If you are a black girl or woman who:-
- loves and uses hair extensions, has any ideas for new hair extension and hair care products, or is really creative when it comes to hair styling;
- hates the idea and sight of weaves, wigs, lace fronts, etc., etc.;
- is really into keeping the hair natural; and / or,
- has a graveyard of useless or unsuitable hair care products, hair extensions, wigs, shampoos, conditioners, etc., typically in a shoe box under the bed;
Basically, if we continue to be absent in the senior,
decision-making, product and brand ownership positions behind the scenes, then
we will continue to have no say in what is made, marketed and sold to us. Even if we are the ones buying the stuff! Which we do, in our millions……apparently black
women spend four times as much on their hair than their white counterparts, and
the black hair extensions industry is worth billions, comparable to the travel
industry!
But we complain about the products even more than
we buy them! We wish the
wet products contain fewer chemicals, cause less damage and are more suitable
for the structure of our hair. We wish the hair was less shiny, less tar-like, not so full, and so on. This is precisely why I invented the SimiWeave™,
the patented original U part wig in 2003! For decades I had been screaming out
for hair that matched mine, for example texturised finishes, in realistic
volumes and lengths!
Do not think that because we are prominent
at the point of delivery and application of the products, (for instance, in the
salons) black women are prominently represented at the source and point of production,
where all the crucial decisions are made!
When I joined the industry back in 2003, out of the hundreds of people I
spoke to and liaised with across the globe, only two were also black women. Thankfully, it is getting better, but we still
have an incredibly long way to go.
So now that you are all excited, ready
to quit your day job and join the industry, where do you sign up? Alas, if only it was that easy! Regardless of which aspect of black hair you are interested in and what you’d like to do; what
your area of expertise is and what you’d like to change, you’ll have to (i)
research your intended area thoroughly because there is no central institute
you can go to for careers advise, networking or recruitment; and (ii) be
prepared to become an entrepreneur / run your own business / set up something
yourself in order to ensure that you are a decision maker. Do feel free to contact me to discuss your
options (Simi at SimiWeave dot com), and I’ll provide you with as much insight as I can, as well as point
you to others who have made the journey.
