The Higher Salon: Empowering Confidence Through Accessible Hair Care for College Students and Beyond

The Higher Salon: A New Initiative Providing Free Hair Care to Atlanta’s Women and Girls

Atlanta, GA — In a groundbreaking move to support the community, The Higher Salon has officially opened its doors, offering free hair care services to women and girls in Atlanta. Founded by Mallorye Crowell, The Higher Salon is part of The Higher Foundation, which aims to alleviate the financial burdens faced by college students, focusing on essential needs like food, housing, and transportation.

“I believe that hair care is a basic need, not a luxury,” Crowell stated, emphasizing the importance of grooming in boosting confidence. “It’s tied to your ability to thrive,” she added, highlighting how clean, well-groomed hair can impact success in various aspects of life, from classrooms to job interviews.

Located at Lux Studio Salon Suites on Lakewood Avenue, The Higher Salon operates every Sunday and Monday, serving about 20 clients each month. To become a client, individuals can fill out an application on the salon’s website.

On the salon’s second day of operation, rising third grader Layla Brown received a beautiful set of braids just in time for the school year. Crowell spent nearly four hours detangling, washing, drying, and braiding Layla’s hair. Despite her initial shyness, Layla opened up about her summer adventures at horse camp and her dream of becoming an ice cream maker.

Foster mother Lisa Callahan, who drove the girls from Bartow County, expressed the challenges of finding quality hair care for Black hair in their area. “It’s really hard to find people providing quality care,” she said, underscoring the salon’s vital role in meeting this need.

The Higher Salon was born out of a successful Back-to-School Box Braids Program last summer, which provided free braiding services to foster children. The overwhelming demand for these services inspired Crowell to establish the salon, aiming to address Georgia’s need for accessible hair care.

“Some foster parents just don’t know how to do their foster children’s hair,” Crowell noted, as she carefully worked through Layla’s hair.

For its pilot year, The Higher Salon will focus exclusively on female clients, with plans to evaluate and expand services to all genders in the future. Crowell envisions a statewide network of salons and barbershops, ultimately aiming to partner with locations in every major city in Georgia to broaden access to free hair care.

“The amount of people that we can serve is really without boundary,” Crowell said, emphasizing the potential impact of community partnerships.

Leading The Higher Salon alongside Crowell are Keneisha Spencer, a master cosmetologist, and Kanieceya Robinson, a registered nurse and youth mentor. Together, they are committed to making a difference in the lives of women and girls in Atlanta.

As The Higher Salon continues to grow, it stands as a testament to the power of community support and the belief that everyone deserves access to basic grooming services.