Nadra Smiley and Jerry Martin, Evolving Textures founders, wearing ET t-shirts

About Us—It's A Family Affair

Nadra co-founded Evolving Textures™ with her husband and business partner, Jerry Martin, combining their shared passion for natural hair care, entrepreneurship, and cultural representation. Their hands-on approach to research, formulation, and education ensured that every product aligned with their values: safety, performance, and purpose.

In 2024, Evolving Textures™ reached a major milestone by launching into Whole Foods Market, a retailer known for its high ingredient standards and strict product vetting. This wasn’t just shelf space—it was a seal of trust. It confirmed what Nadra and Jerry had built was special: a brand rooted in community and committed to excellence.

Natural hair care and braiding was never just a style. It was a story. It was love. It was the gift of confidence in our hands.

"Natural hair care is more than beauty—it’s identity, it’s culture, it’s pride. And it deserves our protection."

Before any of the awards, schools, or products—there was just me, a teenager in my mom’s salon on the South Side of Chicago. I started braiding because I wanted to buy a pair of Jordache jeans. But the first time I finished someone’s hair and saw their smile, something shifted. I felt the power of my hands. I saw how natural hair care could build confidence—not just for the person in the chair, but for the person holding the comb. That spark turned into a calling.

As I grew in the craft, I realized the bigger issue: we were working in an industry that didn’t see us. Products weren’t made for textured hair. Hair braiders weren’t recognized as professionals. The beauty industry had left us out.

How Evolving Textures Came To Be

A Legacy of Advocacy and Innovation

Bold Leadership. Lasting Advocacy. Real Impact.

So I started asking hard questions and looking for better answers. That led me to research ingredients, consult with legacy Black beauty brands, and create something of my own—Evolving Textures™. It wasn’t just about making products. It was about making space. Nadra Smiley has dedicated her life to elevating natural hair care—not just as a style, but as a profession, a business, and a movement. She is the founder of Evolving Textures™, a brand known for creating clean, plant-based products specifically crafted for wavy, curly, coily, and kinky hair types—designed for natural styles, locs, braids, twists, and protective styles with lasting moisture, hold, and shine.

Training, Education & Professional Standards

  • In 2012, Nadra co-founded the Amazon Natural Look Academy (ANLA)—one of Illinois’ first licensed natural hair care and hair braiding schools. Over the years, ANLA has trained and empowered hundreds of students, creating opportunities for them to become licensed professionals, salon owners, and community leaders. Her work has also taken her across the U.S. and abroad. Training hair care professionals nationally and internationally—

  • from Atlanta, New York, and Los Angeles to Accra and Kumasi, Ghana. With the Illinois Association of Hair Braiders (IAOHB), Nadra proudly helped advocate for and secure legislation that created a dedicated licensing path for natural hair braiders and teachers in Illinois—a defining milestone in both her career and the industry. But the fight didn’t end there.

  • As new threats to professional recognition and textured hair care standards emerged, Nadra answered the call once again—this time helping to form and lead the Natural Hair Professionals Coalition, a collective committed to protecting the future of the profession. Through education, policy advocacy, and industry accountability, Nadra continues to champion equity and visibility for natural hair care professionals across the country.

Nonprofit Leadership & Community Service

Nadra’s leadership extends beyond business into nonprofit and policy work. She currently serves on the boards of:

Styles for Kidz, NFP — Providing trauma-informed, salon-quality hair care for children in foster and adoptive families.

Loc’d Life Foundation, NFP — Preserving and uplifting the cultural, spiritual, and historical significance of locs through education and advocacy.

Natural Hair Professionals Coalition, NFP — Championing policy reforms, licensing equity, and professional standards for textured-hair specialists nationwide.

Our Hair Story

Recognition & Press

Nadra’s work has been celebrated with industry accolades including:

The Master Pioneer Award
Natural Hair Industry Convention — Next Up Award

She has also been featured in major media outlets and press:

ABC7 News Chicago: Hosea Sanders interviews Nadra Smiley
WTTW News: Evolving Textures & Englewood revitalization
Chicago Sun-Times: “They Are Not Their Hair”
Chicago Tribune (2002): “The New Natural Woman”
Texture Experts: “Not on Our Watch”—How Nadra and the community paused a harmful bill

How We’ve Been Evolving

For Nadra, the mission continues: to fight for equity and inclusion in the natural hair industry, to build cleaner and more effective solutions for textured hair, and to ensure that the next generation of natural hair care professionals inherits a profession that is respected, protected, and celebrated.

✨ Evolving Textures™ is more than a brand—it’s a movement. And this is only the beginning.

TEXTURED TALKS WITH NADRA

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  • Our Why: The Mission Behind Evolving Textures

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