Meet Ashley Zelaya | Owner of Ocean Curls

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Zelaya and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Starting a business takes a lot of self-motivation and sacrifice. I always had the idea but just never had the time to invest in making the product or even to market it. Until one day, I said I had to make time to create this hair product that will not only help me but so many other curly hair girls. Unfortunately, COVID hit, and I lost my job in the process, which made it difficult for me to continue investing in creating this cream. But on the positive side, I had a lot of time on my hands, so I used it to my advantage to formulate a product that consisted of nothing but organic items. Prior to Covid, I was using tons of different hair products that not only made me spend a lot of money but also damaged my hair. Everything I tried would either make my hair hard as a cast, get full of dandruff, or make my hair look super dry. As I would shop around for hair products, I would always see so many other girls with curly hair that were having the same issue. This made me realize it was time for a change! It was time to develop a hair product that was less harmful and that would allow my curls to hold while still being free. Therefore, I developed Ocean Curls Natural and Organic. A curl cream that is formulated with nothing but organic items such as aloe, castor seed oil, avocado seed oil, soybean oil, and vitamin E to help produce shine, hold curls, and promote hair growth.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My small business stands out from all other small businesses because I offer organic hair curl cream that style and hold free bouncy curls for men and women. The majority of hair product manufacturers target only females and formulate their products with alcohol, which dries and kills your hair with prolonged use. I was losing a lot of hair because the majority of the hair products I used before were all made with alcohol. Therefore, I wanted to develop a product that wouldn’t include alcohol, would encourage hair development, and would still maintain curls. My product took a lot of developing and testing before I could eventually produce Ocean Curls lotion.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love to go out and have some fun whenever I hang out with my best friend. We spend time in Montrose and Midtown, especially the Latin clubs there are always good music, drinks and amazing vibes. Our favorite place to go eat is Samurai, Japanese Steak and Sushi, which has great staff and even better sushi. We have tried out as many restaurants as possible, always trying to find the best places, some are hit or miss. Yet we love the adventure and even better memories. We have tried from the best taco trucks around to the best clubs and even Tik Tok suggestions. Someone of the best people I have found are in the Montrose area, but I’ve had only good experiences, so far. One of my favorite places to be is the tunnels in Downtown-Houston, they have multiple stores and restaurants, which has connected almost every building downtown; it’s one of those hidden gems that even natives don’t know about. If we don’t know where to go then Tik Tok is always our saving grace. As a native Houstonian, I don’t even realize that there is so much more out there to explore and to experience.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have a strong affinity for small business owners. But one that sticks out the most to me is Ashley Elliot from TikTok. She is a small company owner I admire and who inspires me to keep promoting my small business. She also released a hair gel for all hair types under her own brand. I believe we had similar issues for hair care, which made me look up to her because she also wanted a change in product. She created a gel since she was constantly having issues with gels failing to maintain her hair in place throughout her lengthy workdays.

Instagram: @naturaloceancurls and @ashter_forever

Image Credits
@wileephotographs (instagram)