Her parents died when she was only seven years old.
She was married by age 14.
Then widowed at age 20.
From nearly all angles, this sounds like a life that was off to a rough start. And it was for Sarah Breedlove aka Madam C.J. Walker, but more often than not, necessity is the mother of invention.
You May Also Like
Orphaned at age seven, she often said, “I got my start by giving myself a start.” She and her older sister, Louvenia, survived by working in the cotton fields of Delta and nearby Vicksburg, Mississippi. At 14, she married Moses McWilliams to escape abuse from her brother-in-law, Jesse Powell.
Her only daughter, Lelia (later known as A’Lelia Walker) was born on June 6, 1885. When her husband died two years later, she moved to St. Louis to join her four brothers who had established themselves as barbers. Working for as little as $1.50 a day, she managed to save enough money to educate her daughter in the city’s public schools.
During the 1890s, Sarah began to suffer from a scalp ailment that caused her to lose most of her hair. She consulted her brothers for advice and also experimented with many homemade remedies and store-bought products, including those made by Annie Malone, another black woman entrepreneur. In 1905 Sarah moved to Denver as a sales agent for Malone, then married her third husband, Charles Joseph Walker, a St. Louis newspaperman. After changing her name to “Madam” C. J. Walker, she founded her own business and began selling Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower, a scalp conditioning and healing formula, which she claimed had been revealed to her in a dream.
“Madam C.J. Walker” traveled for a year and a half throughout the South and Southeast, selling her products door to door. She was quick to demonstrate her scalp treatments in churches and lodges, and devising sales and marketing strategies. In 1908, she temporarily moved her base to Pittsburgh where she opened Lelia College to train other hair enthusiasts and those interested in healthy hair.
You May Also Like
Real Housewives Star Describes Terrifying Medical Experience!
The Walker System included hair products, cosmetetics, licenseed Walker Agents, and Walker Schools. This system shaped the foundation of…
The Latest In Hair Care
Is Your Hair Low Porosity or Just Full of Buildup?
Are you wondering if your hair has low porosity? "Porosity" is a buzzword in the natural hair community, but what does it mean? According to the Pivot Point Salon Fundamentals Cosmetology Textbook, "porosity is the hair's ability to absorb moisture, read more about Is Your Hair Low Porosity or Just Full of Buildup?
9 Steps To Grow Your Hair Overnight
There are several reasons why people lose their hair or why their hair stops growing. It could be stress, trauma, or even diseases not readily associated with hair loss, like diabetes. People with diabetes are more likely to have a read more about 9 Steps To Grow Your Hair Overnight
Your Gray Hair May Be Linked To What You Eat
We have all experienced that feeling of “what the fudge,” when we spy our first gray hair. For me, it happened in my prime – 21-years-young. Needless to say, many women have begun to ditch the hair dye and embrace read more about Your Gray Hair May Be Linked To What You Eat
A New Standard: How Autumn Yarbrough is Redefining Black Hair Care
In the world of hair care, Autumn Yarbrough is a name synonymous with innovation, legacy, and a commitment to redefining standards. As the third generation in the hair care industry, Yarbrough’s journey has been shaped by her family's legacy and read more about A New Standard: How Autumn Yarbrough is Redefining Black Hair Care
Worry-Free Workout Hairstyles
Forty percent of Black women have at one time avoided exercise for fear it would mess up their hair, researchers at the Wake Forest School of Medicine report. One reason may be pricey treatments: Sixty-two percent said they regularly had read more about Worry-Free Workout Hairstyles
Naomi Campbell’s Lesson In Hair Loss
Beautiful supermodel Naomi Campbell has graced the covers of the world's top fashion magazines for decades. Having an incredible shape, smile and skin, the 53-year-old beauty makes it look easy. But it was a photo of Campbell vacationing in 2012 read more about Naomi Campbell’s Lesson In Hair Loss