Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Monica White. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Monica thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

The first time I went to a salon, it changed my life. The stylist that did my mother’s hair was so fabulous, and I remember how fascinated I was by her. Her hair, her nails, and the numerous bangles she wore clinked together when she shampooed her clients all mesmerized me. As a child, I already liked doing hair, but this experience confirmed it was my passion. I didn’t know it then, but this career would help me grow from a painfully shy young girl to a more confident woman. My first clients were my family and friends, and when I completed cosmetology school in 2010, I had already built a clientele that followed me into my 1st salon job. After working under other salon owners, I decided to open my salon, MoEv’s Salon and Beauty, in 2016. It was a small and cozy space that gave me my 1st taste of being a business owner outside of being a booth renter. I learned a lot about myself and knew that I wanted more for my brand and vision. In 2019 I moved into a bigger space and rebranded under Magenta Sky Salon. This space opened my mind to new ideas and possibilities I had for my career.

As a woman of color, I’ve always been passionate about creating safe spaces and promoting self-care. We often find ourselves having to defend and explain how or why we do what we do to our hair. I found my place in this conversation one day after listening to a client express how frustrated she was with her dermatologist. She was dealing with a scalp issue affecting her hair health and confidence. Living with a scalp condition of my own, I definitely could relate to what she was saying. The products that were prescribed to her were not made with textured hair in mind. It dried out the hair, left it unruly and tangled, and was not convenient to a black woman’s lifestyle when it came to her hair routine. That is when I began thinking about how to improve this situation for my many clients that suffered from scalp issues and for myself.

In 2018, I started working on products and researching different ingredients that will enhance scalp health. I gathered everything and began mixing. It was in my little townhouse kitchen, where most product companies start. I started with a scalp scrub, scalp butter, and oil. I would use them on myself and my clients, and I saw how they improved their scalp health over time. In 2019, I named it Magenta Roots Scalp Care, and that was the start of my company. I had to really learn time management as I tried to nourish this new vision I had birthed. I had to learn how to balance managing a salon, working as a stylist, and growing this new brand. Magenta Roots became a mission. I became dedicated to providing safer, more effective, and more convenient scalp care for black women.

In 2020 during the heat of the pandemic, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. My salon had just been shut down, and we were on lockdown. Talk about a time to pivot. I had to figure out how my businesses would stay afloat and deal with a health emergency. In April, I had surgery to remove my thyroid and did a round of radioactive iodine treatment. While home recovering, it gave me time to think about what I wanted to do next. I wrote out my goals for my businesses and pressed forward. Throughout the rest of the year, I focused on how I wanted 2021 to go. A lot of this required me to step outside of my comfort zone. I needed to make more connections and network. It seems as if when I set those intentions, I had a flood of opportunities open up for me.

One opportunity of mine came from a client who opened a beauty supply store, and I was invited to be a vendor. JoJo’s beauty supply was my 1st retail experience. I will be forever grateful for her and that opportunity. I was a top seller in her store, and that showed me that my local community supported me. I would sign up to do more local pop-up shops in the city and surrounding areas. I began to connect with other local entrepreneurs and seek mentorship.

In May of 2021, I applied for the Target Forward Founders program. It was one night after work that I saw the ad randomly pop up on my Instagram timeline. I had one day to complete this application before it was going to close. I’ll be honest I didn’t think they would even consider me. My company was small, and I was still making everything myself. I didn’t have a big production team, and I didn’t have a staff or managers. It was just me and sometimes my cousin who would come in and help me package and label products. In June, I found out that I was accepted, and I was completely outside of myself. I felt seen, and a big company saw potential in my products. The program was 12 weeks long. I had to rearrange my salon schedule so I could be home and log on for our sessions twice a week. That experience taught me how to set boundaries and permit myself to pursue my dreams. The Forward Founders program connected me with other entrepreneurs doing what I was doing and working on the same goals.

This lit a fire for me, and I began to push myself further. I started to sign up for and invest in more prominent expos and trade shows. As someone who deals with social anxiety, I was setting myself up. I knew I would have to put myself in more extensive social situations to grow my business. I did more events that put me in front of my customers and became a salesperson. I began to travel to places like Atlanta and Jacksonville to participate in events. My online sales grew from doing this, and people outside my hometown started noticing me.

