Latifa Adekanla launched Hair and Beauty by Lola at a moment when many women were actively rethinking beauty standards and hair care choices. She recognized that the shift away from chemical dependence was not temporary fashion but a deeper movement toward health, identity, and self-acceptance. Instead of waiting for legacy salons to adapt, she built a studio where natural textures, loc journeys, and protective styling are treated with expertise and respect.
Her approach combines empathy with business training. With a marketing degree from the Ghana Institute of Public Administration and ongoing master’s studies in entrepreneurship, Adekanla designed her company for both relevance and durability. She listened closely to what clients were asking for, then structured services and staffing around those real needs. This customer-centered model allowed her to grow credibility quickly in a market where many clients had previously felt misunderstood or pressured into narrow options.
Adekanla’s most strategic expansion was creating a beauty and hair training school. She saw that talent was abundant, but formal pathways into professional practice were limited for many aspiring practitioners. By offering structured training for both women and men, she extended her impact beyond immediate service delivery into workforce development. This move also strengthens the long-term business ecosystem by preparing skilled professionals who can raise standards across the wider beauty industry.
The Vision
As she continues her graduate studies and scales operations, Latifa Adekanla is shaping a beauty business that aligns commercial performance with empowerment. She is helping normalize natural hair care, expand professional education, and redefine what inclusive salon leadership can look like. Through disciplined execution and clear purpose, she demonstrates that industry transformation often begins when a founder chooses to build the standard she could not find.
The Business
Hair and Beauty by Lola operates with a refreshingly expansive philosophy: no restrictions. The studio houses specialists across every conceivable service—from permanent and temporary locs to intricate natural hair styling, weaveons, wig and braid cap installation, bridal artistry, and makeup. This isn’t a salon that forces clients into a narrow lane. Instead, it functions as a creative ecosystem where a woman can walk in wanting a sleek protective style one month and elaborate locs the next, confident that expert hands will guide her vision to reality. The breadth of expertise under one roof is rare, and it speaks to Adekanla’s understanding that beauty is not one-size-fits-all.
But perhaps the most audacious move came next: the launch of a beauty and hair training school. Recognizing that entrepreneurial opportunity in the beauty industry often passes by talented individuals simply lacking formal education, Adekanla created a pathway for aspiring professionals—men and women alike—to enter the field with legitimate credentials. This extension of her business model reveals something crucial about her leadership: she’s not content with simply serving her current community. She’s invested in multiplying her impact by creating the next generation of beauty entrepreneurs.
Where to find them: Hair and Beauty by Lola works in Sanitary products, Healthcare products. Based in USA. Follow on Instagram: @lola.
