With that being said the growth of natural hair products over the course of the past two years has grown and the competition is way more fierce than in the earlier days of women going natural.  When you see brands such as Soft Sheen Carson begin to alter their branding and companies like Crème of Nature introducing products with Argan oil it is an indicator that the game has changed.  I do believe that natural hair is a lifestyle for many and not just a trend.  Will the natural hair bubble burst?  Possibly, as there are many women that are going natural because they want someone else’s hair and they are not happy with the natural hair texture (this is an entirely different topic).   

So, back to BIG MONEY, this is where Natural Hair Politics come in to play.  Wherever money and people are involved there will be Politics and though you would like to believe that the online stores that you purchase from are there to help you and that the companies that make these products care about your hair, this is somewhat not true.  I have no doubt that it begins out this way and that the intentions are genuine in the beginning.  Start a business and fill a void, is the original intention, but as the business grows and the competition gets heavier the intentions change.  So instead of the concern being that the products that you need the most are readily available for you it is now a numbers game and the man with the most money of course wins.  The concern about your natural hair has shifted and now what they do care about is that the money that you are spending comes through the channels that they would like for it to flow through.  

For example, large online retailers have made natural companies sign contracts that prohibit other online retailers to retail their products.  Cornering the Curly Market . . . To me these contracts would not be necessary if your business is doing everything it needs to be doing to retain customers.  Why do you have to make it so that no other company can come along and do what you are doing.  Especially a company that is a brick and mortar and the online store is an extension of their business.  It is not fair to a retailer if they cannot offer to customers online what is readily available in their store front.  It is also unfair if the retailer has products available online and now is being told to remove those products. 

Another example, new major brand can only be found at Target and Walgreen’s.  Natural customers contact their local beauty supply that they purchase all of their products from and have to tell the customer that we are unable to carry the product because this major brand wants all of the monies to flow through Mass Market Retailers such as Target and Walgreen’s.  Now, believe me I do not knock anyone’s hustle, but I believe everybody should eat as there is enough for everyone.   I probably wouldn’t even think twice about it if this same company, that shall remain nameless but initials start with S and M and is only sold at Target and Walgreen’s, did not get their start with the very companies they are now not selling to, primarily, Mom and Pop shops and salons.     

Please do not take this as hating, I am simply pointing out issues that have arisen since the market has become so competitive.  I talk to black owned beauty supply entrepreneurs on a daily basis across the country that cannot get products in their store such as Kinky Curly, who now sells to Korean owned stores, they can’t get Shea Moisture, As I Am and a number of other natural hair products that are in demand.  That being said now we as black owners of beauty supply stores not only have to fight Korean’s that will not sell us hair, but our own as well.  So much for changing the industry and blacks working together to build wealth in our own community.  It is all about money and how naïve of myself to think otherwise.

No worries, as 3 Sister’s Beauty Supply will continue our hustle and we have several things on the back burner that we are working on.  I will finish with some encouraging words to the store owners.  One of my favorite quotes from President Barack Obama. 

“Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it’s not.  It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way.  The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t.  It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.”

- President Barack Obama

 That being said PERSEVERE.

I washed my hair with Deity America’s Plant Shampoo and Conditioned with Deity America’s Deep Penetrating Conditioner (my new faves) made to accelerate hair growth by improving the blood circulation of the hair follicles.  The Deep Conditioner is actually a protein conditioner so you will not use that one everytime you deep condition and more like once a month.  The conditioner does not smell amazing, but it works well.

Tips to Get You in the Pool and Save Your Treasured Tresses 

Many times I have customers that will purchase a product that is created to style your hair and then not moisturize their hair afterward.  If a product is created to set your hair as in add curl definition it is not going to provide you with optimal moisture for everyday usage. 

