Madam C.J. Walker

We all know I love a little bit of medical history - but I thought I would change it up a little in this article and focus on a pioneering woman in beauty history.

In the late 19th century, Sarah Breedlove—later known as Madam C.J. Walker—emerged as the first self-made female millionaire. The first child in her family born into freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation, Sarah’s early years were steeped in adversity. Yet, from these humble beginnings, she rose to become an emblem of resilience, ingenuity, and empowerment for African American women across the nation.

Sarah's journey began with a personal challenge that struck a chord with many Black women of her era: hair loss. She spent her early years working as a washerwoman, a job that took a great physical toll on her. As with many women of her era, she had a lack of access to regular, hygienic hair care and poor nutrition. As a result, not only did she suffer baldness, but also dandruff and psoriasis of the scalp.

Refusing to succumb to societal expectations that she cover her struggles with head wraps, Sarah envisioned a different path for herself. Her refusal to hide her hair loss under a head wrap wasn't just about vanity or rejecting a symbol of social status. It was about asserting her dignity, challenging the status quo, and rewriting the narrative of Black women's beauty standards.

After moving to St. Lous, Sarah tapped into the knowledge of her barber brothers, explored home remedies, and experimented with the limited hair care products available at the time. These products, rarely (if ever) designed with Black women in mind, offered little solace until she discovered Annie Malone’s formula, combining sulfur and petroleum jelly. These were both ingredients that had been used in hair care products for quite some time but would become a source of controversy down the line, when Annie Malone accused Sarah of stealing the formula.

Sarah soon moved to Denver, where she met and married Charles Joseph Walker. This marked not only a change in her name but also the birth of a brand. Madam C.J. Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower was crafted from a blend of sulfur, coconut oil, and other ingredients. Through her "Walker System," she advocated for regular hair care which included shampoo, a pomade stated to help hair grow, strenuous brushing, and applying iron combs to hair. Her system wasn't just about beauty; it was a ritual of self-care and pride.

Walker’s business empire soon expanded across the country, including establishing an office and beauty salon in Harlem in 1913, which became a center of African-American culture. Walker later built a factory, hair salon, and beauty school to train her sales agents, with the addition of a laboratory to help with research. During the height of her career, Walker employed several thousand women as sales agents for her products. Walker also became a well-known philanthropist and activist, donating money to the YMCA and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Madam C.J. Walker's was undoubtedly an extraordinary woman and entrepreneur. Her story is a beacon of inspiration and her legacy extends beyond her products; it lies in the lives she touched, the standards she challenged, and the path she blazed for future generations of Black and female entrepreneurs.

See our summary slides below: