in geometric patterns and cheetah prints. A month into quarantine, Ramadan and Eid were approaching. Typically, Khamissa would have been busiest during this time, so she looked for new ways to share her skills. That's when she realized how she could reignite her business by filling a major void in the henna market. "I decided to launch my own henna brand and at-home DIY henna kit," she says. "In the first two weeks, we made over 500 sales.
"Usually, in an election year, I see a lot of journalists and political players coming in for injectable fillers and toxins, to reduce frowning, as well as laser treatments, to reduce facial redness. They did this year, but not in the numbers you would expect. On the other hand, because so many people are wearing masks and they can black themselves out on Zoom, I've been doing more invasive stuff.
I was closed March 16 to June 9. My team was furloughed; they got unemployment. I fielded hundreds of emails a day from patients. Just because you're stuck at home doesn't mean you're not worried about your skin. I spent tens of thousands of dollars on renovations, punched holes everywhere, and had the ceilings replaced to put in new air filtrations. Our waiting room is not in use at all. It's decoration.