Nearly a decade ago, the energy crisis indirectly led Tonya Reed to find her passion.
The Houston-based business development analyst was laid off when Enron bought her company. Soon after, her husband, Ray, who worked in sales, met the same fate. “When we were both laid off, I said, ‘Let’s figure out what we can do so we are never in this situation again,’ ” Tonya Reed said.
A few months and a short stint in cosmetology school later, the Reeds were the proud founders of Uncle Funky’s Daughter, a hair salon geared to caring for natural, textured hair. In the beginning, they had a 600-square-foot salon in Houston and no payroll. Today, their skeleton staff has a few more bones, Reed said, and after introducing a product line in 2009, they watched month-to-month sales leap from the thousands to the millions.
“There are so many women going natural. Ten years ago, it was women in their 20s; now I have clients in their 60s saying, ‘I can’t take this heat anymore!’ ” Reed said. “It is awesome to see people embracing their natural hair.”
The result of this cross-generational return to natural textures is a wide-open field for small- to medium-size companies to gain a foothold in the billion-dollar hair care industry. Companies that once operated out of kitchens, spare rooms and garages have in just a few years become international brands with the support of passionate consumers.
Since 1997, the World Natural Hair Health & Beauty Show has quietly catered to the ever-growing group of stylists, manufacturers and consumers interested in natural hair. Founded by Taliah Waajid and Bob Johnson, the show drew an above-capacity crowd to the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park early this month. At one point, the fire marshal showed up to contain the masses looking for ways to tame their curls.
It was Reed’s third year as a vendor at the show, and her booth had a crowd so large the walls were shaking, she said. Her show inventory was wiped out. “This was the first year since I’ve been going that has happened,” said Reed. She credits Waajid with developing a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs to launch and build brands that target the natural hair industry.
When Waajid moved from New York to Atlanta in 1991, locals had a negative attitude toward natural hair, she said, but she brought a style of braiding that clients were more comfortable wearing to work.
Waajid attended the Bronner Brothers Hair Show every year and taught workshops on natural hair care. “I was so impressed with [the Bronner Brothers] show,” Waajid said. “Before I moved down here, we didn’t see a lot of positive black people making money.” Being part of the show gave her the courage to strike out on her own.
The first World Natural Hair show had 25 exhibitors and about 100 attendees. By 2006, attendance was up to 8,000. And in 2010, a reported 35,000 turned out.
Even as attendance grew, the show struggled financially, Waajid said, but she continued to make it happen.
“I just believe in it so much because this is how I live,” Waajid said. “I knew there were a lot more people, I just needed to find a way to get information out to them.”
Her persistence paid off. The World Natural Hair show had more than 54,000 attendees, said Waajid, a number comparable to the 60,000-plus who attended the Bronner Brothers Hair Show last spring.
It was the first trade show that Jessica McGuinty, founder of Jessicurl, chose to attend. McGuinty, a lively redhead with a cascade of curls, said she was forced into business in 2002 by customers after she posted a recipe for hair gel on a curly hair forum. The Arcata, Calif.-based company now operates a 2,000-square-foot factory and serves customers around the globe. The hair show, she said, was a chance for her to meet many of the customers who have helped catapult her to success.
For some vendors, the hair show was an opportunity to reach for that level of exposure.
Marietta-based M&M Products Co., creators of the revolutionary 1973 Afro-tamer Sta Sof Fro, was another first-time exhibitor. Before Sta Sof Fro came along, barbers would use a mix of fabric softener and water to prevent shrinkage and tangles in Afros, said Will Williams, director of consumer education and new product development.
With a resurgence of interest in natural hair, the company has undergone a revival of sorts. “Black women are saying, ‘Heidi Klum is OK, but she isn’t all of that. I have a certain level of beauty that needs to be appreciated,’ ” he said. The new GroHealthy Milk Protein and Olive Oil line of products is designed for this new crop of natural hair wearers, said Williams, adding that the natural hair community has become a larger and more vocal force than any group of natural hair wearers in decades past.
Women, the primary consumers of products for natural hair, are more empowered than ever, and some are no longer satisfied with just sitting on the sidelines.
“I came last year to get information from vendors,” said Janell Stephens, owner of an online store selling products for natural hair and founder of the newly launched Camille Rose Naturals. “It was my goal to get a booth this year.”
The mother of five scrambled to get her 6-month-old company ready for the show, mixing the natural and organic ingredients that make up the shampoos that combat hard water, and aloe vera-based styling gels.
“I was overwhelmed, but the drive is always there,” said Stephens, whose business will be moving to Macon soon.
It seems it was worth the effort. The day after the show, Stephens had emails from retailers interested in carrying her line and bloggers requesting samples for review.
And what happened to all the product she worked day and night to prep for the show? Sold out.
About the Author
