Photo: Abby & Ivie Omoruyi (Courtesy of Abby Omoruyi)
Boasting an estimated $500 million-plus price tag, the Black haircare market is big business. Yet, Black entrepreneurs own only a small sliver of this lucrative pie. According to a New York Times article, Black-owned beauty stores constitute only a few hundred of the roughly 10,000 U.S. stores that sell hair products like relaxers, curl creams, wigs and hair weaves to black women. The tide seems to gradually be turning, though, thanks to the Internet and its democratizing capabilities. With a simple click, one can launch an own online retail shop and build a loyal customer base. We've rounded up a group of enterprising Nigerians whose passions for natural hair care and its devoted community are innovating the multibillion dollar industry one curl at a time.
