How CEO Mushiya Tshikukao is using her beauty brand to help combat menstrual trauma

Founder and CEO of Runway Curls, Mushiya Tshikuka, has announced that the popular hair care brand now goes by MUSHIYA Beauty. Known for serving its customers with quality natural hair wigs and extensions, the transformation in the brand name stems from Tshikuka’s vision to expand its product line while remaining true to its core values of empowering women to embrace their natural hair textures throughout the U.S. and across the African diaspora, Black News reported.

“I am thrilled to announce the launch of MUSHIYA Beauty. Our new brand name does not only reflect our continuous commitment toward providing our customers with the best in natural hair wigs and extensions, but it also reflects our full spectrum of new beauty products and accessories to further celebrate their natural beauty.” She said.

“From Atlanta, Georgia to the Republic of Congo, MUSHIYA aims to provide an arsenal of products that make women of color feel unstoppable and unapologetically gorgeous in all things natural beauty.”

Tshikuka is also the founder of the Mushiya Foundation, which seeks to bring awareness to end menstrual trauma among women and girls living in the Republic of Congo through its NOIRE initiative.

The CEO calls NOIRE her passion project; the initiative consists of education, advocacy, and outreach to break down social, cultural, and economic barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing menstrual health resources, and empowers them to take charge of their reproductive health.

Tshikuka donates a dollar from each purchase of MUSHIYA Beauty products to produce and distribute free Noire Sanitary napkins to women and girls in Congo who lack these basic resources.

She narrates how her heritage as a Congolese has allowed her to experience firsthand the heartbreaking menstrual trauma faced by women and girls there. This inspired her decision to create a world where women and girls can live with their heads held high and without the shame that accompanies menstruation.

According to her, she anticipates partnering with customers from MUSHIYA Beauty and the Congolese community to put the crisis to rest.

The 42-year-old hairstylist and television personality is mostly popular for her appearances on WETV’s reality series, Cutting It in the ATL. She is also the owner of the Atlanta hair salon, ‘The Damn Salon’, and has acted as its creative director. She is a native of Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to When We Speak TV, she won the ‘Creative Hairstylist of the Year Award at the BB Awards show in 2020.