Self-Care On The Go

Most 22-year-olds would consider running a business OR pursuing one master's degree a full plate. Nya is doing both—twice over—while building Scandalous Essence, a luxury self-care brand that started with cotton balls and customer encouragement.

The origin story is pure entrepreneurial serendipity. Working at a store that sold oils, Nya would mix scents during slow shifts, testing combinations on cotton balls. One day a customer walked in, started smelling her creations, and said, "These are amazing. You need to make these and sell them."

So she did.

Nya taught herself how to make whipped shea butter, sourced her products from a vendor, and did her first pop-up shop at North Carolina Central University when she was 20. She sold out completely. "Okay, we gotta keep going," she remembers thinking.

That sold-out pop-up changed everything. Time to build a website. Time to expand the product line. Time to turn the vision into reality.

Scandalous Essence specializes in self-care products designed for lives that don't slow down. The current lineup includes body oils in both travel and regular sizes, sugar scrubs, and whipped shea butter infused with vitamin E, jojoba oil, and coconut oil. Candles and scented hand sanitizers are coming soon.

Everything is crafted with portability in mind—self-care on the go for people whose lives don't pause for pampering sessions.

But here's the impressive part: Nya is simultaneously pursuing dual master's degrees while working with a vulnerable population in her full-time job. Oh, and she's recently engaged, which means wedding plans are on the rise. She dedicates about 6-8 hours per week to her business, handling every single aspect herself—from product creation to social media to website orders.

Ask Nya about her philosophy on self-care, and she'll tell you something refreshing: it doesn't have to look like what you see in the media. It’s simpler than that.

"Self-care doesn't have to necessarily be, oh, I'm going on a shopping spree or I'm gonna buy a new car," she says. "For a normal person, self-care looks like, I'm gonna get Starbucks this morning, or I'm gonna use the body butter that I really love."

Self-care can be anything that brings you joy, that gives you a serotonin boost. Small self-care still counts as self-care. "We often overlook it because it's not what's portrayed in the media," she notes. But those small moments? They matter.

And how does the CEO of a self-care brand practice what she preaches? She races home to spend time with Stitch, her one-year-old Morkie (Maltese-Yorkie mix), whether it's for a lunch break cuddle or a walk after work. That's her self-care right now—and it works.

Nya's from Texas originally—a kid who moved around a lot with her family. She came to North Carolina on a scholarship to NC Central, and it felt like the right choice. Now she's here building something remarkable—a one-woman operation where she handles everything from product creation to social media to website orders. It's not always easy to keep everything updated, she admits, but she's proud of everything she puts out.

And soon, regardless of the future travels her life will take, Scandalous Essence will travel too. That's the beauty of building something designed to go wherever you go.

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Remember: It's a one-woman show, so if you're following along on social media or shopping the website, know that Nya is pouring herself into every single aspect of this luxury brand—between classes, clinical work, and cuddles with Stitch.