We had the good fortune of connecting with Arlene Embola and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Arlene, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
After four years in the beauty industry, working in multiple salons, I was presented an opportunity to do my own thing that I couldn’t refuse. I had a stable clientele and approaching forty, I itched to see if I could be successful. Many believed I was too radically different to survive.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am founder of The Doxa Gene, a niche company in the larger Beauty Industry. Our soaps and herbal remedies cater to all skin and hair textures. For the past 17years, we have provided hair services and education at Transformation Salon de Coiffure. I graduated from our local beauty school, Rivertown School of Beauty. Upon receiving my license, I was given tickets to the amazing Roy Peter’s Color Academy where my passion was truly ignited. I became quite apt with corrective color and intense hair care. After the first year and 4 salons, I realized many of my clients were not confident, nor able to care for their own hair, I returned to Cosmetology School to seek out an Instructor License. Upon completing the course, I decided not to pursue a license and opted to educate for an established brand, Joico. I continued to travel and train, attend color/cut/design workshops, product knowledge seminars, to include fashion shows. I enjoyed having a great brand to teach my clients how to care for their hair in a unique blend of the company’s approach and my developing skills and understanding. Eventually, I had to separate from Joico because it was unable to meet the challenges I faced with a diverse and hurting clientele; people facing the same hair issues, regardless of skin color and hair texture! While the challenge was overwhelming, I had the unshakable belief hair was the same on all peoples and caring for it must be approached in the same manner.

This budding theory was not only revolutionary, but incendiary! I set out to set it off and through intense work with individuals, facing unbelievable and unbearable issues. Through exhaustive and nauseatingly detailed direction and observance, I developed a system that not only understand, but comprehend hair and skin as keratin protein. I overcame the difficulties one by one, yielding to the science of skin and hair, along with my faith that God created us with a natural body chemistry that mimics Nature. Accepting this, I developed a system that evolved from repairing conditions, to restoring balance to the body and now, working with the body’s ability to regenerate.

Our company is the only to approach hair and skin as one entity, to be comprehensively cared for as a whole, making the largest organ the ground zero upon which to reveal our natural beauty.

We want the world to know we are here to make a difference in beauty and wellness, delivering a beauty brand that recognizes the importance of hair and skin for beauty as well as being both direct advocate, and indicator of health.

P.S. One of my greater motivation was our four daughters.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
WOW. We are somewhat homebodies, but I would rise to the occasion and take them where we go when we do go and want to go! The Riverwalk for walk or run, participate in a couple of the many local half a marathons, coffee at The Brick and Mortar Cafe, lunch at Sapo’s, drinks at Nonic, dinner at Oreatha’s at the Point or Pho at Downtown Vietnamese, dessert at Peach Cobbler Factory, maybe catch a performance at the Liberty Theatre, Springer Opera House, The River Center even local outdoor music pop-ups, visit to the High Museum of Art or our local Columbus Museum. We also have a running list of new places to explore and what better time to make new memories with friends at Blake’s Oyster Bar and/or Jerks Caribbean Grill…

Now that you asked, I guess we do get about! We love variety and enjoy diverse cultural experiences. We love spontaneous because we must keep life fresh.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Of course, God, my husband, our four daughters and my outstanding clientele deserve all the credit and recognition I can shout from any and all mountain tops! I am a life learner so every person I meet, book I read, opportunity presented me have made indelible impressions upon my journey.

Website: https://thedoxagene.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedoxagene?igsh=YnZxZGc0b3ZxMGNt

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BCJHN4smd/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thedoxagene5044

Other: https://tiktok.com/@doxamagic

Image Credits
Transformation Salon de Coiffure

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.