The days when natural hair was disliked are long gone, thanks to the efforts of black women that created hair products particularly for women rocking their natural curls. Their line of products has soared in popularity and their startups have become multimillion-dollar enterprises. Here are a few black female entrepreneurs leading the natural hair care industry.
Camille Verovic – Founder & Co-Owner: GIRL + HAIR New York City
A former marketing executive turned dermatologist, Verovic is the founder and co-owner of an innovative and multicultural hair company that produces products for optimal hair health. Her current profession has given further credibility to the products the company makes, which Verovic says can help fix the many hair and scalp issues that black women face.
Mugha Eltigani - Founder & CEO: NaturAll Club, Philadephia
After bouts of extreme frustration caused by the unavailability of hair care products made specifically for black women like her, Eltigani decided to mix up ingredients in her kitchen to create her own products. Six months later, she had developed a formula for hair care products made of only natural ingredients. Eltigani launched her business in 2016, which has since grown to be a force to be reckoned with in the industry.
Lisa Price – Founder of Carol’s Daughter, New York City
Established in the late 1980s, Carol’s Daughter is one of the oldest players in the industry. The company earned income for the first time in 1993 when Price’s mother persuaded to put the product up for sale at a church flea market in Brooklyn. In line with Price’s vision to see the company remain relevant and current, Carol’s Daughter is helping to shape the diversification of the retail approach to beauty.
Monique Rodriguez – Founder & CEO: Mielle Organics Merrillville, Indiana
When Rodriquez decided to educate other women about hair care, she never knew that the event held in a garage will one day become a multi-billion dollar empire. Today, Mielle Organics is a name that most lovers of all things hair and beauty have to come to trust, with the company’s products finding its way to the shelves of more than 10,000 major retailers.
Ayo Ogun-McCants – Founder & CEO: Soultanicals Company, Washington D.C.
As a teenager, Ayo Ogun-McCants spent a lot of time mixing and developing products that fed her love natural beauty treatments. Through that experience, she has been able to develop a line of products formulated from natural ingredients and the outcome today is a 7-figure company. She plans to finalize negotiations with one of the biggest retailers for expansions into stores before the end of 2020.
Shelly Davis – Founder: Kinky-Curls Los Angeles
Shelly Davis is another early natural hair care pioneers, launching her business in 2003. It all started in 2000 when she became interested in herbs and plant-based ingredients. After a few instances of trial and error, she got the results she wanted from the homemade brew – stronger and shinier curly hair. The brand emerged as a renowned natural hair care maker and quickly soared in popularity.
Miko Branch – Cofounder & CEO: Miss Jesssie’s Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Jessie’s came onto the market in 2004 after Miko and her late sister, Titi, discovered that products that supported naturally curly hair styling and maintenance were rare. Miss Jessie’s was built from the ground up with no investors or loans and soon became one of the very major hair care lines to hit Target stores.
Conclusion
The natural hair care industry boasts a number of pioneers, leaders and trailblazers that have worked to perfect the art of natural hair. When you’re running through those creams, serums, oils and gels, keep in mind to be grateful to the women above and several others who have made it all possible.
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