By the time John was 10, word had spread and he cut hair for many of the families trying to survive as sharecroppers.  John’s knowledge and awareness grew with his growing clientele.  Many of the men that shaved had bumps on their necks.  Immediately, John went to work to try and come up with a solution. In those days, home remedies were derived from what was on hand. He experimented with various products from commodities and wives tales. A young scientist made-do with what was available, so the window screen became a sifter for flour in one concoction.  “That was a good whipping”, laughs John.  

John would not be deterred.  He experimented with his creations on nicks and scars on his arms and legs that he got while playing and noticed a healing effect. He used the cream on his “clients” that complained about the razor bumps and it had a favorable effect on them, too.  So began the journey that led to his invention known today as Shaver’s Choice After Shave Skin Therapy.  

John recalls being laughed at and ridiculed as a child. He was called “the mad scientist”, but he persevered. His mother, a maid, would bring home old copies of magazines that were being thrown away. John would read everything he could get his hands on regarding hair, skin and beauty products. Once John graduated from high school, he left Inverness to pursue his dream of becoming a barber. Far away from the fields of cotton where he daydreamed, he attended Mid-South Barber College in Jackson, where he ultimately received his Master Barber designation. John later became an instructor and was the first black barber instructor in Starkville, Mississippi. 

Over the next twenty years, John would spend much of his time in research and experimentation that eventually led to the development of Shaver’s Choice.  Getting to this point has not been easy for Campbell.  He began manufacturing his product in a makeshift factory in his kitchen in 1986 and for the next nine years worked to establish a formula that would not only work to alleviate the problems associated with the aftermath of shaving but to condition the skin long after the shaving process was complete.  

Late in 2001, when John was just days away from losing the continuation on his second patent due to financial difficulties, an unexpected turn of events took place. As he was entering the business incubator at the Mississippi Engineering Research Park, he met a lady that was interested in his story. She infused funds into Shavers’ Choice, Inc. that would allow John to save his patents.  Both agree that their meeting was not chance.  All the glory of their success is given to God.  That meeting put the marketing wheels in motion that created SC3 LLC.