Christal Mercier, owner of Hair by Christal and founder of Hair Dreams by Christal, Inc., is no stranger to innovation and hard work. Born in Houston’s historic third ward into a family of 12 siblings, Christal quickly learned to stand out from a crowd and establish a sense of individuality. By the age of 12, she had already developed an entrepreneurial spirit by earning extra money styling hair for others, not knowing that her talent would lead to a life-long career.
Christal opened the doors of Hair by Christal in Missouri City, Texas, in 1990. Her natural talents, business savvy, and hearts’ desire seamlessly flourished into a thriving business. However, in April 2008, Hair Dreams by Christal, Inc. was established in honor of her sister Timothy McDade. During Hurricane Harvey, Christal started the Gallery of Salons rescue team that cut, styled, and braided hair for those who were displaced by the storm.
Recently, Christal started a hair loss support group that provides a safe place for attendees to express their feelings associated with their hair loss and not be judged. The group follows the motto, and details can be found in her link below. Today, Hair by Christal is an iconic salon known for its innovative braiding, weaving, extensions, and hair replacement systems with a clientele spanning across the United States. Finally, Christal believes that each opportunity to play a role in helping someone discover their beauty is the true essence of a stylist’s work.
Hair Loss Support Group Link:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81102853087
My sister Timothy (fondly known as Dena), inspired me to get involved in the hair augmentation industry due to her personal experience with hair loss. Timothy was an Ebony Fashion Fair model and the first African American to model Jordache Jeans on a billboard in New York. Although she achieved great success in her modeling career, her personal life was unraveling due to hair loss as a result of chemical burns to her scalp. This caused her to become inward, depressed and very self-conscious. Dena became so embarrassed that she never wanted for anyone to see her without hair, not even her family. Knowing how depressed she was about her hair loss, my younger sister paid for a hair replacement system from a very reputable company. Unfortunately, the results looked unnatural, and Dena was still sad. I prayed “Lord, you’ve got to let me learn how to do that, and make it look more natural.” About 6 months, later I finally got the opportunity. I made myself a promise that I would perfect the technique and make it have a more natural appearance. It became very personal to me. Just as I thought, she began to feel good about herself after we achieved a more natural appearance. Sadly, the joy did not last long since we shortly found out my sister had another battle to overcome… breast cancer. This devastating situation made me more determined to give her and others like her the opportunity to feel good about themselves.
In 2008, a year before my sister passed, I started a non-profit organization called “Hair Dreams by Christal”. The goal of this organization is to provide non-surgical hair replacement systems to underprivileged women and children who suffer from extreme long or short term hair loss. I aim to restore people’s self-esteem and rebuild their confidence by enhancing their outward appearance. Our motto is “You can be sick, but you don’t have to look sick. You can have hair loss and no one has to know it.” Typically, when we think of hair loss we envision balding middle-aged men, but today with all the food additives, illnesses, traumatic experiences, medication and stress levels, many women and children are also experiencing hair loss. Hair loss reaches across all social, racial and economic spectrums. It does not pick and choose who it will affect.
Through Hair Dreams by Christal I have come across women and children whose self-esteem was so shattered, they were unable to look me in the eyes. They were broken, they didn’t feel whole, and they just didn’t feel good about themselves. Seeing the physical and emotional transformation that takes place after their hair treatment is truly astonishing and it reassures me that I am honoring my sister in the best way.