Metro Roundup: Helping with hair loss
At the age of four, Iris Morgan was diagnosed with alopecia areata. The autoimmune disorder results in patchy hair loss and affects around 7 million people in the United States. While treatment can help, the condition cannot be cured.
Morgan said she was blessed to only have one small spot in the top center of her head and was able to cover it in most cases. However, since she was still limited to certain styles, this led her to form an interest in hair extensions and wigs.
She and her husband, Lamar, have owned a real estate title company for 22 years, but Morgan said she always wanted to open up a hair shop. She began researching 15 years ago, ordering hair and wigs and testing them out.
“We signed in March 2019 and had to have the buildout done,” she said. “Since we had to fund it, it took months to get it done. The grand opening was supposed to be in March 2020 then the pandemic hit.”
Their title business also slowed down, so Morgan began making face masks with Bible scriptures embroidered on them.
When things began to pick back up, her dream finally became a reality when her shop opened in December. Iris Luxury Hair Extensions is a black-owned business located in Greystone that provides only the highest quality, 100% human hair available, including raw, cuticle and virgin hair extensions.
“I personally travel to India to handpick the best cuticle, temple hair,” Morgan said. “I’ve also traveled to several other countries, including Central Asia and Eastern Europe to handpick the best hair on the market.”
The store is a combination of a full-service beauty salon and hair extension store and offers a variety of applications including bulk hair, wefts, tape-ins, clip-ins, keratin-tips, frontals, closures, wigs, custom wigs and more.
There are five open salon stations and one private salon suite available. As of press time, Morgan was still looking for stylists to rent out the stations. She also offers private consultations to her customers.
“I want to fill those booths with stylists that have a lot of experience and know what they are doing,” she said. “My standard is probably a little higher, so it may mean waiting a little longer to rent out those spaces to make sure we have only the best stylists.”
Morgan said she and her husband believe that God blesses them to bless others and they plan on giving back each month. A portion of the store’s profits each month will be used to donate custom wigs to children and women with hair loss as a result of alopecia, cancer or any other medical condition.
“There are too many companies charging thousands of dollars for a wig,” she said. “That is not what it costs. This is just a way for us to give back and be a blessing to others.”
Morgan’s goal in this business is to glorify God and be a blessing to others. On the bottom of each box is a verse from the Gospel of Matthew that reads, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.”
“We prayed for this and are blessed to be able to do it,” she said.
Iris Luxury Hair Extensions is located at 5511 U.S. 280 in Suite 104. Its hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Find out more at irisluxuryhair.com.