Back before Detroit’s Midtown was such a happening place it was much different for residents and business owners. In the heart of what was then known as the Cass Corridor a hair salon sprung up.

Of course, there are hundreds and hundreds of places to get your hair done in the Motor City. But Nefertiti Harris will tell you her shop offers something a cut above – more than just Sisterlocks, cuts and curls. The beauty she helps create radiates from the inside out – not what you might expect.

Textures by Nefertiti has been in the same location on Cass Ave. for 14 years, weathering the downs and ups of the area now considered prime real estate in the city. Over that time, Harris has seen a lot, but has stayed true to her original mission of helping women shed the old stereotypes of “good hair” vs. “bad hair,” while charging a new generation towards independence.

“We need to get out here and take advantage of the opportunities right in front of us.”– Nefertiti Harris

“I believe a woman should radiate beauty from the inside out,” she says. “Beauty can be like putting on a mask to cover up who you really are. That is not how it should be. Real beauty is becoming a complete person, not just looking put- together on the outside.”

A visit to a beauty salon usually means perms, pressings and chemical treatments. Not at Textures by Nefertiti. Since she first started doing hair, Harris has used only done chemical-free, natural hair care. She has been an ardent supporter of going natural for more than 24 years.

Harris made the leap into business for reasons similar to many entrepreneurs. She wanted to take back control of her life and decide who to do business with and how.

Before picking up clippers and curling irons, she had a lucrative career as a property manager for a large housing complex. The pressures were intense and all consuming. She spent a lot of time putting out fires for others and did not have enough time for herself or her two children.

At the time her daughter was a fairly independent teenager, but her son, Ajamu, was just a toddler. She was frustrated at not being able to spend as much time with him as she wanted.

So, one day she walked in, called her bosses, packed up her things and left. She had been doing hair out of her kitchen even while working at her full-time job. Since taking the bold step to strike out for her independence, she has never looked back.

A funny thing happened after leaving the corporate job. Her hair business started to thrive. Almost immediately, her kitchen tableside hustle doubled and then grew even more. After a short time, she had replaced what she was making as a property manager. She had always longed for that newfound freedom.

Her first expansion stop from the kitchen table was into the Spiral Collective at the corner of Cass and Willis. After a short time in the shared entrepreneurial space, she moved across the street into her first and current location at 4147 Cass Ave.

Her vision, then and now, is to create a positive space for clients and stylists where mind body and hair are nurtured and can grow. “I wanted to create an environment people wanted to be in,” she says, encouraging others to do the same.

Some in the city are disheartened by the changes taking place, citing gentrification as the reason. Harris sees it differently.

“Certain things come along with progress,” she says. “This is all just our tax dollars at work. Who doesn’t want clean streets? Who doesn’t want to feel safe? The progress is a good thing we should all benefit from.”

She feels African Americans, in particular, need to get involved with their own business.

“Many of us (African Americans) suffer from post traumatic slave syndrome,” she says. “We need to get out here and take advantage of the opportunities right in front of us. There are all sorts of programs out here to help small businesses. The key is accessing the information.”

While she enjoys what she is doing, Harris wants to groom someone else to take over the business so she can expand into other areas of wholeness for younger women and girls.

“I want to pass this on to someone. We need to think generationally and pass on a legacy of success to the next generations,” she says.

To find out more about Textures by Nefertiti and their natural, chemical-free hair care, visit their website.

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