Meet Amber Lauren | Founder & Creator of WavyWMN

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amber Lauren and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amber, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
Honestly, it’s a marathon. Not a race. Working on Meet The Wavies, WavyWMN’s first major campaign, proved that. I didn’t realize until hours before it went live, that it would soon make history. Meet The Wavies is the first campaign to exclusively feature Black women wavers—like ever. If that didn’t put the pressure on, idk what did. But all in all, I learned that a lot of the time, we really do put a lot of extra pressure on ourselves. We’re our own worst critics, but learning to navigate those emotions definitely made a huge difference in my life.

What should our readers know about your business?
WavyWMN’s (pronounced, Wavy Women) origins started in 2019. At the time, I cut my hair three years prior and wanted to style it in a way that didn’t require growing it back. A few guy friends of mine encouraged me to start waving my hair. After a few weeks of going back and forth, I woke up one morning, and decided to go for it! Walked to a beauty supply store to buy Durags, a brush, and some pomade. To create this unique hairstyle, one brushes their natural curls and kinks flat. Achieving a “wave-like” pattern, without the use of chemicals.

Waves are amazing. They can make us feel strong, beautiful, powerful and confident. But it didn’t take long to see that there weren’t many outlets for Black Women wavers on social media — but we needed them! It was December 2019, and I knew what I wanted. A community where I could find all the Wavies who were just like me. And so WavyWMN was born!

To date, WavyWMN is now the largest community of Black Women wavers in the world. Featuring Black Women from over 20 countries across five continents. With a lifetime engagement of 2.3 million across our social channels. Creating and shifting the hair conversations we were once left out of. Which is a key part of our mission.

Being an entrepreneur isn’t an easy task, especially during a pandemic. Considering that only 17-percent of entrepreneurs are Black women in the U.S. Despite that, WavyWMN is still a force to be reckoned with, and I am honored to be able to help create that community. Especially in a heavy male-dominated industry like waving is.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Cuts & Slices! A great Black-owned pizza spot in Brooklyn, NY with so many different types of pizza to try. There’s also other great food and drink spots like Lucky’s, Rogers Garden, Ode to Babel, and countless others. You could visit in-person experiences like the Brooklyn Museum or the New York Botanical Garden. You could. Even possibly hang out at SOMEWHEREGOOD, or uptown at Harlem Tavern. There’s so many great spots to choose from in New York!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Whew where do I start? My parents for always believing in anything I set my mind to. My late father was very much into the idea of generational wealth, setting the tone from when I was very young. My mother, who has been my rock. Keeping me grounded, and supporting my dreams no matter what. My eldest sister, Kanaiah for always holding me accountable and reminding me that opportunities are limitless and to get out my own way. My best friends and family who always remind me that I always have a support system with them. And I could NEVER forget my ADHD Tribe, who always remind me to give myself grace, helping me in anyway they can from all parts of the world.

Website: https://www.wavywmn.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/wavywmn

Twitter: www.twitter.com/wavywmn

Facebook: www.facebook.com/wavywmn

Other: www.tiktok.com/@wavywmn

Image Credits
Image of Amber’s side profile – Jada Harrison / @flashalook on Instagram All other images: Cosi for pblc wrks (spelled with lowercase) pblcwrks.format.com / @rosegoldcoze on Instagram