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The art of hair extensions and wigs
Nikia Londy has always been passionate about hair and attended cosmetology school at 17. While in school, she apprenticed at a hair augmentation studio, where she learned about creating hair pieces (wigs) for women with medical hair loss, which Londy loved. After graduating, the stylist found a job at a traditional hair salon. "I only was there for a month, and I realized I didn't really like cutting hair," Londy recalled.
Even before being hired at the salon, the stylist had a side hustle. "I had a love for hair extensions and had been importing hair from Asia for myself and my friends and family," said Londy. Then something clicked for her. "I put all those things together and thought I could actually have a business."
Londy put her energy into her business. She sold high-quality hair extensions to salons and differentiated her product from other suppliers. "And what my unique selling point was, I would tell them that whenever you needed it—I would come right away. So, if they had a client at eight at night, and they needed hair extensions, and the beauty supply stores were closed, I would deliver the product to them. I started out of the trunk of my car in a way." At the same time, Londy set up an online store, which also generated sales.
She credits her initial success to choosing the right products to sell. "Still, to this day, I'm really about high-quality hair extensions and wigs. The market is really saturated with inferior products. A lot of the products will say they're human hair, but they are really not. They're mixed with silicone and synthetic fibers. So, I was really about having high-quality hair that can be reused for a very long time," the business owner said.
Londy believed that she would have a shop someday. "I've always been passionate about hair, and it's been my lifelong passion, and I knew eventually that I would have my own space."
Londy's apprenticeship at the hair augmentation studio inspired a business idea. "Most of the clientele at the time were wealthy Caucasian women. And I thought, what if I had the same type of business with black women? I didn't see a highly organized space for black women in the market. So, I wanted to create that space."
Londy opened Intriguing Hair in Hyde Park, MA, in 2015 with her husband, Baron Langston. The salon owner shared that initially, Intriguing Hair catered to "professional black women. They could have an appointment, get their hair done in a private space, and have their hair installed by a certified hair extension specialist," she said.
But word spread quickly about the quality of Intriguing Hair's products and installations. "I'll say maybe starting around 2017, a lot of women from all ethnicities with medical hair loss started to shop with us. They had the same pain points as black women. They wanted a private setting—they wanted a higher quality product. That opened my eyes to more—our brand is much more. It's for more people than just the African American communities. We started getting women from all ethnicities for medical hair loss. And we started to get more in that market. We also have a huge customer base that is the trans-woman community."
Londy shared that installing hair extensions is a skill that stylists learn in advanced training courses after completing cosmetology school. She requires her employees to get training so Intriguing Hair's clients "always get the most natural look." In addition, Londy is particular about where she sources hair for extensions and wigs. She only buys ethically sourced human hair. "I have been using the same hair factories for over 17 years. The reason why I use the factories that I do is because the people are paid for their hair. And I make sure that the hair we get is fair trade," she said.
Londy noted that original hair color and texture are irrelevant when designing hair extensions and wigs. "We're able to just duplicate any type of hair. There are so many different processes that you can do, but we also get textures that are similar to everyone's hair. But honestly, even if I had straight hair, I know how to process it to make it curly."
The business owner emphasized the importance of producing good work. "I have clients that have had my wigs for almost ten years, and they still wear them. I want to make sure that a piece actually lasts, and they can reuse it over and over again."
Intriguing Hair caters to people who identify as women, including transgender women, to ensure her clients feel comfortable in her salon. "It makes sense because some women are uncomfortable—they don't have their hair and want to be in a safe space. I can refer men to a friend. He's really great with doing men's units. They look really good," Londy said.
When asked what she likes best about her job, Londy said she enjoys helping women feel good about themselves. "I had a client who usually wore a hair topper with a hat on and didn't really show her face. And I love to be able to duplicate what people think is how they looked with their natural hair before they had hair loss. Things like that make me really happy. Or if I have someone who's transitioning—just making them feel complete and whole is what makes me happy. I always say we're a judgment-free zone. We just try to make women look and feel their best to exude confidence. And it's a judgment-free zone because I feel like hair is such a big identifier of femininity. Let's say someone has lost their hair—they don't feel as feminine. So, sometimes you have to meet people where they're at. They could be emotional about it—they might be going through cancer treatments. And obviously, that's an emotional and scary thing too."
Londy has long-term goals for Intriguing Hair. "I love what I do, so I could actually do this work and not be paid. But it is also about the vision. I'm always striving each day for the vision I want for my company. When people think of hair extensions and wigs, I want the first thing that comes to their mind to be Intriguing Hair. So that's what we're striving for each day—towards that vision to go from a small business to a huge brand is what I envision my company to be at one point."
For more information about Intriguing Hair, check out their BBB Business Profile. To learn more about BBB and read more stories like this, visit Behind the Business Stories with BBB in Eastern MA, ME, RI & VT.
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