When Ashley Dolson’s son was a baby, he suffered from severe eczema that caused his hair to fall out and his skin to be inflamed and itchy. Ashley Dolson creates products for Melanin Skyn Co. Dolson discovered her son was allergic to shea butter, a common ingredient in store-bought skin care products, so she set out to create a product that would heal his skin.
She came up with what she calls Juju’s Hair Serum, which helped with the eczema and dryness in his scalp. When family and friends saw that her son’s skin was healing, they asked Dolson if she could make products for them, too. From there, Dolson turned her skin care hobby into a business that strives to empower people of all skin colors and types to feel confident in their skin: Melanin Skyn Co.
“I saw the need of other people who either themselves suffer from eczema or had children and they just couldn’t find products in stores,” she said. Born in Niagara Falls and raised in Buffalo, Dolson graduated from McKinley High School and then went to Canisius University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in communication and media studies. She also has a diploma from Continental School of Beauty and is a licensed massage therapist.
As a young girl, she always wanted to open a day spa, which is what led her to pursue beauty school and massage therapy. At the same time, she personally struggled with eczema throughout her life. Dolson said she had a hard time finding products at the store that worked for her s.