In October 2021, I rebranded and found a manufacturer to make my products, helping me become more consistent and efficient in production. Last year I was able to start paying myself from my business, and that was satisfying. I am continuing to grow Magenta Roots as I aspire to help as many people as I can with my products and change the way people think about scalp care and hair growth. I had to overcome financial, mental, and physical challenges to pursue my passion in this industry. I genuinely believe that by doing things with love and good intentions, you will always win and be on the right track.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I would describe myself as passionate and forward moving. Life is ever changing and I am always here for it. I can appreciate a new experience and embrace a challenge, but I’ve definitely learned that self care is a big part of who I am. Being in the cosmetology industry, things are always evolving. New ideas are constantly being pushed out and with social media and google, clients are always looking for ways to wear their hair. As black women the way we wear our hair is how we express ourselves and present ourselves to the world. There has always been a challenge when it comes to having safe and effective products available that cater to our scalp health. Magenta Roots Scalp Care is a self care brand that caters to the scalp health of women of color. We are promoting self care by providing healthier options for scalp care through more natural products and ingredients. We celebrate the diversity in our hair, and want to cater to our specific needs when it comes to scalp care. It is our mission to fulfill the need of convenient, and effective scalp care. To make our clients feel more confident and comfortable in their everyday lives. Whether they are wearing natural hair, relaxed, locs, braids or extensions, Magenta Roots has a product for your needs. Our products help improve common scalp conditions in relation to dandruff, dry scalp, itchy scalp, tension from braids and extensions, and symptoms of eczema, psoriasis, and seborrheic dermatitis. Magenta roots ingredients are paraben free, vegan, and chemical free. They don’t contain heavy ingredients like petroleum, that can worsen a scalp condition by causing build up, or ruin a hair style. This brand has allowed me to be creative and innovative in finding new ways to approach scalp care. Aloe is a big component in our ingredients because of its wide range of scalp and hair benefits. Our hero product is our scalp cleansing wipes. Our clients love the option of refreshing their scalp and getting the fresh clean feeling of a shampoo without having to take down their hair style, or over shampooing that can cause stress and damage to the hair. I came up with this particular product one evening, while looking for a way to remove some product build up from my hairline. I had just installed a sew in extensions and didn’t want to shampoo my fresh new look. I used makeup to remove the product, which was not the best thing to apply to my hair but it worked. I thought to myself what if there were wipes for your hair and scalp and the Magenta Roots Scalp Wipes were born. It’s really one of my favorite products so far. So many of our products harm us and our hair. I wanted to create something that would help people and not hurt.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to unlearn was doing it all I can myself to keep costs down. Yes, being a boss comes with many tasks, and in the beginning I wanted to limit the amount I was spending in order to build. I’ve always been one to figure things out and do it myself. I even began feeling like if I didn’t do it on my own, it wasn’t going to be done correctly. That is no longer my mind set. I had to come to a point where I realized I couldn’t do it all on my own. Building a team to help me with tasks has become one of my main priorities as my business grows. Burnout is a very real thing, and there have been times where I would over work and stretch myself to thin in order to maintain everything myself. Causing me to become stressed, have anxiety, and health issues. I’ve learned that asking for help is not a weakness, it is a strength. It gives me back time, and energy I can use towards other things I love, like spending time with family and hobbies.

Have you ever had to pivot?

Let’s talk about 2020 and how, like many other businesses, I had to pivot! When my salon was shut down I didn’t know how I was going to bring money into my household. Thank God for social media. I did raffles and sold how to classes to clients in order to help them maintain their hair through the shutdown. Being creative as a business owner is a big part of pivoting and maintaining growth. If one thing isn’t working or when something like a pandemic happens, you have to be able to turn the tables, open your mind and find new ways to push forward. In the midst of everything I had to keep my salon a float, my product line growing and being able to feed myself. I think the power of the pivot has kept many business owners the past few years, and realizing that things aren’t always going to go the way we planned is a realization many of us have faced almost everyday whether it’s a big or small shift.

Contact Info:

• Website: magentaroots.com
• Instagram: magenta_roots_scalp_care
• Facebook: Magenta Roots Scalp Care
• Linkedin: Monica White
• Other: Tiktok mo_magenta

Image Credits
ORAE Photography