Black Business Month is a time to celebrate diverse entrepreneurs. Many of them created businesses focused on needs that are often overlooked.
That's the case with one business owner in Manayunk whose nationally-renowned hair brand focuses on sensitive scalps.
"I'm pretty sensitive, tender-headed, so I really didn't have the best salon experience," said Ash Williams, of South Philadelphia, as she got her hair braided by natural stylist Kiara Brown.
"Braids are super, super popular now," said Brown, who leads the team of stylists at Dosso Beauty's new salon and shop in Manayunk. The brand is focused on providing certified hypoallergenic braiding hair.
"It is lightweight. It is pre-stretched. It is itch-free," said Kadidja Dosso, founder and CEO of Dosso Beauty, which she created in 2018.
The 29-year-old Hampton University alumna and Philadelphia native is a self-proclaimed "West Philly girl" whose brand is now international.
"We ship internationally at least 10 times a week," she said.
Her niche business pays attention to the needs of customers with sensitive scalps like hers.
"I actually had an allergic reaction to braids," she said of the years before she created her company. "My scalp was purple. It was inflamed. I had to take the braids out the next day."
Dosso got on social media to see if others had the same experience. Hundreds responded saying that they'd experienced the same negative reaction to braiding hair, which is made out of synthetic materials.
That's when she formed the idea to create her own line of certified hypoallergenic hair that doesn't irritate the scalp.
"It feels great on my skin," said Williams as her hair was being braided using Dosso beauty hair.
Brown uses the brand exclusively as a contracted stylist with Dosso Beauty Brand.
"It's tangle-free. It works well," she said.
Demand for the hypoallergenic hair grew quickly online. Now, the products are available in-store as Dosso Beauty opens its first-ever brick-and-mortar in the 5100 block of Rochelle Avenue in Manayunk.
"I had to conceptualize what I wanted my dream first salon to look like," said Dosso of the space, which has a retail section and a styling section.
With help from grants, including $250,000 from Pharrell Williams's nonprofit Black Ambition program, Kadidja is the company's sole owner. It's a rarity for Black women in the beauty business.
"Black women consume 80% of the ethnic hair care market, but we hold ownership in less than 3%," said Dosso.
She's passing on the wealth by contracting with stylists who she hopes to empower to become entrepreneurs.
"We provide all the hair all the products for you, and you just come in and do the work," she said.
Dosso is also determined to keep her products affordable, with her most popular seller: a three bundle pack of braiding hair-priced at $27
The hair comes in a variety of colors. Dosso has also branched out into hair care products, such as edge control, hair elixir and braid shampoo.
The young entrepreneur hopes to grow her organic beauty empire by putting a new twist on braids.
"I wanted to make people feel beautiful but also safe and healthy," she said.
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