When Spaulding B. Settle, Sr., a WWII Submarine Veteran, strolled into his wife’s hair salon, he nearly choked from the dangerous chemical smells. And he wasn’t the only one.
As a part of the painful beauty expectations of their times – pressing hair with a hot comb – others were covering their mouths, too. The cheap hair oil they were using exuded a poisonous vapor that patrons and workers had to suffer, and the environment was making them sick!
Settle knew white people certainly didn’t care if we suffocated in our beauty shops. So, inspired by his mentor, Madame C.J. Walker, he decided to do something about it.
Settle founded the Kay Vel Product Line, a hair care company, and opened a factory that employed Black people. His first concoction? The Kay Vel Crème Press, a smokeless and greaseless natural hair conditioning crème that left nearly no odor!
Not only that, his special crème became so popular, he was celebrated by the Black press.
This entrepreneur, soldier, and family man saw a need and filled it, helping transform our community for the better.
Like Settle, despite racism and discrimination, when you see a need in our community, be the change and create something that serves and empowers us!