Life & Work with D’angela Turner

Today we’d like to introduce you to D’angela Turner. 

Hi D’angela, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started doing hair at 10 years old braiding hair with my mother Angela Jones. She would braid family members’ hair and coworkers’ heads after work and I would assist. Back then I was making like $75 a head with my mom. She taught me the game early. I then started to do family hair and all my friends’ hair. Once I got in high school my Aunty Angela Brown-Church opened Victorious Hair Designz salon. Where I worked and trained under Natasha Roper. Who’s now the owner of Laposh Salon in Milwaukee,WI. It was over from there. I started to gain me a full clientele got a feel of what it was like to work in a salon. Once I was done with high school, I enrolled in beauty school. Young mother 19-20 with a newborn trying to work full time and attend school just wasn’t working out for me. I didn’t feel like I was learning what I needed to know in school so I dropped out. Reached out to Natasha and she got me into the salon she was working at Martha Hair skin and nails in Milwaukee, Wi. I started as an apprentice in September 2005 and I was a legit stylist now working in the salon with a temporary license. In the Apprentice program we were able to go to school one day a week and work in the salon full time. In between school and working then having another child school was extended a little longer with me finally finishing in 2009. Graduating with my license and passing my board later after that. In 2012 I went to school for my managers license and received that in 2013. By that time, I had my very own salon, which only stayed in effect for about 6-1 year. The industry became a little discouraging and it had its ups and downs. I became Ill when I had to move around on a walker. I developed sciatica, severely anemic, and some other health issues that was causing me to work limited amount of hours. Especially from standing for long periods of time. I then went back to school for business management and culinary arts. No matter what I tried to do the lord would always bring me back to his purpose. I ended up going back to doing hair but this time helping manage the salon of others. I worked for major corporate salons such as jcpenny, franchises like Supercuts, and just our average small business salons where I ended up working with several coworkers Cynthia smith, Theresa Jones, Cynthia Hines, and Terese Haskins. These were all staff members I worked at Martha’s with! I also had the pleasure to work with Marla Barker of Before and After and Anthony Reed at STyles Per Excellence where I ended my career in Milwaukee and brought my talent to Arizona. In 2018 I came to Arizona to put my boys in a better environment. I refused to give my boys to the streets of Milwaukee. The violence and crime rate has risen and is still on a rise. Milwaukee, a place where it was a great place to have a family and raise kids became one of the top five worst places to live. Losing family and friends to the streets of Milwaukee and gun violence was beginning to affect my whole family. When I got to Arizona, I went to work at Jcpenney Salon again where I was doing that part-time while I attended school as well. I left Jcpenny and went to work at Fly Girls Salon where Angela helped me get my feet wet here in AZ. I started to work for myself. Attending school this time for Behavioral health. With them emphasis on drug addiction recovery and support. It was near and dear to the heart because of family history of drug abuse and alcoholism. With intentions to help me deal with childhood trauma and understand what addiction was and how to deal with my family. How can I help aid them? Everything I ever do is always to help those around me. While I’m at school I lost a family member that was struggling with addiction. Covid started and we began to lose more family members. While dealing with all this and the matriarch of the family stuffing from Covid and in the hospital on a ventilator for months. I didn’t have my source of comfort. The only person I know to run to when I’m going through it. So, I went into this deep state of depression. Everything was closing in on me. All life experiences that I thought I was battling with well started to attack me. I begin to question the lord on Many things. From my Children’s health issues to my relationships with family, friends, and my spouse. I lost it and ended up in the hospital. Where I had to sit there for days and just think. Process my feelings and understand what I was going through. Didn’t realize I was battling depression and running from it since I was 16 years old. Being away from my children and writing for days and sitting with nothing but time because I was confined to a room and a space that was unfamiliar to me. Made me understand that what I’m going through is bigger than me. So, I went to get help to help me process the feeling and rage I was feeling, the hurt, the abandonment, the betrayal, and the love all at the same time. That made me understand what my true purpose was and put me in mode to just GO! Go harder than I ever did in my life before. Use all that hurt as a crutch and a ladder for success. I then started my hair braiding academy inside FlyGirls. I would then fly back and forth home every couple months to teach classes in Wisconsin as well.Covid struck high numbers again and they took my children out of school. I needed more flexibility with my family and their schooling situation. The lord then came to me and said it was my time to branch out and do my own thing. I had to make sure I can work with and around my schedule and children’s school schedule. I then opened my own salon BIABA & Vegan Silk Press Bar in Mesa. September 2021. It has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life. This place is a sanctuary for the broken! A safe haven for the damaged and a church for my clients. I meet so many women from all walks of life. Every day it is different. I don’t know what I’m going to get. I am able to help women heal mentally and for them to be able to look them in the eye and say girl you are beautiful. Your true beauty starts within. When the heart, mind, soul, and spirit is right it shows on the outside. Women are so quick to tear each other down. We uplift our women no matter what you been through or who you are! Not 1 living soul is perfect. But when you put the lord first and your mental health second everything else will fall in line. I was given a chance to bounce back tell my story and become a featured Award-winning author as a co-author in the comeback Anthology book. Touching lives one person at a time and making impacts. Now I’m enrolled in school to achieve my bachelor’s degree in Business Entrepreneurialism and management, with emphasis on beauty and wellness. WhileI’m trying to expand my salon into a training facility for high school students that want to become natural hair stylist and hair braiders, a safe space to relax and be yourself, and a gaming center to help with stress relief. All while expanding with my spouse and getting his catering service off the ground here in Arizona DB’s chicken and Ribs.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not been a smooth road. I quit on myself about 3-4. Each time getting back up and doing it harder each time after. A lot of my struggles came from lack of support from those close to us that we want or should I say expect to help or see our vision. Another struggle was life itself. Adulting can be very difficult, especially facing challenges. Understanding and knowing when, why and how to make transitional changes.