For example, let’s look at Miss Jessie’s products.  You cannot style your hair with Curly Pudding on Day One and not followup with a moisturizer on Day Two.  Using a product like Curly Pudding should suffice for styling your hair on DAY ONE and you have to moisturize your hair to maintain the Curl Definition and add moisture daily.  The Baby Buttercreme is typically used to add moisture behind using Curly Pudding. . 

Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding

Another example, let’s look at Uncle Funky’s Daughter AWESOME Curly Magic.  You cannot style your hair with the STYLING product Curly Magic and then not use a daily moisturizer.  The have 3 options for second day hair in their line which include the Extra Butter which is moisturizing, but can also be used for twist outs and they have the Supercurl which is an excellent moisturizer and if you prefer a light weight spray you can use the Thirsty Curls to revitalize second. . . third day hair.  We like to recommend Taliah Waajid’s Mist Bodifier for a moisturizing second day hair product to any styling product.  As this product goes on clean and will not produce build up, but will give the hair back moisture and sheen.

Curly Magic

In review, styling products are meant to add hold and give the hair definition.  These products will reduce frizz and keep your curls in place.   It is like using Lottabody on relaxed hair.  You wouldn’t set your hair with Lottabody and then not moisturize it would you?!?  Nope.  So make sure you use your styling products for what they are intended for and find a great moisturizer to keep your hair hydrated and looking its best.  

Great Second Day Hair Moisturizers:  

*  Taliah Waajid Mist Bodifier – a moisturizing spray

*  DevaCurl Set it Free – Moisture Lock

*  Komaza Care Califia Cream Moisturizer or Califia Leave I Conditioner

*  Oyin Handmade “The Juices”-Juices and Berries, Greg Juice or Frank’s Juice

*  Miss Jessie’s Curly or Baby Buttercreme

*  Unlce Funky’s Daughter Supercurl, Extra Butter, or Thirsty Curls 

Knowing is Half the Battle!! 

Opening a beauty supply store had been a dream of mine for many years prior to the actual date that my husband and I began the planning stages.  We knew there were not many black owned beauty supply stores the thing that we didn’t know was why.  After we began doing research we quickly realized a few problems with starting your own beauty supply store.  The information was very difficult to find and there were not enough black owned beauty supplies to assist us in our endeavor.  The other issue was among the black owned beauty supply stores that were out there, many were unwilling to give information to another aspiring entrepreneur. 

I of course found this unfortunate as the companies that we approached were in different states than we were and we were still unable to gather the information we needed.  All that being said I am a pretty determined person and once I set my mind to something I am going to see it through.  I did not expect to encounter so many road blocks in my journey.

My husband, Ricky and I continued on our journey and finally got to a point where we thought that we had overcome many of the issues we faced concerning obtaining products until we began to look for hair.  So, let me back up and break down how this works.  There are liquid goods which are your shampoos, relaxers and hair dressings and things of the sort.  These items were not difficult to obtain for our store.  This being said we were misinformed in thinking that since we obtained an account to purchase these products fairly easily that it would be the same for the hair accounts……WRONG!!!  Ricky and I had already signed the lease on our space and we had our account for buying what we thought was the majority of our products. 

ROADBLOCK #1:  (Hair Account #1) I am sorry Ma’am we cannot open your beauty supply because it is too close to another beauty supply in your area.  (Me) Well actually there is not another beauty supply within at least five miles of me and also the one that is closest to me is closer to another beauty supply and they carry the same hair.  

Note:  I am in the suburbs and in the inner city beauty supply stores literally sit on top of each other and sell the same hair brands.

ROADBLOCK #2:  (Hair Account #2) I can open an account for you Ma’am, but your opening order is $20,000 and each additional order needs to be $5,000 a month.  (Me) What am I going to do with $20,000 worth of hair from one brand?  As a new business there is no way I can move that kind of volume. (light goes off in my head…..oh, that’s what you know.)

ROADBLOCK #3:  (Hair Account #3) I am sorry Ma’am there is a current shortage of hair and we are not opening any new accounts.

