by Miko Branch
In-line—What is contained in the aisle and generally updates only once or sometimes twice a year.
IRI/Nielsen numbers (tracking sales) —Sales data (each time an item scans) that is sold by mass retailers to IRI and Nielsen, which then formats and resells the data to manufacturers and others. Allows a look at competitive sales.
Margins —Net profit margin percentage equals net profit (retail minus cost) divided by the retail.
Markdowns—Multiple meanings: 1) reduction in retail to clear product out of the store; 2) advertising scans; 3) reduction in retail to match other retailers; 4) reduction of defectives.
Planogram —The “map” of products placed on the shelf. Very specifically defined by location, then item, number of facings, and number of items per facing.
Price points—Retail prices.
Shrinkage—Theft by shoppers or employees. Normally discovered as a discrepancy between physical inventory and what the system shows should be on hand.
Rollbacks—Walmart’s approach to pricing discounts.
Shipping—Prepaid (vendor includes the cost of shipping in their cost) or collect (where the retailer picks up the goods in exchange for a lower cost).
SKU—Stock keeping unit. Each individual item is an SKU.
Store counts—Number of stores a retailer has, most often broken down by region, demographics, or distribution.
Suggested retail pricing—Avoids antitrust violations. Retailers cannot conspire to keep prices at certain levels. Some retailers will allow MAP (minimum advertised price) pricing, but it gets iffy regarding antitrust.
TPCs—Temporary price cuts (Target).
TPRs—Temporary price reductions (other retailers).
THE LANGUAGE OF HAIR: DEFINITIONS
Afro—A thick hairstyle with very tight curls that stick out all around the head.
Bantu Knots—When hair is sectioned off in diamond, triangle, or square shapes and twisted into knots.
Braid Out—A styling method where three pieces of hair are interlaced.
Braids—Woven pattern created in hair with origins from Africa.
Double Process Color—Two steps: The hair is bleached to remove natural or colored hair pigments; a new color is then added into the hair to create the desired shade.
Double Strand Twist—A styling method where two pieces of hair are twisted together.
Dry Twist—Hair is blown out and Double-Strand-Twisted.
European Styles—Referring mostly to straight styles.
Kitchen—Back area of the hair that tends to be more coarse/tightly coiled, sensitive, or fragile.
Locs—Matted coils of hair.
Mineral oil—A distillation product of petroleum, especially one used as a moisturizer.
Natural—Not chemically processed; God-given.
No Animal Testing—Products or chemicals are not tested on animals.
Parabens—Preservatives that are used to increase shelf life of products.
Protective Styling—Styling the hair in a way that prevents damage from everyday elements.
Relaxed—Hair that is chemically altered to be straight.
Shrinkage—When your hair shrivels up.
Stretch Out—Maximizing the length of one’s hair by blow-drying, twisting, or braiding.
Shingling—Smoothing hair down between two fingers, a small section at a time, for maximum definition. Method created by Titi Branch.
Silkener—A chemical process in which the hair texture is chemically altered to create a looser, shinier, more defined, and manageable hair pattern.
Single-Process Color—A new color or toner is applied all over to create a new base color. The hair is lifted and deposited in one easy step.
Sulfates—Cleaning ingredients that are added to products to make them clean using suds.
Textures
Coily—Very circular wound curls.
Kinky—A torsion twist where the hair strand turns around itself.
Curls—A spiral or wave.
Nappy—A negative reference to tightly coiled hair in its natural state.
TWA—Tween weeny Afro.
Wet Twists—Hair is wet and Double-Strand-Twisted.
PRODUCT DEFINITIONS
From Lightest to Heaviest
TRANSITIONER’S MAGIC
Brings texture to straight hair while moisturizing your new natural growth as well as reviving and coating your relaxed hair
Excellent for transitioning from relaxed to natural hair
Fights frizz and prevents hair shrinkage
Provides super-soft hold, natural shine, and needed moisture
Enhanced with soybean and avocado
Great wash-and-go styler and rod set
Lightest hold
MULTICULTURAL CURLS
Wash-and-go styler, targeting multi-textured and multi-ethnic curls.
