Ruby, Ellen and Ione Rucker belong to one of the oldest and most prominent families in the Carolinas and they share their story of sisterhood on WETV’s Love Thy Sister. As they deal with the ups and downs of life, they have one common mantra: “family above everything.” Here, the ladies chat about true sisterhood, and how they maintain their hair with a family owned hair care line, Rucker Roots.
ESSENCE.com: What makes your sisterhood so unique?
Ione: We’re very close. Ellen and I live in the same neighborhood in Charlotte. Ruby lives in the neighborhood a half a mile down the street. We’re kind of like sister wives. We’re helping raise our kids, we talk to each other constantly, probably about 10 to 20 times a day. Ellen and I both married professional athletes that were best friends in college and we have really similar stories and we’re both divorced and our children are all around the same age. People appreciate our closeness.
ESSENCE.com: Let’s talk a bit about Rucker Roots and what it means to have a hair care line that promotes healthy hair.
Ellen: Rucker Roots is a hair care line that really promotes the health of the hair. We started doing masks for our hair when we were really young. Our mom would make kitchen concoctions and do masks for our hair to make sure that we have healthy hair. And she would do these masks out of root vegetables and mayonnaise and all kinds of stuff out of the kitchen. So when we had girls we started doing the same thing for their hair. The line has shampoo, conditioner, heat protectant, and we’re working on co-wash as well as a curl gel and a deep conditioner mask. We use root vegetable extract and turnip root which is really beneficial for your skin and your scalp. So we thought that that would be a different component in our product. Our products are also sulfate free, they have no petroleum and alcohol. So it definitely helps the health of your hair and it helps promote growth as well.
ESSENCE.com: where can we purchase Rucker Roots?
Ione: Right now, it’s online at ruckerroots.com and we do pop up shops here and there at different salons and different cities. Right now the easiest way is to call in to our 800 number or purchase it online.
ESSENCE.com: What are your hair secrets?
Ione: A lot of women wrap their hair at night. I don’t like that, I feel like it makes your hair too flat. So I use a scrunchy to put all of our hair on top of our head. And don’t use an elastic rubber band, use like a scrunchy so it doesn’t cause any damage in your hair, and just put a top knot in it at night and that will make your hair full and flawy during the day.
Ruby: Make sure you let the moisturizing conditioner sit on your head for a while after washing your hair. The best method is to put a plastic cap on and to sit under a hair dryer for 15 or 20 minutes. The heat will help moisturize your hair and prevent split ends. Also, if you think your daughter’s hair is not growing, start shampooing and conditioning their hair more often. Their hair will start growing healthier, as opposed to if you shampoo their hair once a week.
Ellen: A lot of women forget to cleanse combs and brushes. Make sure you have clean brushes every week.
ESSENCE.com: Do you ladies wear extensions?
Ion: We wear clip ins so we can just take them in and out and for extra fullness. But we don’t wear weaves. We just wear the clip ins so we can take them out at night.
Ellen: And I rarely sleep in my clip ins.
ESSENCE.com: Do you ladies have any beauty secrets?
Ione: Get plenty of rest and drink lot’s of water. My sisters laugh at me, they say I drink too much. And if you don’t like water add lemon or cucumber or fruit to your water to give it some flavor but those are my beauty tips.
Ruby: As a woman over 40 years old, I would say to make sure you moisturize your skin twice a day. It’s so important as you get older.
Ellen: Try to go get a deep cleansing facial at least once a month. Do it yourself if you can’t afford it. And always cleanse in the morning and at night.
ESSENCE.com: What do you want our readers to know about you after watching the show?
Ione: That we’re strong, independent, God fearing wives, mothers, sisters, and friends. We are God-fearing highly educated women. We all went to college we all have our graduate degrees. Ellen is chiropractor, Ruby is an attorney, and I have my masters in elementary education. I have my masters but I’ve never worked in education but I do have an education scholarship fund that I started two years ago, too.
ESSENCE.com: What’s next for you ladies?
Ione: We’re going to continue to work on our brand with Rucker Roots and also with Rucker Education Scholarship Fund. We’re hopeful that those two things will grow out of the show. We hope our brand and our businesses continue to grow and develop. And, hopefully we’ll have a season two so we can continue to build our brand through reality TV. Stay tuned!