Hey Fashionistas:

I am not one to wear a lot of hair weaves as I already have a lot of hair on my head. But there are times when hair is placed within or added to my own in order to give it extra body. One of the hair companies that are appealing to me is True Indian Hair.

TRUE INDIAN HAIR (TIH) was founded by entrepreneur Karen Mitchell in 2005 in New York City. 

TIH hair provides its diverse clientele with healthy, luxurious, 100% virgin cuticle hair culled directly from donors in East Indian Temples and Brazil. The hair strands are handpicked, sterilized, and sorted for the best quality and textures in order to provide a superior product that stands apart from the so-call "remy" hair being sold on the market today.

TIH hair is unprocessed human hair that has not been chemically treated. There are no permanent/semi-permanent colors, perms, or relaxers used to alter the color, texture or curl pattern of the hair. The hair is reusable and with the proper care can last six months to a year or longer.

Tamar Braxton for Pynk Magazine wearing Tru IndianHair!

I had the pleasure of meeting the owner of True Indian Hair at the Walk the Talk Exclusive Fashion Event and she gave me a sample of the hair and I have to say, it is truly amazing. I love the soft texture and the smooth feeling of the hair. Boasting of its great customer service and awesome quality of hair, I had the chance to chat it up with the wonderful Karen about the business of hair care and some of the new places you will be able to get the high quality hair.

Tell us about Karen...

Karen Mitchell is a shy but driven woman. I'm honest and hardworking. I'm spiritual and humbled by life. I put 150% of myself into my business. I work hard and I play hard. Karen Mitchell is a work in progress.

Where is your place of origin?

I was born in Jamaica. I migrated to the US at age 12 and NY has been my home since.

What were you interests before True Indian Hair?

Before True Indian Hair, I worked in fashion production for over 12 years and also worked as a hairstylist part-time on the weekends. Fashion and hair has always been my professional interest. Outside of that, I love to write. I write poetry and have been working on finishing a novel I started a few years ago....if I can ever find the time.

Why did you develop True Indian Hair?

True Indian Hair was developed out of intrigue and desperation. During my years in fashion, I traveled to India and would buy hair for personal use and to resell to friends and family, then I got laid off from my job a few years later and desperately needed to do something. At that time Indian Hair, although in use for many years around the world, was just starting to open up in the minority communities as the better quality hair to use for extensions. I had a small network of clients and in need of a job, I decided to take a gamble and start a business selling virgin Indian hair extensions. I put every penny I had into starting the business. It’s a gamble that paid off.

What makes True Indian Hair unique?

Although there are tons of Indian hairs or virgin hair suppliers around the world, some that are much larger than us, we do our best to stand out as premium quality virgin hair suppliers by putting our customers first. We hate a bad review or a bad experience and we try hard not to have those. I have chosen to remain hands on with the product. Our strict quality assurance is hard to beat. I literally look at every piece of hair we sell and perform certain testing regiments to make sure its premium grade quality. Pieces that don't meet our standards are not sold. We don't just package hair and sell it. We make sure you are getting the best. I am also a consumer of my own product so I personally test our quality on a regular basis. Our customer service is also great.

Do you feel like the hair care industry is oversaturated with hair weave companies?

It is somewhat, but at the same time I understand why. The hair and beauty business will always be in high demand. It's a billion dollar business. Consumers are always searching for something new, something better and so many new companies are targeting those undecided clients, but if you have a great product, it doesn’t matter how many companies are out there. A great product will outlast all wannabees.

Do you see women wearing more hair as opposed to natural?

Maybe because I am in the hair extension business. I do notice a lot of women wear extensions. There is a misconception that it's only black women or minority women, but there are lots of other races who wear extensions. 20% of our clients are not minorities. It’s a mix of Caucasian and Asians.. Yes everyone wears extensions. I do see a trend in more black women opting to wear their natural hair. I have nothing against that. I don't think women should wear extensions every day for the rest of their lives. It's almost like fashion to me. It’s a matter of choice. Some women like six inch “Red Bottom” (Christian Louboutin) and some women like ballet slippers. Your hair doesn't make you or take away from the core of who you are as a human being.

What are your thoughts on natural hair?

Whether we choose to wear our natural hair out without extensions or with extensions, I do think it’s important to know what your natural texture is. I’m all natural under my weave now (lol) but I’ve had my hair relaxed for many years before I cut it off 3 years ago. I love wearing my True Indian Hair extensions but I do take care of my natural hair and I love seeing a healthy head of natural hair on women, especially black women, but I think instead of stressing "natural hair" like the trend is right now, I think it should be more about "healthy hair" because I see lots of natural hair that is not healthy. Many natural hair women don't realize this until they blow their hair out... then they see 4" of split ends and they can't understand why. Natural is great... healthy is better.

What celebrities have adorned your tresses?

Many celebrities like to remain anonymous about wearing extensions so I can't name them all but a few have been Ciara, Kelly Rowland, Lil Kim, Zoe Kravitz, Samoya Reece.

When it comes to nationalities, who are your biggest clients?

Through our website, we sell hair around the world. We have clients in Australia, Sweden, London, and Canada but the majority of sales comes from within the US, and New York where our stores are located has the most sales. 75% of our clients are black women.

Where can true Indian Hair be purchased?

We sell virgin hairs from Indian, Malaysian and Brazil. We also sell wigs, closures and custom hair pieces. Our hairs can be purchased in New York at our Brooklyn and Manhattan stores or on line at www.trueindianhair.com orwww.truehaircompany.com

What will be happening with True Indian Hair in 5 years?

In 5 years, True Indian Hair (True Hair Company) will expand its on line visibility across the world with major national and international target marketing campaigns. We will have another NYC store as well as 1-2 stores in other states. We are targeting Atlanta and LA. We might also venture into franchising the business.

Attention Hair Stylists: True Indian Hair is really great hair that withstands heat very well and holds styles for a great length of time with the proper care. Look into their hair product and look for discounts that can be great for your budget and your clients.

So let check them out at: www.trueindianhair.com

And let them know that Tweety Elitou sent you!