Community Highlights: Meet Myscha Hargett-Gaines of EmGe Naturals

Today we’d like to introduce you to Myscha Hargett-Gaines. 

Hi Myscha, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I was born in Chapel Hill and raised in Durham where I lived until 2000. I remember when I first discovered body scrubs…We were on a family vacation in 2002 at Disney and I saw this blue concoction with a sign that said try me. I sampled one and it was Scrub Love! I returned home and started mixing together all kinds of salt, sugar, sand, and pumice with vegetable oil, baby oil, and olive oil to see which combination worked best. When I landed on a good mix, I made a few jars and took them to my mother-in-law. She loved the way they made her skin feel and she started coming up with ideas on how we should package them in jars, with ribbons, etc., etc. I mean she went all out. Before I knew it, I was selling my little 4 oz glass mason jar sugar scrubs at crafts shows, to church groups and friends and family.  People enjoyed the sugar scrubs so much that I decided to try to get them into the local health food store, but the packaging had to change, so we moved to wide-mouth plastic jars and EmGe Naturals was born.    Not only did we stock EmGe in the largest health food store in Lynchburg, our products could be found in a local tanning salon and a luxury spa.   From late 2013 through mid-2015 you could find my husband and I traveling back and forth from Lynchburg to Raleigh-Durham selling at special events and wine festivals and loving every minute of it.

And then life happened. In May of 2015, we received an unexpected call that resulted in my six-month-old grandchild coming to live with us. We tried to keep up the vending events but late-night feedings and diaper changes at 52 can take a toll on one’s energy level. By November of that same year, another grandchild had to come and live with us, and that pretty much sealed the fate, at least I thought, for EmGe because those babies needed my attention. So, I looked at my husband, loving on those 2 babies, yes both were less than a year old, and I said there is no way we can continue with EmGe.

I literally boxed it up, gave away any product on hand, threw away all my oils and butter and my EmGe T-shirts. There is this bible study series by Priscilla Shirer called “Life Interrupted ~ Navigating the Unexpected”, boy was that study right on time!!! We were supposed to be empty nesters.

When Covid hit about 18 months ago it became questionable if the childcare center we owned was going to be able to stay open and so I was like, I needed to find another way help out with our family’s income, there had got to be something.  After considering a few work-from-home options I dared to ask my husband if we could give EmGe another go as an online business. We started considering how we would do EmGe, how we would do it differently, what it would be like to do the business online. And one issue that kept coming up for us with packaging – what were we going to do in regards to packaging? For a small business getting bottles or  jars during the pandemic was almost impossible.   While searching for packaging we became aware of the impact of rigid plastics on the environment and decided to bring awareness to that issue by selecting packaging with a smaller carbon footprint.

The EmGe Naturals of today is very different from where we started. I have attended one of the most well-known formulation schools to ensure our products are made from ingredients that actually improve the texture and appearance of the skin. I formulate for a very specific audience and we are very intentional in sourcing responsibly and reducing our carbon footprint. Even though not all of our grandchildren live with us, they all fuel our desire to positively impact our community and leave a legacy of entrepreneurial spirit, benevolence, and faith.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. The biggest struggle is being my age and trying to adapt to online/social media. People often think because I have a Master’s in Computer Information Systems, I should be a social media wiz kid. Ha ha, no such luck. I was trained to be a computer programmer and even that I have not done in 20 years. So, diving into social media marketing is quite intimidating. Yet I am determined to do it. BRAVE, STRONG & KIND, that’s what I teach my grandbabies and that is me!!!

As you know, we’re big fans of EmGe Naturals. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I have struggled with dry skin since my early 30’s and quickly learned that most store brands do very little to hydrate my skin. Research also taught me that using even the best body moisturizers on the market, have little effect on dead shedding skin. So, I set out to formulate a lusciously effective body exfoliating scrub that met a high-quality set of standards – natural ingredients, generous exfoliation, aromatic fragrances and it had to be easy to use. No wet hands in the scrub or having to stir before every use. EmGe Naturals Body Scrub was created to remove the dead skin making way for the perfect moisturizer to improve the texture and appearance of the skin.

Everyone’s skin is going to get drier as they age. It is a scientific fact. At EmGe we believe everyone should have access to high-quality, naturally-based products that nurture the skin and senses. Each of our bath and body essentials is created with a fusion of plant-based, antioxidant, and moisturizer formula that helps strengthen, protect and restore the skin.

To become a leader in the bath and body industry we strive to bring awareness to the effectiveness of natural skincare ingredients by integrating nature-based purity with the latest science available to deliver products that do what they promise.

Cleanse, Exfoliate, Moisturize, Glow, these are the simple steps that give back confidence through the restoration of healthy skin. We are not just throwing a bunch of natural ingredients together, just to say we are a natural skincare brand. We actually research and seek out ingredients proven to improve the health and appearance of the epidermis. The entire EmGe (“MG”) bath and body skincare line consist of an emollient combination of botanical ingredients, essential oils, and aromatic fragrances that exfoliate, moisturize and heal resulting in soft smooth hydrated skin. Our skincare includes body scrubs, moisturizers, body washes, lip care and deodorant.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
The biggest thing and hardest thing I have learned as a business owner is that you have to be willing to put yourself out there, and you must be determine to not fall victim to your fears. Advice to my fellow entrepreneurs: get as much information as you can from anyone already successfully doing what you want to do and dare to execute it, see it through to the end and if it fails, get more info, educate yourself and go for it again. I can honestly say a change in mindset can really turn things around for the better!

Contact Info:

• Email: help@emgenaturals.com
• Website: emgenaturals.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/emgenaturals
• Facebook: facebook.com/emgenaturals
• Twitter: twitter.com/emgenaturals