Soft and lightweight.
Enhanced with safflower oil and olive fruit oil.
Gives your curls uniformity and manageability while fighting frizz and adding just the right amount of super-soft hold.
Lighter hold.
PILLOW SOFT CURLS
Fuller lightweight hold.
Provides a soft, fluffy, big, softly defined curl pattern.
Innovative technology combines fabricare with hair care by providing antistatic technology.
Great wash-and-go styler for wavy, curly, tight-curly, and transitioners hair.
QUICK CURLS
Universal to all curly, kinky, and wavy hair textures.
Lightweight to medium hold.
Creates curl definition.
Will help cut down frizz.
Wash-and-go styling lotion.
JELLY SOFT CURLS
Medium hold/soft gel.
Crunch-free gel that aids in creating medium definition.
Great styler for wash-and-go on wavy, curly, tight-curly.
Great styler for two-strand twists and coils for kinky hair.
Great styler for rod sets on transitioners hair.
Fast-drying.
COILY CUSTARD
Wash-and-go styler, targeting kinky or coily hair.
Transforms tight, frizzy ’fros to loose, moisturized curls.
Nongreasy with major shine.
Enhanced with agave and coconut oil.
Slippery texture coats each frizzy strand with a dose of moisture and shine that enhances curl pattern, reduces frizz, and fights curl shrinkage.
STRETCH SILKENING CRÈME
Medium weight/medium hold.
First in the series of “heavier” crèmes for Miss Jessie’s stylers.
Excellent shine factor.
Great for wash-and-go for curly and tight-curly.
Great for two-strand twists for kinky.
Great for rod sets for transitioners.
CURLY MERINGUE
Medium-firm hold.
Second-heaviest crème in Miss Jessie’s collection.
Medium-hold factor boosts curl formation.
Excellent styler for wash-and-go for curly, tight-curly.
Excellent styler for rod setting for transitoners.
Satin shine.
CURLY PUDDING
Firm hold/extra shine.
Richest, heaviest crème-based styler in the collection.
Firmest hold for long-lasting curls.
Great for “ramen noodle” definition.
Great shine factor.
Excellent for tight-curly wash-and-go.
Excellent for twist sets, rod sets, or coils for kinky and transitioner textures.
SUPER SLIP SUDSY SHAMPOO
Great detangling/moisturizing shampoo designed for effective cleansing and encouraging a clean, smooth surface for application of styling products.
Preps the hair for the proper product application to encourage a smooth curl.
Gentle enough for three-times-a-week use.
Best for any hair type in need of a slippery sudsing shampoo.
Contains
sulfates.
CRÈME DE LA CURL/CO-WASH
No-lather, sulfate-free formula.
Removes product buildup and washes away the daily grime without leaving your hair or scalp dried out.
Suds-free cleaning, hydration, and moisturizing elements help the hair and scalp maintain a healthy luster.
CRÈME DE LA CREME
Luxurious lightweight conditioner excellent for wavy or curly hair in need of some smoothing.
Not heavy or deeply moisturizing but effective enough to provide a smooth surface for product application.
Great for waves and curls in need of light conditioning and smoothing.
Does not weigh hair down.
Great for fine-textured hair.
Great daily conditioner.
LEAVE-IN CONDISH
A lightweight moisturizing styling “prep” for your curls.
Detangler that acts as the ultimate frizz fighter.
Enhanced with soybean and aloe, locking in an extra layer of moisture.
Coats and protects curls as you style.
SUPER SWEETBACK TREATMENT
Intensive reparative treatment for dry, flyaway curly hair.
Rich moisturizing treatment that aids in the ultimate smoothing.
Contains centella extract, a growth treatment to aid in growing out curly hair.
Excellent for tight-curly, kinky, and transitioners hair types.
Essential prep for making curls soft, supple, and easy to position.
RAPID RECOVERY TREATMENT
Intensive reparative treatment for dry, flyaway curly hair.
Rich moisturizing treatment that aids in ultimate smoothing.
Excellent treatment for color-treated, dry, damaged hair.
Excellent for damaged wavy, damaged curly, tight-curly, kinky, and transitioners hair types.
