What’s in Your Stash? Kelin Henry, Founder of Nashira Los Angeles

Sharon Letts: HighTimes

Kelin Henry hails from Los Angeles, graduating high school in 1995. Her first experience with cannabis was when she was just 15 years old.

“One of my friend’s older brothers smoked recreationally, so I smoked with him for the first time,” she shared. “It made me feel paranoid and I didn’t really like it. But, my cousin—who was a father figure for me and lived with my mom and [me] growing up—was a big advocate of what he called ‘the sacred plant.’ He spent a lot of time educating me about the plant and its medicinal benefits.”

Her cousin passed away in 2018 and Henry was able to gift him cannabis oil to ease his pain.

“He was so grateful, as it truly was the only thing that helped manage his pain,” she said. “I just recently began taking it myself every night to help with sleep and anxiety.”

She also became an entrepreneur in the cannabis industry after divorce left her a single mom with four small children to raise in 2018 after befriending a man with a pre-roll company.

“I started going to cannabis events with him and loved the energy of it all,” she said. “I had purchased a pair of gold hoop earrings with cannabis leaves on them online and wore them to an event in the Hollywood Hills. That was January of 2019, and I received so many compliments that it was definitely an ah-ha moment.”

The next day she contacted the seller to work out a wholesale deal.

“I knew that becoming an entrepreneur at the age of 41 would present challenges,” she said. “I had been out of the workforce at that point for 14 years. But, having a flexible schedule so I could be home for my kids was important to me.”

On February 14 in 2019, on Valentine’s Day, Nashira was up and running with a line of cannabis embellished jewelry, in bracelets, earrings, necklaces, and charms.

Adding a home goods line was inevitable, considering she had earned a degree in Interior Design in 2003 from California State University at Northridge, with a gig at an interior design firm right out of college. Her continuing on that path was put on hold when she began having children.

“It had been so long since I had a chance to flex my interior design muscle, but design will always be my number one passion,” she shared. “I was getting so tired of all the same fabrics and prints on the market—they all started looking the same to me—usually a green, solid leaf on a black background. In my mind, that’s just not a good representation of this sacred plant.”

Her new homeline has been months in the making, with Nashira just launching its line of candles under the name, Walk in the Woods.

“The name is a play on words with a nod to winter trees,” she said. “Our tagline is, ‘elevate your tablescape.’ Our line of linens will have custom cloth napkins, tablecloths, custom throws and accent pillows—all with cannabis leaf designs, and all with a depth of design for the plant, highlighting its beauty.”

Becoming a Patient

Playing with leaf designs aside, the feeling of being paranoid after smoking cannabis never improved for Henry. By June of 2011, a friend turned her on to a little tub of lotion.

“We were on a road trip to Rancho Mirage out in the California Desert, and I was having really bad shoulder and neck pain,” she shared. “A friend handed me a jar of CBD topical lotion, and after applying it the pain was relieved in about 15 minutes. That was my first time using CBD only and I was sold.”

Fast forward to November of 2018, and she began ingesting a full spectrum CBD oil to quell anxiety and the occasional panic attack.

“I noticed a difference immediately,” she said. “The bonus was, I didn’t consume alcohol for 16 days straight after taking the CBD oil regularly. It helped tremendously. So much so that I have not taken one single Ativan since.”

Many cannabis patients and partakers alike have admitted to replacing alcohol with cannabis, saying that alcohol took the edge off, but the negative effects on body, mind and relationships suffered.

Henry added that she had taken Ativan for seven years, but drank alcohol on top of the pills, as they did not seem to work for her. Interesting to note that both were successfully replaced by ingesting CBD oil, with no psychoactive response and no paranoia.

THC, the psychoactive compound in cannabis achieved after heating or smoking, is often said to spike anxiety in patients and users prone to the disorder. When trying high amounts of THC available in concentrates and flower for the first time, it’s important to follow the “start low, go slow” rule when dosing. Titrating up to an acceptable amount of THC for your particular tolerance is key.

Stash by Design 

Since coming into the cannabis space, attending more events, and seshing with various modes, Henry has found her tolerance with THC and has made peace with it.

“I now have a good understanding of ratios of THC to CBD, and can control my anxiety levels for medicating or recreating,” she said. “My stash has definitely grown over the years and I’m actually pretty proud of it, where in the past I would have hidden it. I know that confidence comes with education of the whole process of medicating and recreating with cannabis.”

This is good news to the designer, who named her company Nashira, meaning, “The bearer of good news,” inspired by stars in the celestial sky.

“Technically, I have two stashes-in-one, with my ‘medicate-to-recreate’ tray, and then there’s my bathroom stash – which is always ready for a private break, either in the tub or just for quiet time for mom,” she laughed. “Both stashes are constantly evolving, but my medicating/recreating tray always holds cannabis oil, CBD oil, my bong and flower, and my pre-rolls.”

Her stash and the photos that ensue show her talent for design, as well as good taste. In the jewelry photo, a favorite necklace spells out “Sativa.” The bud jar in the photo of jewelry is by Fashionably High.

Her “medicating to recreate” tray is a signature orange, round tray by Hermes, the historic French design house. Though you can find knock offs of the tray online for just under $200, an original of the now discontinued tray could set you back by approximately $300.

Henry enjoys prerolls by Neptune Sticks, sharing space with a Rove vape pen; this one with a Punch cartridge, purchased at Foothill Wellness in Tujunga, California.

A syringe of Get Zen 1:1 Rick Simpson Oil is on-hand for nighttime dosing, ensuring REMs and a sound night’s sleep. (This oil is otherwise known as RSO, or simply cannabis oil, which is an alcohol reduction and very strong.)

Sativa Raspberry Gummies by Wyld, also purchased at Foothill Wellness, are on-hand for a small dose, as needed.

“My first time dosing with CBD was with Go Terpy CBD oil,” she said. “I keep a bottle of 1000 mg. full spectrum on my tray at all times, because it’s reliable and it still works for me to quell my anxiety.”

Her bathroom stash includes CBD topicals of Hydration Cream, Facial Mist, and Rosehip Facial Oil Therapy all from Hemp+ of California.

Another pack of Wyld’s cannabis-infused Marionberry Gummies, Indica Enhanced, is kept in the bathroom, because you never know when you need to pop a gummy. It too was purchased at Foothill Wellness.

She’s placed jewelry from her Nashira Los Angeles brand on all her trays for the photos, but the gold Toker Poker lighter-holder on her medicating/recreating tray is a limited edition in metallic coated gold. The hand-painted cannabis leaf pouch on her bathroom tray was made by Andrea Johnson.

The poppy orange, porcelain Snake Valet Tray is from the Jonathan Adler collection. Adler added cannabis accessories to his high profile brand of ceramics in 2019. The Snake Valet Tray is available for $68, sold in fine retailers and online at JonathanAdler.com

“I smoke as needed to de-stress, but I also love smoking socially with my friends” she concluded. “I swear, my best girlfriends and I have come up with some of the most creative ideas when we are consuming cannabis during these sessions! This plant and what it has brought to my life is truly a gift—not just from the healing aspects, but in the way it gave me a career. A career that allows me to spend time with my kids and delve into the world of design I love so much.”