Dr Ali N Syed’s journey to creating the As I Am brand first began with his family fleeing to a rural village in Punjab. With his attendance at the Government College Multan, he gradually progressed to studying an MSc in Chemistry. His first job came as a lecturer at Aitchison College. This paved the way for a move to Tanzania in Africa, to continue his chemistry lectures.

After moving to Chicago, his previous qualifications were not accepted and Dr Syed took a job as a janitor at a pharmaceuticals company. After plaguing his higher-ups with chemistry question after chemistry question, his reputation became widely known, launching him into an entry level position at Johnson Products Company.

It was here that Dr Syed began to develop patented products for African hair, and he soon became an expert on the matter, fielding questions on how to care for it from women wanting to try their hand at organic products. This led to the formation of the As I Am brand, which combines science and botanicals to cater to curly and coily hair