Essential prep for making curls soft, supple, and easy to position.
BABY BUTTERCREME
Superb moisturizing capabilities.
Makes dried knotty hair more manageable.
Gives a natural sheen to hair.
Softens dry textures.
Provides a moist, soft texture, making hair touchable.
Great for kids’ grooming.
Great daily maintenance for tight-curly and kinky hair.
CURLY BUTTERCREME
Superb moisturizer.
Tingling scalp sensation.
Gives a natural sheen to hair.
Softens dry textures.
Provides a moist, soft texture, making hair touchable.
Great daily maintenance for tight-curly and kinky hair.
Photo Section
Mother’s Day (Jessie Mae Branch, far left).
Natural girl (Miko, age five, left); Titi in the mix, Miko looking on (right).
Sisters. (Titi, left; Miko, right)
Our pool! Enjoying fruits of the sales from our first lemonade stand.
We are family (Titi, left; Miko, right).
Bonding in Daddy’s car.
Jimmy Branch—Dad— always sharp.
Jamaica, Queens, 127th Street (Miko and Titi, front and center).
Introspective young Miko.
I did my own hair! (Miko, fourth grade)
Only spot in the bunch (Miko, second row, center).
Early marketing materials for Focus on Curls (circa 2002, left). First ad ever to capture Wash-n-Go Curly Styling, the Miss Jessie’s Way. (Curly Pudding used).
Curve Salon photo shoot—early marketers (Titi and Miko). Check out the ’90s lip liner!
Iconic Miss Jessie’s ad for Multicultural Curls.
Our first photo shoot in the Brooklyn brownstone for Women’s Wear Daily article.
Titi getting ready for BET gifting suite.
Our first warehouse (Brooklyn Navy Yard at 43 Hall Street).
My own Big Chop moment!
My ’fro: growing out my “Big Chop” (Miko).
Titi about to transition to curly hair.
Welcome to our ’hood! Nostrand Avenue Station to Curve Salon (Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn).
Thriving business at the Bedford-Stuyvesant brownstone.
Working hard in Miss Jessie’s salon (Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn).
Titi is a true beauty.
My mother to the rescue (Karen “Yayoi” Matsumoto holding newborn Faison).
“The Weave” that started it all—our focus on curly hair (Miko with son, Faison).
Natural family (Miko and Faison, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 2002).
First time seeing Miss Jessie’s products in Target; Titi—always the perfectionist— organizing the products (Atlantic Terminal, Brooklyn, New York).
Curly Pudding—our very first product, which revolutionized the hair industry. The best darn curl crème, period.
Innovative cutting technicians: angle and balance cutting method developed by Miko.
Tag team: the Miss Jessie’s Butterfly Technique (Titi, left, Miko, right).
Miss Jessie’s moving to SoHo, New York (Titi, left, Miko, right).
Raw space of Miss Jessie’s Studio Salon, SoHo, New York (Titi, left, Miko, right, 2010).
Miss Jessie’s salon store (SoHo, New York).
Miss Jessie’s carries on the legacy. SoHo salon opening, 2010 (Miko, far left; A’Lelia Bundles, the great-great-granddaughter of Madam C. J. Walker, middle; Titi, right).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Jennifer Chase
MIKO BRANCH is the co-founder and CEO of Miss Jessie’s LLC. She is celebrated for transforming the hair-care industry by pioneering an entirely new category of products specifically for natural and curly hair. She was featured in Women’s Wear Daily, appeared on the cover of Beauty Inc. as a trailblazer, and Ebony listed her as one of its Power 100 Innovators and Influencers. She has also been honored by New York University and Delta Sigma Theta for her entrepreneurship. Miss Jessie’s award-winning products have been featured in O, the Oprah Magazine, Teen Vogue, Redbook, Essence, Allure, Latina, and other publications. She lives in New York with her son.
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CREDITS
Cover design by Gregg Kulick
COPYRIGHT
MISS JESSIE’S. Copyright © 2015 by Miko Branch. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN: 978-0-06-232918-9
Epub Edition APRIL 2015 ISBN 9780062329202
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Miko Branch, Miss Jessie's
