Georgia Parker is taking a close look at her client's hair follicles to see if she can pin-point the cause of excess shedding. Fifteen years ago, parker lost almost all of her own hair to alopecia.
"I wore wigs at times," she said. "I wore weaves to describe my hair loss. My bald spots were as large as five to six inches in the top of my head."
Since then, Parker has dedicated her knowledge to helping others re-grow hair, naturally. Educated as a chemist, Parker first formulated a hair growth oil using Jojoba that proved successful.
"Women at my local church started to request bottles and I started sharing bottles with them and before I knew it people were coming to my home in Evanston to purchase my jojoba oil."
Named for her daughter, Ashley Lauren Natural Products now includes 16 hair and skin offerings. Parker still mixes much of it by hand.
While Parker says products are suitable for everyone, some African-American clients say the products are particularly useful for their sensitive needs.
Sot: angela poole -- client "Black women, black people have different hair care and skincare needs," said Angela Poole. "So it is good to find somebody who makes products that would actually work for our skin and hair type."
In addition to Georgia Parker's salon, the Ashley Lauren Natural Products line is also available in the Whole Foods Stores in Evanston and the South Loop.