using YOUR MUST apply sunscreen
  • If you've ever used African Black Soap, the drying effect is similar, and it can be balanced by following up with a good moisturizer & Sun screen
  • YOU MUST ALWAYS patch test all products before full use.


Shop Koji Glow

The Unrefined Philosophy

Skin & Hair Care That Cares About Your Skin & Hair™→ safe, high-performance, plant-powered, non-toxic formulations.

  • Free from harsh chemical irritants, endocrine disruptors, carcinogens, sulfates, silicones, and controversial allergens.
  • Blending ancestral wisdom with modern luxury, guided by science.


I don’t use harsh or controversial irritants — only plant-derived actives.

That means I avoid the chemical ingredients commonly linked to irritation (like parabens, sulfates, silicones, mineral oil, synthetic fragrances, phenoxyethanol, and drying alcohols).

However, plants themselves can still be active, so ingredients like peppermint, turmeric, and kojic acid may cause mild sensitivity for certain people — not because they’re toxic, but because they’re naturally powerful.

What truly sets my products apart is that they’re not “natural-ish,” “naturally inspired,” or hiding behind phrases like considered safe or 100% natural while only containing one natural ingredient. My formulas are actually natural — rooted in real plants, real butters, and real oils, unrefined & cold pressed to be exact, not fillers.

You won’t find any phenoxyethanol, carcinogens, no endocrine disruptors, no chemical shortcuts, and none of those synthetic preservatives that are labeled “safe” but still come with risks. The only risk you’ll ever have with my products is the normal one — if you’re allergic or sensitive to a specific plant ingredient.

My goal isn’t to sell you a trend. It’s to make skincare and haircare that is truly clean, genuinely safe, and crafted with ingredients your body recognizes — the way nature intended.


The Unrefined Co. by Kurly Kittys — Embracing the power of plants for wellness & beauty™

Trusted Sources, Transparent Care

As I mentioned I use a wide range of books, research, studies and verified ingredient resources to choose what goes into my products. I want to share more about one I love & will always recommend The Yuka app, an independent and scientifically rigorous ingredient scanner developed in France, which references and cross-checks data from over 60 authoritative international scientific sources and regulatory bodies—including the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), INCI Decoder, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and numerous peer-reviewed medical journals. The app assesses risks such as endocrine disruption, allergens, irritants, and carcinogenicity, guided by the EU’s stringent cosmetic regulations that have ban over 1,300 harmful chemicals (compared to roughly 11 banned in the U.S.). This allows me to carefully formulate products using only low-risk, non-toxic, plant-derived ingredients that prioritize safety and wellness Yuka provides full scientific references for every ingredient — including the studies, researchers, and sources behind the data — so you can visit the links & verify everything for yourself I love that because I know it’s real, transparent, and backed by science — no guesswork, just facts. Yuka keeps all ingredient data up to date, including when brands update their formulas. Occasionally, if someone takes a photo and misses an ingredient, the score may be affected — but that doesn’t make the information unreliable. Always check the ingredients against the facts, and you can even take a picture yourself and update it. I love that — it keeps everything transparent, real, and backed by science.