Mandisa Ngozi: The Evolution of Sweet Blessings

Mandisa Ngozi is, without a doubt, one of the staples within the Tallahassee community when it comes to successful businesses and natural hair salons. The talented ladies who make up this trio have made it a priority to promote the importance and beauty of natural hair care. With clients traveling from all over to take a seat in one of their chairs, it’s obvious that their work speaks for itself. We had the opportunity to sit down with the team to hear about their journey.

The story behind how Mandisa Ngozi came to be is a clear example of what can be created when we build off of our passion. “It first started with me coming to Tallahassee to go to Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University back in 1990,” shares Valencia Jones, co-owner of Mandisa Ngozi. “When I came here I didn’t have a job so I would put up signs all around FAMU’s campus to get the word out about me doing hair. Clientele quickly grew because most students left their stylist back at home, and so they needed what we now call protective styles.”

Upon arriving in Tallahassee, Valencia had not made the switch to natural hair, but the psychology department at FAMU began to broaden her knowledge and shift her perception when it came to African culture. “While braiding and being in the psychology department, I saw what I was really doing in our culture and how it all connected,” Valencia shares. “I also got the opportunity to see firsthand the damage that chemicals and relaxers were doing to my client’s hair, and how their hair was much healthier when it was natural.” These observations pushed Valencia to encourage clients to not only to go natural because of it being healthier but also because of the deep-rooted connection that it had to our culture.

This combination of improving the state of her client’s hair while accumulating valuable information from influential professors at FAMU is what motivated Valencia to move forward with opening up Mandisa Ngozi. “I became excited about all of the knowledge that I was getting and sharing not just from school but also through working with my clients, firsthand,” shares Valencia. “Being in the psychology department showed me the other avenues to help people. When I came here I just simply knew that I liked helping and listening to people and braiding hair, and doing this gave me the opportunity to do those things.” Although natural hair wasn’t popular at that time and there were no licenses for braiding, that didn’t stop Valencia from sticking to it. “I would go to the Department of Business and Professional Regulations because I knew that I wasn’t going to put my hands in any chemicals and go through their cosmetology courses. I already had the talent and the creativity, so I just felt like it would have been a waste of my time to just get involved in that.” Natural hair started to gain popularity and became an alternative to chemical styling and soon after graduating, Valencia decided to open up the business, led by herself and younger sister, Neci Jones, co-owner. The gallery was given the name Mandisa Ngozi by Valencia and Neci’s older sister who was really into African names because she knew that they had meaning. The name she chose means ‘sweet blessings’, and that is what the sisters have always aimed to provide to everyone that comes in.

Over the years, Valencia and Neci have experienced a variety of reactions and responses from women who were transitioning to natural hair, and it has helped them to better work with their clients. “We’ve seen all sorts of things—both positive and negative—but overall we love seeing clients develop a different level of respect of their natural hair,” says Valencia. The sisters share that taking the time to grow out your natural hair and get familiar with it is one of the first steps to take. “Touch and feel it. Get used to the curls and those types of things,” says Neci. “Get used to seeing yourself in your natural state and you’ll begin to let go from there.”

Valencia and Neci remind their clients that everyone’s hair is different and the two make sure to provide the appropriate services and styles that each person needs. “We do consultations with our clients so that we have the opportunity to talk about lifestyle, medications, desired hairstyles, how to maintain them, and more,” shares Valencia, who is also Certified Trichologist through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. “We have an individual relationship with each and every one of our clients, and we make sure that we go through that process consistently, no matter who the person.”

This focus on building authentic relationships is something that has drawn in clientele such as actress Tyra Farrell and highly acclaimed entertainers such as Erykah Badu and George Clinton to Mandisa Ngozi. “Tyra Farrell came in to inquire about hairstyles. We set up a consultation appointment with her and she returned to sit down and speak with us,” says Neci. “She felt at home, we talked about her hair, made her feel comfortable, and she’s remained a client, friend, and godmother to Chikodi,” Valencia adds. For the team, George Clinton was the first entertainer, and they had the opportunity to style his hair for a  Sony commercial, and an ad featured in Rolling Stone Magazine.

Before loc extensions became popular, Valencia and Neci would hand make them so they looked more authentic. After seeing their work showcased in a publication, Erykah Badu contacted the sisters. “We ended up consulting with her in Shreveport, Louisiana to install the loc extensions, and we made some for her,” shares Neci. “We have always stuck to what it we know, and we stand firm on that.  Being creative, standing out, and just doing unique things I think is what has helped to set us apart from the rest,” says Valencia.

With Mandisa Ngozi being a thriving and highly reputable salon in the Tallahassee area, the sisters are grateful to now have a third team member, Valencia’s daughter, Chikodi, who has had the opportunity to see her mother and aunt’s work firsthand since she was a child. “I’ve been doing hair since as far back as I can remember—standing on step stool’s doing hair,” Chikodi shares. “It has always come kind of easy, especially once I learned how to do more and more styles. I always wanted to do someone’s hair, and my mother allowed me.”

“Chikodi definitely keeps us up to speed on the new stuff, and she’s really good too. There are unique braid patterns that she comes up with and she is able to create a good connection with her peers,” says Valencia. “I really appreciate the fact that she is helping us to keep up what it is that we started and that she is using her talent.”

Along with being a highly skilled hairstylist and makeup artist, Chikodi is also an up and coming entertainer and credits her success to things that she has been able to learn from her mother. “The environment that I grew up in made it easy for me to be myself so that has allowed me to dig deeper into that and implement it into my career,” she shares. Valencia adds, “Chikodi’s father and I always noticed her creativity in areas like making music and applying make-up so we created a space for her to be free,” adds Valencia. “Now she is able to make a living off of hair and make-up while pursuing her career in the music industry.”

Alongside running a successful business, these ladies have gone on to create and host the Capital City Natural Hair and Health Expo, an annual event in the North Florida region showcasing natural hair and fashion, styling and barbering competitions, panel discussions, performances and more. “We’ve been to other hair shows and we just wanted to bring some of that to Tallahassee and show more people what Mandisa Ngozi is about,” says Valencia. The show is now in its 6^th year, and despite a delay due to the hurricane season of 2017, the team looks forward to a bigger and better show on April 8^th, 2018, themed ‘Hairitage’.

The Mandisa Ngozi team takes great pride in all that they have accomplished up to this point, and credit their success to always following the past destined for them. “We can say that we’ve truly been blessed because we have always followed our passion. That’s always going to drive you, and you’ll make a way out of no way when it comes to something that you really enjoy,” shares Valencia. “Yes, we have had a few obstacles, but we have been able to learn and grow from them. We make sure to look back, appreciate everything, and count our blessings.”

Valencia, Neci and Chikodi are certainly inspiring in the community to stick to the course that is destined for them. As they continue to provide sweet blessings to their clients, they leave us with these words of wisdom. “Know yourself, love yourself, respect yourself,” Chikodi shares. “When you stay true to yourself then people will be true to you. If you give love you’re, going to get it, if you respect others the way they we do, you get the respect,” Valencia adds.” “Don’t listen to outside people. When you shine internally you shine externally and people see it. Just stay grounded,” says Neci.

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