I began to take life circumstances and use those road blocks as stepping stones. Starting over and coming to another state with 5 little ones. I would say it was the biggest challenge but I pushed through.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in Braids and Vegan silk Press. BIABA stands for Beauty I Am Braid Academy. I teach those aspiring girls or women how to braid and the fundamentals of braiding. I also had the opportunity to private label my own products for that as well as my very own Vegan silk press kit. That is where I came up with the Vegan silk press bar. This is a completely different experience for my clients. It’s organic and all-natural.

We live in a world now where many people are going vegan. People are starting to care about what they put into their bodies and hair. I am known for my silk press and my curls. They call them the Shatta Curls. I call myself the silk press goddess. I can work some magic on some of the most untamed or untrained hair. I get tears every day in my salon from new clients. This system really works and it’s actually healthy for the hair. I am most proud of the fact that I keep pushing through! I change lives, I mend broken spirits, I help those who identify themselves with being unpretty, feel beautiful again. It’s a feeling not just a look. I stood by my word and my system, I said I was going to open this silk press bar and I did it. To top that, the effect I leave on these women when they get out of my chair. That’s what sets me apart from others. I take pride in what I do, my system works and it’s vegan!

What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Obey God and he will bless you abundantly. But he is ahead of your life, your finances, your health and well being. He will take care of it all. Don’t put too much trust in the people around you, separate business and personal relationships. When you’re doing business with people, keep it very professional, dot the I, and cross all the t’s. Do your research and do it all by the book. Build your business database of legit people so that your operation can run smoothly. Give the best version of you at all times no matter what. Be transparent with people. When you are, they gravitate to you more. People want to see and feel the real. Not just hear about it.

Contact Info:

• Email: Dangelaturner@biab-academy.com
• Instagram: Biabavegansilkpressbar
• Facebook: Biaba&Vegan Silk Press Bar