As I Am: The Brand That Started in a Garage and Changed the CoWash Game

The brand at a glance

The founder story

Dr. Ali N. Syed holds over 45 patents for hair care formulations. He is one of the world's leading authorities on textured hair science. And he started his career cleaning chemical kettles because no firm in Chicago would hire him despite his Master's degree in Chemistry.

Syed was born in 1947 and became a refugee as a toddler when his family was forcibly displaced during the Partition of India. His mother, by every account, prioritized education above everything else. He earned his chemistry degree, taught in Pakistan and Tanzania, and eventually immigrated to the United States. When he arrived in Chicago in the late 1970s, the doors that should have been open to him were not. He took the only position available to him and worked his way into the lab from there.

By 1984 he had founded Avlon Industries out of his home garage, building salon-grade science for textured and relaxed hair. The professional lines he developed, Affirm and KeraCare, became industry standards. As I Am came later, in 2011, as a direct response to what Dr. Syed was hearing from women around the world as the natural hair movement took hold.

Why this brand matters

In a landscape where most major textured hair brands have been acquired by Unilever, L'Oréal, or other conglomerates, As I Am remains independently owned and family-operated. That is not a small thing. It means the person who formulates the products is the same person who built the company from nothing, whose career was shaped by direct work with textured hair science, and whose community giving is baked into the business model rather than added as a marketing layer.

The science-first approach is also genuinely distinct. As I Am does not outsource production. They formulate, test, and manufacture in-house, which gives them a level of quality control that many brands in this space simply do not have.

🧴The products: what works for who🧴

💜Coconut CoWash Cleansing Conditioner

The original. A cleansing conditioner that removes buildup without stripping the hair's natural oils. This is what put As I Am on the map and essentially made co-washing a mainstream concept in natural hair care.

✅Best for: medium to low density　✅Type 3 to 4A　✅Low to medium porosity　⚠️Full density: may feel heavy

💛Leave-In Conditioner

A lightweight daily leave-in that hydrates, detangles, and gives curls definition and shine. One of the brand's most consistently praised products across hair types.

✅Best for: Defined Curls and Tight Coils with Mid Shrinkage ✅High porosity✅Dry ends⚠️Very full density: layer carefully

💚DoubleButter Cream

A rich styling cream packed with natural butters. Excellent for sealing moisture after a leave-in, especially for drier, tighter coil patterns that need more weight and definition.

✅Best for: Tight Coils with Mid to High Shrinkage ✅Medium density ✅High porosity ends⚠️Fine or medium strands: use sparingly

💙Curl Jelly Sculpting Gel

A defining gel that delivers hold without crunch or flake. Works well for wash-and-go styles on defined curl patterns. Sulphate- and silicone free.

✅Best for: Defined Curls with Mid Shrinkage to High Shrinkage ✅Wash and go ⚠️Tighter coils: may need layering

🩷Rice Clay Masque

A detoxifying and moisturizing treatment that works for both hair and scalp. One of the newer products in the range and gaining strong community attention for its clarifying and nourishing balance.

✅Best for: all types ✅Scalp detox  ✅Monthly or bi-monthly treatment

👑EMK's Take👑

As I Am is one of the first brands I tried when I started paying real attention to what I was putting on my hair. The CoWash was my entry point. Honestly, it did not work for me personally, my hair is too dense and it felt too heavy, but that is a density and hair type issue, not a product quality issue. For medium density hair, Type 3 to 4A patterns, and anyone who has been looking for a gentle cleanser that does not strip the curl, the CoWash is genuinely worth trying.

What I respect most about As I Am is the ownership story and the manufacturing integrity. In a market where independent Black-founded brands get acquired and reformulated into something unrecognizable, As I Am has stayed exactly what it was built to be. That matters when you are choosing where to put your money.

🇯🇵日本語まとめ🇯🇵

As I Amは、45以上の特許を持つ化学者Dr. Ali N. Syedが2011年に立ち上げたテクスチャーヘアケアブランドです。親会社であるAvlon Industriesは1984年にガレージから創業され、現在も家族経営で独立を保っています。大手コングロマリットに買収されていない点は、この市場では珍しいことです。

製品はすべて自社施設でフォーミュラ開発から製造まで一貫して行われており、スルファート・シリコーン・フリー、ヴィーガン仕様です。特にCoconut CoWashは、ナチュラルヘアムーブメントの中でコウォッシュという概念を広めたパイオニア的製品です。創設者のAishaはCoWashを試しましたが、自身の高密度の髪には重すぎたとのこと。中程度の密度やType 3〜4Aの方には特におすすめです。

注文ごとに$1が教育・コミュニティ支援に寄付される仕組みも、ブランドの姿勢を反映しています。