Turkesha McIvy, owner of Nappy Styles and a second-generation marketer, is passionate about celebrating natural hair. Nappy Styles creates products that reflect authentic, everyday styles while staying ahead of trends in the textured hair market.
OTC: Can you share the inspiration behind the creation of Nappy Styles and its mission in the beauty industry?
Turkesha McIvy: I’m a second generation marketer in the multicultural industry. I’ve observed and participated in the building of a successful brand and with the help of my father I am going to do it again. We created and developed the number one brand for Locs & Twist in the world before selling in 2014.
OTC: Who is your primary target audience, and how do your products cater specifically to their needs?
Turkesha: Our primary target audience is mainly males from 5 years old to 65 years old who do not want to conform by combing their hair and enjoy wearing the “unkept” look. Napping Styles can also be the transition look worn before starting locs.
OTC: What sets Nappy Styles apart from other brands in the textured hair care market?
Turkesha: We’re the only company that focuses solely on developing innovative products that address the creative styles of today’s consumer. Most companies in our industry are followers with little to no insight of what is happening regarding hair fashion in our communities.
OTC: How does Nappy Styles prioritize sustainability in its product development and packaging?
Turkesha: We develop an inordinate amount of time studying the sustainability of natural raw materials and eco friendly components.
OTC: What resources or support do you offer to beauty supply owners to help them effectively promote and sell Nappy Styles products?
Turkesha: Our focus is very simple. We want to provide the OTC stores with an abundance of samples. We realize that sampling is a great value to our customers and the beauty supply stores because it shows their customers that they’re truly valued. Sampling can be very expensive but it connects our customers with our consumers in an appreciative way.
OTC: Do you provide training or educational materials for store staff to help them better understand and communicate the benefits of your products?
Turkesha: Yes we offer tele training as well as in person education for the staff of our distributors. This gives us an excellent opportunity to help them learn about the benefits their customers receive by using our products as well as the profitability of stocking our products on their shelves.
OTC: How does Nappy Styles incorporate customer feedback into product development or improvement?
Turkesha: We participate in consumer trade shows nationwide and use this opportunity to gather important feedback from the customers and give them samples to try our products.
OTC: What trends in the textured hair care market do you see influencing your product line in the near future?
Turkesha: This is a very good question and one that is not often asked. We have a very simple answer. Look at the young boys in grade school, the teen boys in middle school, the young men in high school and college and observe the majority are wearing “Nappy Styles” and let’s not forget the college and professional athletes (NBA, NFL) and many actors. Just turn the TV on to any game at any level and see Nappy Styles upside.
OTC: Can you give us an overview of the product range and what new products or lines are in the pipeline?
Turkesha: We offer all of the products needed to create an maintain today’s Nappy, Unkempt Styles which consists of the following items:
Napping Gel and Paste
Quick Soft Leave-In
Beard Oils and Growth Balm are our top selling items. We have introduced Wolfin’ Waves. Please Google Wolfing Waves to grasp the magnitude of this complex concept surrounding waves. As for new products, we are going to introduce probably the most innovative product line of the last 10 years. We’re creating and combining grooming with human behavior for both physical and psychological wellbeing in 2025.
OTC: How does Nappy Styles engage with the community and support initiatives that promote natural hair care and beauty?
Turkesha: As mentioned above we participate in consumers shows, natural hair shows and seminars as well as working on creating legislation to support the natural hair industry to make it easier for natural hair stylists and braiders to make a living doing what they love without government regulations.
OTC: What does the future hold for your brand?
Turkesha: Our future is really bright. Nappy Styles was created in 2017. We were ahead of our times and faced rejection because of the name but now it’s what we’re wearing. The term was perceived as negative based on the societal norms established by others but today as mentioned above, just look at the school bus stop, visit any school at any level and turn the TV to any college or professional sporting event and see “Nappy Nation” present and dominant.
