As I’ve entered a new life stage of fatherhood, I’ve been looking for a way to bridge the most important passion in my life (my family) with the thing that takes up the second most amount of my time: my career and business ventures.
We’ve been building quietly. Alongside a few partners at Acumen Capital, we acquired @cristinascurls_ last year, and we’re leading brand and growth through Yellow Apple Marketing, in partnership with founder Courtney Smith, who we have the pleasure of steering the ship with.
Parents loved the promise from day one: gentle for sensitive skin and gorgeous for growing curls.
The gap was obvious. So many parents want the best for their babies and toddlers, and “the best” looks like something that’s thoughtful for sensitive skin routines (including families managing eczema or cradle cap) while still delivering real moisture, slip, and style for beautiful curls without being too heavy or harsh. Cristina’s Curls bridges both with clean, plant-based care that actually earns a spot on your counter.
What’s inside:
• Aloe to moisturize
• Chamomile to comfort delicate skin
• Jojoba + Castor to nourish the scalp and strands
• Shea + Argan for soft, healthy-looking definition
We have three collections designed to grow with your baby from infancy through toddlerhood:
Nourishing Baby
Gentle care from day one for newborn hair and delicate, developing skin, including comfort-first options for families managing eczema and cradle cap.
Nourish + Grow
Scalp-and-strand care with gentle, natural ingredients that support healthy-looking growth and keep curls moisturized in the moment.
Curl Enhancing
For toddlers with a full head of hair, delivering the moisture, slip, and definition curls need to stand out without compromise.
If you’ve got a little one in your world, check the 🔗 in bio when you have a minute. Tell me what you think. If it serves your family, even better.
Cristina’s Curls. Only the Best, From Day One.
This year, most of my free time went to family.
The rest went into building.
Before the year ends, I wanted to pull back the curtain on one chapter of that work: Scotch Porter.
For the past two years I’ve been serving as CMO of Scotch Porter through my shop, Yellow Apple Marketing. A men’s grooming brand that started in real barbershops and bathrooms like mine, now pushing to grow up without losing its edge.
What we’ve been focused on:
• Repositioning the brand to speak to a younger consumer while still feeling real to the men who built it.
• Dialing in the business so the website, Amazon, and retail all work together instead of competing.
• Leaning into what people actually love about Scotch Porter: how it smells, how it performs, and how it makes you feel like you are worth the extra step.
• Making sure men with all kinds of beards, hair, and skin see themselves in the brand and on the shelf.
One of the best parts has been how close this work is to real people. Friends and folks in my network hit me all the time to say how much they use and love these products. That kind of feedback means a lot.
These photos are just a small snapshot of that story. Real people. Real spaces. Real texture.
Grateful for the friends, creatives, operators, and partners who have touched this with me. Yellow Apple has given me the space to build with people I actually know and respect.
This is one lane I’ve had my head in this year. I’ll share more on some of the other work soon.
