Annagjid “Kee” Taylor has come a long way from styling hair in her parent’s basement. In 2014, the Philadelphia-based salon owner became CEO of her own hair care line, Deeper Than Hair Sheer Genius Collection, which sells out regularly. Today, she works with stars like Tiffany Haddish, Keke Palmer and Tika Sumpter. Taylor is also a multi-media star. Her YouTube channel educates over 1 million subscribers about not compromising the integrity of natural curls, while her 200,000 Instagram followers have launched her creative content to viral status more than once.

Her latest hit video, titled #BlackEffectChallenge, kicked off Black History Month this year and features Taylor appearing in thirteen different natural hair styles, in sync with The Carters’ song, Black Effect. The powerful imagery culminates with Taylor looking regal in a braided style based on a Zulu basket hat. “I thought it looked like a crown, which is really what I was looking to recreate for the challenge,” she says. Posted as a call to action inspiring viewers to explore and embrace natural textures and styles, Taylor has been blown away by the response. “I’m in this whole ‘all hair is good hair’ movement,” she says. “I believe in options, but I don’t want people to hate their natural texture. Even if you want to wear your hair straight, or get a weave sometimes, it’s still always good to come back home.”

A mogul on a mission, Annagjid “Kee” Taylor takes us behind the scenes of a career that knows no bounds.

The name of your salon is Deeper Than Hair. What does that mean?

When I first started out, someone asked me if I charged more depending on how much hair a client has. My answer was no — people should all be charged equally. My love for this art is much deeper than just money and hair. I loved the sound of “Deeper Than Hair,” so I decided that this would be what I put my all into. I’d always dreamt about empowering women and working for myself. I wanted to set up an environment where people would want to become their own entrepreneur, which is also why I chose not to name it after myself.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about natural hair care?

What I teach and tell people is that every product cocktail is not going to work the same for everybody. Everybody’s hair is different and I might use two things on one person that will not work for the next at all. You really have to try a bunch to see what’s good for you.

You’re also the author of a children’s book! Why did you write All Hair is Good Hair?

When I started my YouTube channel people from all over the world would watch me transform hair from kinky to straight. There were really harsh comments, like “I’m glad I’m not Black” and “I don’t know how Black people do it with that kind of hair.” The turning point for me were the comments that would say “You only do people with good hair.” Mind you, I’ve always done all textures. Once I realized so many people were using the term “good hair” I decided to trademark the slogan “all hair is good hair,” and I started pushing the agenda. Let’s get out of the habit of saying good hair. As long as hair is healthy, it is good.

I started with [the slogan on] T-shirts for adults. Now, when I sell stuff it usually sells out instantly, but we probably sold six of those shirts. So I dug deeper. I have a background in early childhood education, and I know that when you’re trying to start a movement it’s better to start with children. They’ll grow into people who love their hair. I wrote All Hair is Good Hair and based it on my niece. It’s a story about a little girl who is having problems with her texture and by the end of the book she loves her hair, and her mom ends up being the one who gets the real lesson. In 2019 I started wearing my big natural fro, doing more curly hairstyles on my channel, because I wanted everybody to see more texture instead of me always doing what I specialized in, which was straightening hair.

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The post Texture Talk: Meet Annagjid “Kee” Taylor, An Unstoppable Force in the Natural Hair Community appeared first on FASHION Magazine.