Be Free

Q&A with cassandra dailey of bfree organics

Photography by Cate Clother

Cate Clother: The terms "natural" and "organic" are open to interpretation and are being misused in the beauty industry. What do these terms mean to you?

Cassandra Dailey: I learned very early in life that the term “natural and organic” in mainstream media and consumerism are endlessly being degraded. Once I found myself diving headfirst into this industry, I went back to the basics. I call this; “the olde ways,” making sure that the plant medicine I formulate with has a wealth of knowledge to be found throughout indigenous cultures & histories from around the world, so that my clientele can feel safe when using each product, should they want to research for themselves. To me this means our label will continue to be transparent at all costs. And though my products are made with organic homegrown and locally sourced herbs, roots and flowers, each product speaks for itself. 

Cate: What is your background in skin care? How did you get into this field?

Cassandra: Skincare became of importance to me with the birth of my eldest child in 2000. At one year of age I started to notice little signs of a-topical rashes on the surface of his skin.  There came a whole new world of exposure to dermatology. Every three months they’d up his dosage of steroid creams they would prescribe for my son's chronic eczema. After a few years, this started to weigh heavy on my heart. I thought, “I know I can fix this but how will I do it?” First, I stopped applying the synthetic creams. This gave his skin room to breathe and try to heal itself. I took dairy out of our diets as well, because I had read that skin ailments typically start in the gut. By the time he was seven the chronic eczema was back with full vengeance. I went to the library, looking for nothing specific and a book on how to make your own skincare was sitting on the “discontinued/ free shelf.” I took it home, read the whole thing and thought…. “I bet I can make a product that will heal his skin.” I started by making a body butter and sugar scrub. After a few runs of trial and error, these two products would be the staples that healed all of his scarring, as well as his severe eczema, within eight months. Once people saw his skin transformation I was encouraged to make these products for family and friends. Intuitively I knew this experience was actively changing my family and my life forever. I had finally had my own passion.

I started my first skincare line with my childhood best friend in 2008, called Fuze Skincare. It was a “fusion” of both our naturist lifestyles. It lasted a year before we ended it for amicable reasons. My people would beg me to keep making lotions, scrubs and body butters and that is when a coworker told me about Aesthetics. At 26 years old I had never had a facial and didn’t even know where to get one. I was intrigued and stopped by a local Aesthetics school in Burbank, California. I fell deeply in love with the nurturing aspects of being a service to a clientele. I signed up to be an Aesthetician three days after finding out what it was. Seven months later, I became an Aesthetician with a previous knowledge of herbalism and homemade skincare. I joined the two together and created the brand BFree Organics while attending school at Marinello. Once I graduated, I launched BFree Organics on May 5, 2012 and the rest is history. 

Cate: What is your personal skincare/beauty philosophy?

Cassandra: Less is more. I keep my regimen simple and nature based. Though BFree Organics is a plant based line, that does mean I exclude using other nature based ingredients in my own personal routine; such as honey, beeswax, tallow, etc. I believe in the circle of life and that on Earth, beings and things are constantly regenerated in nature. These beliefs stem from my Native American lineage on both sides of my family.

Cate: Which preservative system do you use in your products?

Cassandra: I use nature-derived preservatives. This means I use preservatives like grapefruit seed extract, rosemary, clove, aloe etc. Whole ingredients that have been organically developed to replace parabens and synthetic preservatives with formaldehyde or other ingredients that many people, looking for safer alternatives, want to avoid in their cosmetics.

Cate: From where do you draw inspiration?

Cassandra: BFree Organics is full of inspiration from both matriarchs of my family—my grandmothers. My nana Irish Jean is the one that taught me how to farm as a child. Her own southern upbringing taught her the very survival skills she’s taught me throughout my life, like growing food and raising animals for our family’s own consumption. True self care and sustainability. She also taught me unconventional natural remedies for skin and healing that worked and were passed down through generations. Her love and compassion for me, being her eldest granddaughter, is endless. And I am so grateful to still have her in my life.

My grandma Barbara was a full blown beauty queen in my eyes. One word… GLAMOROUS. She exuded all the things a Queen meant to me. My grandma had exuberant amounts of fancy glass perfume bottles and porcelain jarred creams that mesmerized me. I would open them and breathe in all the spa-like scents and always felt as if I was in an enchanted castle when at my grandparents’ home. She was elegant, fierce, and such a style icon. The older I get, the more I witness their continued inspiration within my own lifestyle, as well as my company's aesthetic.

Cate: What are your personal favorite BFree Organics products? 

Cassandra: I love my Golden Hour Serum. The ingredients came to me in a dream. It truly is a heal-all product. I recommend that families use it as a first-aid product when needed. So many have shared their testimonies of uses of GHS. From people with lifelong skin ailments, who have tried every product on the market, to being told about BFree and clearing their skin ailments within months. To mothers healing rashes and mysterious bumps and bruises. I’ve heard it all. And I agree. The texture, scent, and color of Golden Hour is like a healing spa day within each drop. Makes me happy.

Cate: Can you tell us a bit about your experience as a Black Indigenous woman in this industry? 

Cassandra: Firstly, I’m in my own lane. Learning from all the ebbs and flows in this life with the guidance of my ancestors. BFree was brought to fruition through a life changing experience. A mother’s duty is to take care of her child. Being that I was raised by entrepreneurial, confident and creative Black parents, I have never led my experience with pity. Sure, there have been times that I felt I didn’t have access to something I wanted for BFree, but I never thought I didn’t get it because I am a Black Indigenous Woman. To me, that has always been an incentive within the work that I do. This journey continues to excite me. Therefore I do not dwell on any of the “what ifs.”

Cate: Where is BFree Organics heading in the future?

Cassandra: The core of BFree Organics remains the same: to honor both of my grandmothers and the beauty they brought into my life. And now, the endless inspiration from my four children, who at one point rested gently in my maternal grandmother's womb with me. All of this guidance has led me through this perfectly imperfect love affair I am in with this thing called life. If you would have asked me this question a year ago…I am sure that I had a beautifully thought out answer, but in short, I want BFree to continue coexisting for all my future ancestors so we can carry on our family traditions and cultural heritage, as we renew our bloodline.