Black Beauty Room
Sadiaa Black Beauty Room: Mahisha Dellinger Is BBRA ‘Innovator’ Of The Year
For the past 20 years, Dellinger has built a haircare empire focused on solutions for people with textured hair.
When Mahisha Dellinger first launched her award-winning brand CURLS in her Sacramento-based garage, there were no “textured” hair aisles dedicated to kinks, coils, or curls in major stores. Dubbed “ethnic” (which retailers managed to make feel derogatory), products for those hair types were placed on the very bottom of the most dimly-lit shelves. We were othered.
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Dellinger was selected to receive the Black Beauty Room & Awards “Innovator” award because of her historical impact on the natural hair space. Not only has she built an empire creating innovative and groundbreaking products centering textured hair, but she has also created opportunities for other women (particularly Black women) and brands to build their own empires, circumvent red tape (and industry redlining), access education and resources, and, more importantly, feel seen and heard.
From the onset, Dellinger has worked to change that with her groundbreaking brand that was so new that the word CURLS, itself, was a viable trademark. Now, as she celebrates the brand’s 20th anniversary, Dellinger has built an estimated $20M haircare empire, with her all-natural organic offerings lining the shelves of more than 100,000 stores.
She has attributed her success to being able to evolve and shift into opportunities. This has resulted in massive success with such innovations as her top-selling Blueberry Bliss collection which was the first to hit the natural haircare market using blueberries as the main ingredient.
In the midst of this, she’s hosted OWN TV’s entrepreneur-focused show, “Mind Your Business with Mahisha,” launched such initiatives as a Black-owned beauty supply store distribution network and her current Black Women Making Millions Academy. And she is still working on creating new and improved products and solutions for people with textured hair.
“I am so happy and proud and honored to be awarded the Innovator of the Year Award,” said Mahisha Dellinger in a pre-recorded message. “I am so excited for National Black Beauty Week. This is the culmination of everything Black beauty and empowerment and everything that I stand for. I am so proud to be part of this family.”
Learn more at curls.biz.
