MADAM C.J. WALKER: A Beauty Entrepreneur Legacy

We all should know who Madam C.J. Walker is. She is one of the most noticeable black entrepreneurs in the black hair care industry. Although she made her money by improving another black hair care product, her brand has stood the test of time and is still being sold worldwide. I know…I didn’t realize her brand was alive and doing well, but it is!

MEET SARAH BREEDLOVE

Before we knew her as Madam C.J. Walker, she was born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867, in Delta, Louisiana. Now, she was the fifth child of her parents, who were former slaves, but she was the first of their children who was born free. By the age of 7, she was considered an orphan after her parents died. She then went to live with her sister Louvinia and her husband. In 1877, they moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Here, her brother-in-law would mistreat her. (I do not know how he mistreated her; it was just that he did.) Once she was of age, she married Moses Williams, and on June 6, 1885, they welcomed a beautiful baby girl named A’Lelia.

 The Start of a Dynasty

When A’Lelia was around two years old, they would move to St. Louis, Missouri. Sarah already had brothers in town who were established barbers, and she moved there to be closer to them. By this time, her first husband, Moses Williams, had sadly passed away.

During her time in St. Louis, she experimented with home remedies and store-bought hair treatments because she was suffering from hair loss and was looking for ways to grow her hair back. She then met her third husband, Charles J Walker, who would help her with advertising and promoting her business. She would also encounter Annie Turnbo Malone, who educated her on her product. (Check out our post on Annie Turnbo Malone!) While working with Annie, she learned about the business and eventually made a better version of Annie’s Wonderful Hair Grower. Madam CJ Walker’s version would be the version that everyone knew! Annie would not be happy about this and try to shut down Walker by saying that Walker’s version was an imitation and not real. However, this did not keep Madam CJ from creating a million-dollar brand, she would move states and promote there! This was the start of her legacy.

The Legacy

Throughout the early 1900s, she traveled from city to city in the South and Southeast states promoting her products, giving lectures, and demonstrating the “Walker Method.” She also showed proper brushing technique and the proper use of heated combs.  

By 1908 she opened her own factor and beauty school in Pittsburgh. She named it Leila College and the address was 2518 Wylie Avenue. She moved to this location because of its convenient shipping arrangements. However, in 1910 she moved her business to Indianapolis, Indiana. While she was in Indiana making boss moves, her daughter ran and operated the Pittsburgh Branch. Moving to Indianapolis was a calculated move primarily because of the large African American population, plus she had access to the railroads which would make shipping easier at that time.

Today her legacy is alive and well. It is called Madam by Madam C.J. Walker and is sold at Sephora and online at www.madambymcjw.com. It is owned by Sundial Brands, the owner of Shea Moisture. They relaunched the brand in 2016, but it was called Madam C.J. Walker Beauty Culture at that time.

If you have decided to order products from the new and improved brand, please leave a comment. I would love to know what you think and if it is worth it to you! As always let’s keep the conversation going.