Saweetie, Lil Mama, Angela Simmons, and Vanessa Simmons have all been seen wearing Yummy Extensions.

By Arcelia Martin

Yummie O. has a hairy closet. Her extensions and wigs are organised and labelled in different boxes so she can always find the style she wants. “I’ve always loved long hair since I was a little girl,” Yummie, who goes by her first name, explained. “Even though God didn’t give me long hair, I’ve always admired it.”

In 2013, she left her decade-long career in information technology to launch Yummy Extensions, a luxury hair brand based in Dallas.

(She explained that the difference in spelling between her company and her name was to make it easier for customers.) Yummie said that a year after the company’s launch, the hair label had its first $1 million in revenue, and it is still growing. A new storefront has opened in Brooklyn, New York.

Celebrities such as rappers Saweetie and Lil Mama, as well as TV personalities Angela and Vanessa Simmons, have worn her products and become brand ambassadors.

Link given below…

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb8j3dfgAG_/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

Yummie’s celebrity clients, like her other clients, are what she refers to as “Yummy Girls” — women who want the best for themselves and will not settle. “She’ll go out there and get it,” she explained. It’s a mantra she’s lived by. Yummie was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and moved to the United States to study at the University of Houston.

Yummie used stock photos of celebrities on Facebook to market looks she knew would be possible with the extensions she’d make before she had any inventory or models. Her company was up and running when she received her first order. Because she custom-made the extensions, it took weeks to fill the first order. “I literally prayed on the package, saying, ‘Lord, please let her love it,'” Yummie explained.

The first order she placed was for ten hair pieces from Southeast Asia. A few were set aside for the order, while the rest were set aside for her, her mother, and her sister. “We’re not selling it if Yummie wouldn’t wear it,” Yummie explained.

Yummie recalls that when Yummy Extensions first opened its doors nearly a decade ago, there were few extensions that catered to Black hair textures.

According to June research from McKinsey & Company, Black consumers are three times more likely to be dissatisfied with their options for hair care, skincare, and makeup than non-Black consumers, despite accounting for more than $6.6 billion, or 11% of total beauty spending, in beauty sales across the U.S. last year.

Yummie wanted to make sure she had extensions with textures that would complement hair patterns in a variety of textures because of this. The gap was present and is still present, she claimed. Raw hair wigs and extensions frequently cost up to $700, so Yummie claimed she made sure her products were pricey but worthwhile investments that could be worn repeatedly. Yummie said, “I’ve always been a hair person and I buy from stores, but the product had no longevity or versatility. So you would invest a lot of money in buying it, and then you would need to purchase a new one roughly every two to three weeks.

Her extensions, she claims, can last at least five years if properly cared for. Arlene Mangrum has worn extensions since she was 17 years old. Despite having lived in Dallas for nearly two decades and looking for a new hair brand, she went to Yummy Extensions for the first time this month after a recommendation from her hair stylist. Mangrum, 59, stated that her stylist had heard no complaints about Yummy products and thought they were excellent. So Mangrum dashed over to the Dallas storefront in search of a suitable outfit. “This is the best hair I’ve ever had,” she said of the Raw Southeast Asian Wavy extensions she purchased. “It’s soft and of good quality, and it will last.”

The extensions are made from hair that’s cut from a donor, then cleansed and wefted, or sewn onto a super-thin cloth strip. Most extensions and wigs are intended to be installed by a stylist, but the brand also released an at-home line for customers who want to avoid going to the salon. Yummie also introduced KOSA Professionals, a line of hot tools that includes flat irons and blow dryers. Yummie’s hair products differ from others on the market in that they are not mixed with synthetic fibres, which she claims helps them last longer. Because it’s real hair, it can be difficult to find inventory, which can drive up the price.

But for a lifelong wearer like Mangrum, she’s ready to pay top dollar if her hair looks good. “I’m more than willing to do it if it’s of high quality,” she said. Wearers are instructed to take their hair down, cleanse and wash it, braid it, and then store it in a satin bag to keep the moisture in their hair.

Yummie wanted to address the lack of thorough customer service or guidance in the raw hair market when it comes to helping shoppers find the right texture and product for their hair type when she opened Yummy Extensions. “That was really the gap there for me,” Yummie explained. “I’m confident I can profit from this. If I’m feeling it, I’m sure thousands of other women are as well.” Mangrum described the difference as like night and day. She admired the store’s layout and cleanliness.

Mangrum has previously been disappointed by the packaging and the product when ordering extensions online. “I need to feel and touch,” Mangrum explained. “It’s the presentation, as well as the bag that comes with it. It’s the energy. It’s just crucial.”