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Planet Money

How Black hair care grew Black power

January 07, 2026 • 29m

Summary

⏱️ 8 min read

Overview

This Planet Money episode chronicles the rise and fall of Johnson Products Company, founded by George and Joan Johnson, which became the first Black-owned company on the American Stock Exchange. Through the lens of three iconic hairstyles—the conk, the afro, and the jerry curl—the story explores how the Johnsons built a multibillion-dollar Black hair care industry by understanding what Black Americans needed, funded the civil rights movement, and ultimately lost control of the business they created.

From Depression-Era Scrapper to Chemistry Lab

George Johnson's journey began during the Great Depression, working from age six collecting scraps for pennies. Despite only two years of high school, he taught himself chemistry and worked his way up at a Black-owned cosmetics company. A chance elevator meeting with Nat King Cole's barber, Orville Nelson, who was struggling with an unstable hair straightener formula, would change everything. George spent nine months perfecting an emulsified version that was shelf-stable and reliable, creating Ultra Wave Hair Culture in 1954.

  • George started working at age six during the Great Depression, collecting milk bottles, paper, and tinfoil from garbage cans
  • He attended the legendary Wendell Phillips High School in Chicago alongside future stars like Nat King Cole and Sam Cooke
  • With only two years of high school chemistry, George learned on the job at a Black-owned cosmetics company
  • Met barber Orville Nelson in an elevator who had created an unstable hair straightener used on Nat King Cole
  • George spent nine months experimenting in the chemistry lab to create a stable, emulsified formula thicker than mayonnaise
" I started working when I was like six years old. "
" How do you get a chemistry background after two years of high school? I took two years of chemistry in high school. That was enough. "

Joan Johnson: The Fearless Business Partner

When George and Orville's Ultra Wave Hair Culture became an instant hit in Chicago barbershops, George convinced his wife Joan to quit her government job to help run the business. Joan proved to be a fearless businesswoman who wouldn't back down from anyone. The couple built Johnson Products Company market by market, eventually constructing a headquarters that became a monument to Black entrepreneurship on Chicago's South Side.

  • Joan quit her government job to handle books, cap and label jars, and load trucks for the growing business
  • When a barber refused to pay, Joan sat in his barbershop reading Ebony magazine despite hostile language until he paid
  • The Johnsons expanded market by market: Chicago to Indianapolis to Cleveland to Detroit to Memphis to St. Louis
  • They built a 30,000 square foot headquarters and factory that became a symbol of Black entrepreneurship
  • George hired majority Black workers and paid them well across all divisions, from janitors to executives
" She said, okay, then I'm going to sit over here until you do... they tried to run her out of there with some nasty language. But she just sat there reading Ebony magazine until the guy finally decided he had to pay her, and he did. "
" Oh, she was tough. She had a tough reputation. You're going to pay this lady. "

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