Trump’s tariffs are taking a heavy toll on Black-owned beauty salons that rely on Chinese-made hair products.
Diann Valentine, 55, founder of Slayyy Hair, first felt the impact of tariffs when a 145% levy on Chinese imports hit, resulting in a $300,000 bill to clear 26,000 units of braiding hair at the Los Angeles port in May. Since then, she has raised the prices of her braiding hair and drawstring ponytail extensions by 20%. Valentine was also forced to lay off four employees and now works 16-hour days to keep her two Glow+Flow beauty supply stores in Inglewood and Hawthorne, California, running smoothly.
“To lose that kind of money at this stage has been devastating,” Valentine said.
“We’re being impacted at every level,” said Dajiah Blackshear-Calloway, 34, a salon owner based in Smyrna, Georgia. “I’m either having to eat that cost or pass that expense along to my clients, which affects their budgets and their pockets as well.”
Blackshear-Calloway’s salon, staffed by two stylists, offers a range of services from $50 natural hairstyles to $745 tape-in weave extensions. Her most popular services include $254 sew-in weaves and $125 quick weaves, where extensions are glued onto a stocking cap.
However, tariffs have driven up the cost of a package of hair imported from Vietnam from $190 in May to $290, while a bottle of hair glue from China jumped from $8 to $14.99 at her local supply store. To avoid passing these costs on to clients, Blackshear-Calloway now asks them to bring their own hair, making a quick weave $140 without hair, compared to $400 with hair provided.
Diann Valentine, 55, founder of Slayyy Hair, first felt the impact of tariffs when a 145% levy on Chinese imports hit, resulting in a $300,000 bill to clear 26,000 units of braiding hair at the Los Angeles port in May. Since then, she has raised the prices of her braiding hair and drawstring ponytail extensions by 20%. Valentine was also forced to lay off four employees and now works 16-hour days to keep her two Glow+Flow beauty supply stores in Inglewood and Hawthorne, California, running smoothly.
“To lose that kind of money at this stage has been devastating,” Valentine said.
Tariffs are hitting Black business owners particularly hard, including many salon owners. Andre Perry, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, notes that the wealth gap leaves Black entrepreneurs, especially those in low-margin industries like consumer goods or haircare services, in financially vulnerable positions, with tariffs further eroding their profits.
“Many Black entrepreneurs started off with less wealth,” Perry said.
Black businesses have endured for generations through innovation and resilience, and it will take that same spirit to navigate the challenges Americans now face due to Trump’s tariffs. Industry experts have been offering tips for small business owners affected by the tariffs, including communicating openly with customers, reassessing supply chains, streamlining operations to address inefficiencies, consulting a financial advisor, and exploring business credit lines.
