4 Inspirational Women To Celebrate During Women's History Month

 

Here at Kingdom Beauty Care, Women’s History Month is Black History Month part deux and we’re going to continue being black and blickity black all year! With that being said, let’s get into highlighting four black pioneers and trailblazers who made significant contributions to the beauty industry, paving the way for women and have been an inspiration to many, including myself.

Christina Jenkins

If you’ve ever wondered how the “sew-in” came about, you’ve got Christina Jenkins to thank for that. Christina Jenkins worked at a wig manufacturing company in Chicago and wanted to solve a problem and sought to create a technique that would make wigs fit more secure. She then began studying how to add length and body to women’s natural hair by sewing commercial hair onto a hair net attached onto her client’s head. Within the next few years, this idea was patented and referred to as “HairWeev”.

 

Rose Morgan

When I tell you Rose Morgan did the damn thing yall, she did the damn, thing! Rose Morgan  owned and operated the largest beauty salon in the world. She started her career renting a booth at a local salon. After traveling to New York City to style the hair of singer Ethel Waters and captivated by the city, she decided it was there she would move. Within a few years of building clientele of her own, the Rose Meta House of Beauty was born. By 1946, the Rose Meta House of Beauty had a staff of 29, including 20 hairstylists, three licensed masseurs, and a registered nurse. By 1955, the salon was renovated again, with an expansion that included a dressmaking department, a diet and body department and a charm school to teach etiquette. A wig salon was also added in 1960.

 

While Lyda Newman did not create the hairbrush, her new innovative model was made with synthetic bristles rather than animal hair that lasted longer than previously designed brushes. Newman’s new model focused on hygiene, featuring bristles that were evenly spaced with open slots guiding dirt away from the hair to fall into a removable compartment that could be cleaned and changed. This brush was also ventilated, allowing it to dry more quickly. Not much of Lyda’s life was known but one thing for certain and two for sure, she was a women’s rights activist and fought for women’s right to vote.

 

“As long as there are women in the world, there will always be beauty establishments.”
Originally a dress maker, Sarah Spencer opened a hair salon in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Apex News and Hair Company was ran as a salon during the day buy by night, Sarah was distributing products door to door by night. These products included hot combs, pomades and oils, as well as cosmetics. Spencer specialized in teaching how to sell and use her beauty products, growing her business to eleven beauty schools and employing thousands across the nation. Sara Spencer Washington was known for her belief that the beauty industry was depression proof. She emerged into the business after the world was reeling from World War I and continued to thrive and grow during the Great Depression.

 

 

I hope you learned as much as I did and how these women accomplished so much during times when Blacks were oppressed, especially women, and had very minimal opportunities. They built empires from nothing and are true examples of Black Excellence.

Happy Women’s History Month!