Creating Change: The “Pursuit to Hair Equality”

Paying It Forward Hair Fix has made strives and created while promoting textured hair care equality across all healthcare facilities. Our mission is rooted in the belief that through staff education, inclusive personal care implementation, and quality textured hair products; healthcare providers can restore dignity, individual pride, and confidence, and have a clear understanding of the connection between hair and identity in the black culture for of their residents with textured hair.

 When it comes to hair care in health facilities, too often there has been a “one size fits all” approach that isn’t suitable for people of color and or textured hair. This means that people of color with afro, kinky, and curly hair have not traditionally received the culturally appropriate hair care they need in healthcare settings.

This seemingly minor issue can have serious consequences on patient experiences and healthcare outcomes, particularly in terms of mental health. The lack of culturally appropriate hair care products available in healthcare facilities can be a major factor in these negative outcomes. That’s why we are dedicated to solving this problem.

My organization is dedicated to solving this problem by providing culturally appropriate hair care products and services in all healthcare settings. This is an important step towards creating equitable healthcare experiences for people of color and those with textured hair. We understand the importance of providing these services in healthcare settings. People of color and those with textured hair often have a hard time finding products that are suitable for their needs when been amid it or confined to a nursing/hospital facility, which can lead to frustration and a feeling of being neglected or misunderstood.

  The Healthcare industry in the United States currently generates $2829.6 billion in annual sales. Annual revenue for the regional market where the business is located is estimated at $5.2 Billion in 2021. The hair care industry across the United States generates 85.5 billion dollars a year and it’s expected to grow to over $104.5 billion in 2024. This market is hot and there is no other competitor in this market as of now.

   Why are you seeking funding and how will you spend the funding? Having enough funding will help us grab every opportunity that comes our way, such as investing in more products and services to help Paying It Forward Hair Fix grow and grow fast. Working capital conserves as a safety net to hire the people we need on demand to fulfill the needs of PIF Healthcare Initiative, products, and supplies to the healthcare industry. A facility to operate out of that can hold the capacity for the market. Investing in new IT equipment so that our employees will have all the tools to improve internal infrastructure also buy new machinery, to make it faster and efficient to pump and for fill product demand. We need funding to grow in the healthcare industry and bring awareness to the cause and the social statutes quo that has been ignored for so long.

  Meet the team at Paying It Forward Hair Fix, Nakita Thomas is the CEO & Founder. Nakita is a dedicated wife and mother of 3, and has over twenty years of experience in the cosmetology industry as well as being a successful entrepreneur. Nakita’s love for hair steams back to childhood; her dad, grandmother, and aunt all hairstylists instilled in her the value of beauty and how it related to self-love. A natural at creating all types of styles Nakita quickly became an accomplished apprentice. Nakita has spent many years as a salon owner and countless hours restoring and maintaining healthy hair. At one point owing 4 massive salons and staffing upwards of seventy stylists, she was tasked with educating entire teams on “The Art of Healthy Textured Hair”. Moreover, she has created several different products to cultivate the ideal state of naturally textured hair. Nakita has become an expert at caring for textured hair and teaching others how to become proficient as well. Nakita’s grandmother consistently instilled in her to “care for people, because you never know who will care for you” which fuels her passion for caring for elders.

Zylvia Lawson is the Chief Operating Officer. Zylvia has been immersed in hair care since a child, her mother, brother, aunt, and niece all hairstylists taught her the art of nurturing healthy hair. Also, as a realtor a large number of Zylvia‘s clients have been elders selling in need of assistance moving to adult care communities after selling their homes, witnessing some downright unhealthy grooming practices, and a new passion was born. A passion to pay forward the love and care for healthy hair to people of color living in healthcare facilities. As a member of the Durham A Philip Randolph institutes she volunteers with veterans and people in need across the state of North Carolina. Zylvia is also known for her work with food banks in the community, and her driven spirit and kind gestures can reach a wound that only compassion and gratitude can heal.

Jamie Scaggs, Customer Onboarding Specialist Jamie Scaggs is the Customer Onboarding Specialist for Paying It Forward Hair Fix, which is dedicated to providing hair care equality in healthcare. Jamie specializes in working with new and potential clients, dashboard set-up, solving technical problems, and ensuring a smooth implementation and adoption of our products. Throughout our client's buying cycle, she will assist with prioritizing staff education, accreditation, and product acquisition.

Jamie is committed to delivering a seamless fantastic customer experience, setting clients up for immediate success: onboarding is the first step of that process. Jamie has a B.S. in Behavioral & Social Science Graduated with Cum Laude Honors, Human Resource Certification & Maintenance Certification from North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC

Jamie is inspired by innovation and experimenting with different concepts, she has been commended for inspiring and developing unique and thought-provoking ideas. She has cultivated differentiated instruction, lesson planning, and group and individual instruction skills through a range of practical experiences. These strengths, combined with her passion for the industry have created a strong foundation. Jamie is an artistic and dependable critical thinker and aims to bring a cheerful and enthusiastic attitude to every task. Jamie is driven by her love for giving back to humanity and creating a better world for her son to grow, learn and develop. Paying it forward is a way of life.

Thank you for your generosity and support it’s so appreciated!