As the holiday season approaches, I always find myself slowing down and reflecting. The holidays have a way of inviting pause. They ask us to look back at how far we have come and to imagine what is possible ahead. For me, this season is not just about gift giving or festive rituals. It is about gratitude, intention, and recommitting to the vision behind Manjeri Skincare.
Manjeri was never meant to be just another body care brand. It was built from memory, culture, and a deep belief that caring for your body is a powerful act of self respect. As we move through the holiday season and look ahead to 2026, I want to share where we are, what this time of year means to me as a founder, and where Manjeri Skincare is headed next. I also want to share the part of the journey that does not always make it into polished highlights. The uncertainty. The responsibility. The reality of building this brand as a solo founder.
What the Holidays Mean to Me as a Founder
The holidays hit differently when you are building something from the ground up. There is pride, exhaustion, hope, and vulnerability all wrapped into one season. Running Manjeri Skincare has taught me that growth is rarely linear. Some seasons feel expansive and full of momentum. Others require patience, faith, and quiet resilience.
The holiday season has always been a time of grounding for me. Growing up, it was less about excess and more about togetherness, care, and ritual. Those values are deeply woven into Manjeri Skincare. In many African households, body care is communal. Oils are shared. Scrubs are passed down. Bath time is intentional. That sense of care and connection is what I want Manjeri to evoke, especially during the holidays.
As we move through this season, I am reminded that building a brand rooted in ritual means honoring slowness in a world that often rushes. It means creating products and experiences that invite people to pause, breathe, and care for themselves deeply, even when life feels full or uncertain.
The Reality of Building Manjeri Skincare as a Solo Founder
Being a solo founder means carrying the vision and the weight at the same time. It means making decisions without always having a roadmap. It means being the creative, the strategist, the operator, and often the customer service lead all in one.
There are days filled with momentum. Seeing a product resonate. Reading a message from a customer who feels more confident in their skin. Watching Manjeri Skincare show up in spaces I once only dreamed of. Those moments are energizing and affirming.
Then there are days shaped by uncertainty. Inventory decisions that feel heavy. Cash flow questions. Logistics delays. Platform changes. Moments where you are planning several steps ahead while solving problems in real time. When you are building alone, there is no buffer between the challenge and the decision. You feel it all as it happens.
Learning to move forward without having every answer has been one of the hardest lessons of this journey. It has also been one of the most important. Manjeri Skincare exists because I chose to keep going, even when clarity came after action rather than before it.
Showing Up Consistently for Our Customers
One thing that has never been optional for me is consistency for our customers. Even when things felt uncertain behind the scenes, the experience for the person placing an order mattered deeply. Customer service at Manjeri Skincare is not a department. It is personal.
There were moments when responding to emails, managing fulfillment, and ensuring product quality required more energy than expected. Moments when I had to hold internal challenges while making sure every customer felt supported, informed, and cared for.
Consistency is not about perfection. It is about reliability. It is about making sure that when someone chooses Manjeri Skincare, they feel confident in that choice. Building trust with customers has been one of the most meaningful parts of this journey, and it is something I continue to protect as the brand grows.
How Far Manjeri Skincare Has Come
When I first launched Manjeri Skincare, the vision was clear but the road ahead was uncertain. I was navigating entrepreneurship as a solo founder with limited resources, steep learning curves, and big dreams. What carried me through was belief. Belief in the power of body care. Belief in the stories behind our rituals. Belief in the glow that comes from consistency and care.
Since launching, Manjeri Skincare has grown in ways I once only imagined. From expanding our product line to building thoughtful bundles, from being featured in British Vogue to seeing our first billboard in Times Square, each milestone has felt surreal.
What makes me proudest is not just visibility. It is impact. Knowing that our products have become part of someone’s daily routine, their self care ritual, or their holiday gifting tradition means everything to me.
The Holidays as a Season of Ritual
At Manjeri Skincare, we talk a lot about rituals because they matter. Rituals ground us. They create meaning in everyday moments. During the holidays, rituals take on even greater significance.
A warm shower after a long day. Exfoliating your skin before applying a nourishing body oil. Taking a few extra minutes to care for yourself amid the noise of the season. These are not small acts. They are reminders that you deserve care too.
Holiday gifting at Manjeri Skincare has always been about intention. Our sets are curated to feel personal, not performative. They are designed to be used, not saved. To me, the best gift is one that becomes part of someone’s routine long after the wrapping paper is gone.
As we move through the holiday season and into the year ahead, we continue to design offerings that support rest, glow, and presence. Not just for the holidays, but for every season beyond.
Looking Ahead to 2026 and the Future of Manjeri Skincare
Looking ahead to 2026 feels meaningful because it represents both reflection and expansion. It is a marker of how far we have come and a signal of where we are headed.
In the year ahead, Manjeri Skincare is focused on deepening what we already do well while expanding thoughtfully. That means continuing to elevate body care, investing in education, and honoring global rituals that inspire glow from head to toe.
We are working toward a stronger retail presence, more intentional storytelling, and product innovation that stays true to our roots. Every new launch is approached with care. If it does not align with our values of ritual, wellness, and cultural respect, it does not move forward.
Sustainability also remains front and center. From packaging improvements to our continued partnership with CleanHub and the Teka Pasa project in Tanzania, our commitment to reducing waste is ongoing. The holidays should not come at the expense of the planet, and we are committed to doing better each year.
Gratitude This Holiday Season
As we move through the holiday season and toward the year ahead, I want to say thank you. Thank you to every customer who trusted a growing brand. Thank you to everyone who shared Manjeri Skincare with a friend, gifted a set, or made space for ritual in their routine. Thank you to the community that continues to support, challenge, and grow with us.
This season is a reminder that glow is not about perfection. It is about care. It is about showing up for yourself consistently. It is about honoring where you come from and where you are going.
From my heart to yours, I wish you a holiday season filled with warmth, rest, and intentional care. The future ahead for Manjeri Skincare is bright, and I am grateful to walk into it with you.
With gratitude and glow,
Rhoda Wasswas
Founder, Manjeri Skincare
