In 2007, Gervasia Archer was determined to teach her daughter from the tender age of 2 yrs old to enjoy, love and embrace her natural kinky hair. Beginning with her own natural hair journey, she did “The Big Chop” cutting off all the damaged chemically relaxed ends of her hair leaving just her healthy naturally kinky textured hair. Gervasia spent countless hours researching and learning the best hair care, styling techniques and natural ingredients for promoting strong healthy hair. That’s when she realized she wanted to break the cycle of hair damage, hair loss and painful detangling and styling not only for her and her daughter but for as many women and children as possible. Drawing her personal and professional experiences just like a caterpillar evolving into the freedom of being a beautiful butterfly, Gervasia’s vision of Butterfly Naturals was born in 2012.
Seeing the need for education, Gervasia’s vision on how to solve this problem was by creating hair restoration services for clients and teaching them how to love and care for their own natural hair. Her formula for success was the understanding that a Healthy Scalp + Healthy Hair + Healthy Styling= Healthy Beautiful Hair.
When Gervasia earned her Natural Hairstyling & Barbering Licenses in 2014, it was a game changer and solidified her commitment to being a Natural Hair Educator. She continued to specialize in Hair Restoration Services for clients in need of intensive haircare, healthy styling techniques and protective styling. With each service, clients were able to get her handmade Butterfly Naturals 10-Step Haircare Treatments and Services. One of the treatments is Butterfly Naturtals Signature Rosemary Black Tea Scalp Treatment with Scalp Massage service. This treatment strengthens the Clients hair follicles, eases scalp tenderness, dry scalp, dandruff etc. and promotes hair growth.
Out of the need to find healthy natural hair products that work with all textured hair without having it feeling, heavy, greasy and dry, Gervasia also created her own handmade hair products that Clients can purchase and use at home. The Butterfly Naturals System of Care Handmade Hair Products is a 4-Step Haircare Line designed to help clients to have a loving and caring relationship with their natural hair it consists Clean Me, Not Strip Me ACV Cleansing and Detangling Rinse, Love Me Every Day Moisturizing Spray, Butter Me Up Sealing Butter and All That I Can Be Moisturizing Styling Custard. The names of each product represents having a healthy relationship to one’s hair.
Since the start of her business 10 years ago, Gervasia has serviced over 250 hair clients restoring the health and beauty of their hair with her Hair Restoration Services and Hair Products. A major goal for Butterfly Naturals is the The Butterfly Naturals Hair Restoration Treatment Services and the System of Care Hair Products be available at as many Hair Salons and Barbershops as possible for clients to purchase and reap the benefits of this healthy hair care regimen during their hair appointments. .
The mission of Butterfly Naturals is to create a safe space for people of color to sharpen their self-esteem and self-efficacy skills in self-love through celebrating their naturally kinky/curly textured hair. Using her Butterfly Naturals Hair Products as a catalyst for changing the stigma that natural hair is unmanageable, She has been able to facilitate hands-on workshops teaching teens, parents as well as individual adults on how to properly cleanse, detangle, moisturize and style their own hair. Similar to that of a Paint and Sip art workshop, participants are supplied with hair products and hair tools to use during the workshops. Participants then get step by step guidance on the haircare and styling.
Gervasia always had a passion for helping others. While in her career as a Counselor for family-oriented non-profit organizations, she became an advocate for adults living with HIV/AIDS, Substance Abuse Challenges and Youth living with Mental, Behavioral and Emotional Challenges. In addition, she also was an Abstinence Educator throughout Bayonne, NJ Public Schools. It only felt natural for her to do even more.
In 2019, Gervasia also created the “I Love My Hair” curriculum building self-esteem, self-care, self-efficacy and self-love for elementary, middle and high schools. Not only does The I Love My Hair Curriculum celebrates the beauty of all hair types. Most importantly students learn the history of textured hair in Africa dating back before slavery. Students learn about different tribal hair styles, their meanings and its influences today on pop culture, the hair industry, how to handle hair discrimination and bullying etc. Students also learn about overall self-care by speaking words of affirmation for self-esteem, finding hobbies that build confidence and etc. all this while learning hands-on haircare techniques, haircare recipes.
Some of the schools and 501c3 organizations where Gervasia has presented the curriculum include The School at Columbia University, Harlem NY, Ivy Hill Elementary School, Newark, NJ, and Born To Be a Natural Leader Organization, Roselle Park, NJ and Jersey City Deliverance Center. . The ButterfIy Naturals I Love My Hair Curriculum has been a great addition to the traditional Black History Month Curriculums in Schools.
Butterfly Naturals isn’t just hair! It’s a way of life! The time is now to Learn, Style and Love your Kinky, Curly, Coily Hair with Butterfly Naturals