And the list of excuses as to why I cannot obtain a hair account goes on and on….”call us back after one year of being open and we will help you then”  knowing I cannot be open for a year without hair.

All of that being said 3 Sister’s Beauty Supply is open and has been in business since February 2009.  All I can say is Thank God for Natural Hair.  To be honest this has been the way that our company has survived for the past two years.  We do now have hair accounts and are currently in the process of growing our inventory on hair, but it has been a slow process with hair accounts.

One issue I now see is that these Korean owned beauty supply’s are now starting to carry a lot of natural hair brands.  Please do not buy your natural hair brands from these companies that have ignored natural hair for so long.  Now, I mean if you have an alternative.  If there are no black owned beauty supply stores in your area I understand, but if you have options like a 3 Sister’s Beauty Supply I encourage you to support them.  If you want to support a black owned beauty supply and do not have one near you, you can shop on our online store at www.3sistersbeautysupply.com and click Shop.  There is a short registration, but that is in place to limit the competition from trying to monitor what we are carrying in our stores.  Their goal is to run us out of business and our goal is to turn the industry around and assist other blacks interested in opening a beauty supply that means to do so.  If you need assistance with opening a beauty supply please email me at contact@3sistersbeautysupply.com and we can schedule a consultation.  If you are utilizing other sources and are paying for them, please make sure that they are reputable.  You can try Devin Robinson with Taking it Back University, but please do not send any money to the Black Owned Beauty Supply Association.  This company is not reputable and I have had many horror stories of people losing their money to Sam Enon, the man that runs the company.

My dream is to one day be able to run my business to the best of my natural ability without being subjected to such discrimination that has hindered our success and can keep many from not opening businesses and many the invest their money and open and the soon fail because they do not have the right resources.  We can take the industry back, but it takes black entrepreneurs to stick together and that includes those of black manufactured products. 

Natural hair products are predominantly owned by blacks and you owners of these products now have an opportunity to change and industry.  Unfortunately many companies are not taking a stand and you will find many well known brands in Korean Owned shops.  I am in no way trying to be naïve, but if you are a company that is already sold in Whole Foods why do you need to be in Korean establishments, your product is already easily accessible.  And why are many of the black owned beauty supplies that we have assisted in the past few years having a horrible time getting an account with your company to sell your products when you have already opened the door for the Korean owned stores…..I am confused….

At any rate 3 Sister’s Beauty Supply is dedicated to changing the face of the beauty supply industry and truly hope that we are not alone in this plight.

3 Sister’s Beauty Supply has been open since February 2009 and it has been a long and difficult road.  In my blog I will talk about the business and the Beauty Supply Industry as a whole.  Many will find the posts for the Beauty Industry interesting while others may not necessarily care about the politics behind Black Hair, they just want to get the products that they need when they need them.  That is fine, different strokes for different folks.  Nonetheless, I feel it is important for us to be as knowledgeable about this billion dollar industry as possible and not just on the “looking good side”.  There is money to be made and you have decide if you will spend your life as a buyer or a seller.  I took this quote from Tyrese in the movie Baby Boy.  I know I could have thought of something more profound, but I like this reference because it is simple and to the point.  The world is made up of buyers and sellers, nothing wrong with being a buyer.  Not everyone has an entrepreneurial spirit, but I do and after rolling my eyes during a majority of that movie, I sat up and paid attention when I heard that.  It struck a chord with me because I knew I was a seller, but I had not made the necessary moves to position myself for the opportunity to become self-employed.  At any rate, I can go into that in future posts.  I do not want to go off on a tangent this early on in my posts.  In the 3 Sister’s Beauty Blog we will also deal with natural hair, transitioning hair, weave, relaxed hair and virtually All Things Beautiful (and yes that includes making money). 

So I hope you enjoy reading my posts and find the information here helpful to you. 

Naturally Yours,

Nikki