Today we’d like to introduce you to Daisy Mack.
Hi Daisy, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory
In the 90s, I had somewhat of a spiritual awakening. I realized that relaxing my hair was a form of self-hate and that it has been embedded into my subconscious mind. I began to understand that this disdain and intolerance for my kinky hair was nurtured by American culture through television, advertisements, and by people who I encountered. I decided to cut off my relaxer and go natural. This was before the natural hair movement, social media, and before it was trendy or cool. Going natural during this time took guts, endurance, and a lot of creativity. People would ridicule me for having what the called nappy hair. There were no natural hair stylists or Pinterest boards to give me styling ideas. In addition to these struggles, there were no natural hair products on the market for kinky or curly hair. In time I overcame these obstacles and became a master of my natural hair. I learned how to style my hair for every occasion. I felt that other people would eventually have the same revelation that I did, and I wanted to be there to help ease the burdens of transitioning from relaxer to natural.
This led to me starting Peezyheadz Natural Hair Salon. I didn’t have any money or business background, but I was passionate and determined. I came up with a logo and some flyers, set up an area in my home as “the salon”, and Peezyheadz was born. My mother, Marcy Moss, saw what I was doing and wanted to contribute. She is skillful at mixing home remedies, herbal tinctures, and aromatherapy combinations. She put her skills to work and created some products for me to use on my clients. I admit I was a little leery at first, but the clients went crazy over the products and began to request for them to be available for purchase. My mom’s products, now known as Daisy’s Garden, became a staple for Peezyheadz. People went crazy over the scent, and over time, my clients and I began to notice how effective the products were with reforming damaged hair, encouraging growth and eliminating dandruff. In 2005 Peezyheadz outgrew my home and we moved into our 1st commercial location in Little 5 Points. By then, the demand for the products was too high for my mom to keep up with, so she taught me how to make them and I took over the production.
Since then, I have been carefully balancing the demands of the salon with producing the products, but I always wanted to expand the line and create some products of my own. March 2020 was a difficult period for everyone as we were sheltered in place for months due to Covid 19. Although times were tough, I saw an opportunity for me to work on Daisy’s Garden and bring some of my new product ideas into fruition. I developed Daisy’s Garden Lion Groomers for men and hair serums for hair growth and repair. One of my greatest accomplishments during this time is my line of spiritual products, including a spiritual bath, prosperity spray, and exotic smudge sticks. 2020 has been overwhelmingly challenging for everyone, and I see it as more of a spiritual warfare than anything else, which is why this particular line is so important to me. American culture encourages capitalistic thinking, which often leaves the spirit depleted. I want to be in place to help people combat a changing culture as they come into their spiritual truths and moral development. I love what I do, although it is challenging in many ways. My business is not just about hair or products. It’s about helping people find their way back to themselves. I am fulfilling my life’s purpose. I feel blessed because not many people get to do what they are passionate about for a living.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been a very bumpy road. One of my biggest challenges has been learning to let go of some aspects of the business and allowing a team to support me. Because I am so passionate about delivering quality products, specialized services, and excellent customer services, I tend to want to do it all myself. I often stretch myself thin by doing everything myself. I run every aspect of the business. I do hair, book appointments, make products, build websites, design labels, and everything else. Although some people are impressed by the fact that I’m able to do all of these things, the truth is that I have to learn to delegate in order to grow.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a natural hair stylist, educator, and product engineer. I braid, twist, and style natural hair, install extensions and care for locs. I’m known for creating beautiful styles utilizing healthy techniques and natural products; There are so many stylists who produce beautiful work that slowly causes damage. I believe a stylist should care about more than just “the look”, but also the health of the hair. I have developed techniques and products that ensure that the hair is healthy as well as beautiful. For example, when installing extensions, I utilize no knot techniques and coat the hair with Daisy’s Garden Lemon Butter Cream. This preserves the edges and infuses the hair with mega hydration for the long term duration of an extension style. These techniques also give a more natural look, so the extensions are not detectable. I’m also known for being a master loctician and for my unique way of covering bald spots with kinky extensions. Although my clients love my work and rant about how healthy their hair is, I think I’m known best for the hospitality and love that I show them when they’re in my care.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I have always wanted a mentor but have never actually pursued one, I have, however, surrounded myself with people who are entrepreneurs, successful, and motivational. Someone once told me, “You can’t fly with the eagles if you’re walking around with turkeys”. At the time, I laughed, but a seed was planted that day. I began to realize that the people around me were great friends but were not living the life of a business owner. The advice and commentary that I was hearing was based on emotions and opinions and not experience. I began to open my life to people with similar struggles and goals and people who had already accomplished what I was reaching for. That was like being in an incubator. Solutions, ideas, strategies, encouragement all began to emerge, and I flourished. Being around other successful people showed me what it looks like and what it feels like, the good, bad, and the ugly. My circle keeps me on my toes. Being around amazing men and women who are go-getters encourages me to reach higher and go further.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Peezyheadz.com www.DaisysGardenProducts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daisys_garden_products/ https://www.instagram.com/peezyheadz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeezyheadzSalon/ https://www.facebook.com/DaisysGardenAtl
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuoB0-hhcCl4MDIuNLP8BfQ
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/peezyheadz-stone-mountain
