Today we’d like to introduce you to Isis Brantley.
Hi Isis, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I actually started my black natural hair braiding business in 1978, the first in Dallas, and have been in continuous operation since. My first location was actually in my home, with a sign in the yard. One day when Erykah Badu was a young girls she and her sister came by wanting braids like on my sign. Their grandmother gave them $20 to split, so I did my best to give them a few braids. Over the years Erykah continued to come see me, and when she hit it big we collaborated on creating her Isis-Badu floor length braids that appeared on many hair magazine covers.
Over the years I became known as Dallas Queen of Braids, servicing many well known clients. Then in 1997 seven cops came into my shop and arrested me for the “high crime” of braiding without a cosmetology license. I was taken to jail like a common criminal. This began my 20 year fight with the state, culminating in my winning my federal law suit that forced the governor to change the law, signing House Bill #2717 (now known as the Isis Brantley Bill #2717. This bill freed natural hair braiders from licensing and created the booming natural hair industry in Texas that today supports thousands of families.
During those years I also founded my Institute of Ancestral Braiding, the original natural hair school in America, which has taught the ancestral ways of hair care to thousands who entered the industry after becoming certified by my school.
Over these years I also founded my natural hair advocacy movement, and annually have produced festival events celebrating natural hair and our African “hairitage.” This movement gave momentum to the passage of the Texas CROWN Act in 2023, which bars discrimination against natural hair styles in public schools and at the workplace.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My road has not been smooth. It was a struggle from the inception of my business up until my arrest in ’97, and then it got worse. I lived in limbo for those twenty years, not knowing if I would win my fight for African ancestral natural hair. I was a struggling mom of five little ones, but friends and community got behind me. Today all my children are very successful adults, and I am a proud Nana to six grand-babies now!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My mission in life is “healing through the hair.” Over the decades (going on half a century) I have created new techniques for black natural hair care, such as my Isis Locs, and Isis Locs with Extensions. My gentle way of styling, which I call “no comb, no pain, no tears” has given clients strong reason to stay with me year after year, and my students quickly see the benefits of my pain-free ways. I am especially proud of the Isis-Badu Braids that I created for Erykah, as these have garnered attention worldwide. I am also proud of the natural hair care product lines I created, made and sold directly by me (available at Naturallyisis.com).
I love traveling the nation to speak at colleges and institutions on the subjects of black economic liberty and natural hair history..
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t believe in luck. I believe in the destiny bequeathed me by my ancestors. They have always had my back, and I continue to rise.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Naturallyisis.com
- Instagram: @naturallyisis
- Facebook: @naturallyisis
- LinkedIn: Isis Brantley
- Youtube: Naturally Isis
