By Dawn Duncan
Photos by Tori Aaker @chicnewmom
Noelle Garcia’s Makeup by Stephanie Sands, L.E. @skinworkstudio
Sorry, I can’t hear you over the volume of my hair.
Life isn’t perfect, but your hair can be.
Good hair speaks louder than words.
For Noelle Garcia, success is not a destination. The young wife, mother and Timnath resident has become the incubator of two successful companies, Goldilox and SILX Global, taking the world of hair accessories and extensions to new levels. Garcia, a Colorado native from a family of four sisters, has always been drawn to the beauty world and working alongside other women.
Two years ago, the then-stay-at-home mom founded Goldilox, and set out offering heat resistant sparkle strands for the hair. Garcia would offer samples to anyone who wanted them. Soon, she had requests from businesses throughout the region booking her to come into their shops and provide a “fun extra” that they could offer to their clients. Within eight weeks of launching Goldilox, Garcia was fully scheduled with retail shops, individuals hosting events, kids’ parties and ladies nights.
“I remember coming home feeling so proud that I had something to bring back to my family,” she recalls. “It made a huge difference in our family income-wise as we were a single income family at the time.” Garcia is the wife of firefighter Travis Garcia and mother to daughters Avery (8) and Presley (5).
Garcia’s first client was Jennifer Shepherd-Little, owner of clothing boutique Heyday at Jessup Farm. “Jen was my first supporter. She was the first one who had me in her shop to do hair sparkles. The first day that I showed up, there was a line of about 20 people out the door waiting to get the strands tied into their hair!”
From that event, Garcia was booked solid and describes the incredible feeling that it gave her. “I realized that this was making such a difference in my life, from the connection that it brought me with other women and the money that I was able to make while still focusing on my full time job as a stay-at-home mom to my two daughters. I knew that I needed to create an opportunity for other women to jump on board and become a part of this business—so that’s exactly what I did.”
Two months into her business, with the help of a business consultant seasoned in the world of entrepreneurship, Garcia launched a new brand: SILX Global. The business strategy was simple: Find more women who wanted to get out in their community doing “hair sparkles” and ship them a “business in a box.” This box included everything they would need to start making money right away, including the hair sparkles that Garcia sourced and branded herself. Within six months, Garcia had more than 100 women across the U.S. who had purchased their own SILX business and who got trained in the SILX Global technique and product.
“Many of these women were just like I was,” Garcia says. “Stay-at-home moms who wanted to work part-time and make great money. We also attracted single women of all ages who were looking for additional income.”
The biggest launch with SILXGlobal came when social media giant Facebook flew Garcia and a few of her team to their headquarters to do hair sparkles for a large event they hosted in Austin, Texas. “They loved SILX so much that they actually flew my company back in December to do their holiday event! It meant so much to me that such a huge and established company would take interest in a small local business like mine,” says Garcia.
After the initial success with the sparkle strands, Garcia became interested in finding a way to offer high-end hair extensions as part of SILX Global. She embarked on an arduous process of sampling hair sources all over the world, finally settling on a top extension manufacturing company offering 100 percent “Remy” hair. Remy hair is considered to be the finest quality human hair extensions because the cuticles are kept intact, unlike most other non-Remy hair extensions. It is collected through a method where the hair strands are completely aligned with the natural direction that the hair grew. This results in a more cohesive, blended and natural look.
The decision to move into the world of extensions launched the company to the next level, and it is now the cornerstone of the operation. Currently, SILX Global has 20 hair extension educators in 16 states, who are teaching and promoting a handtied extension method that allows people of all hair types to enjoy the luxury of long hair. She also has salon owners and independent stylists ordering hair from her throughout the country. The hair can be cut and styled as if it’s their own natural hair and comes in an array of shades, making it easy to match to natural or altered hair colors.
The initial handtied method SILXGlobal promoted is still in use by most of their stylists. However, their newest launch (in April 2019) is a new, patent-pending method called Illusion, created by Garcia’s top educator/salon owner and hairstylist, Jes Davis. This method is exclusive to SILX Global and is offered to salons via in-person training as well as through an online platform that Garcia created with Davis.
“Luckily, when COVID-19 hit this spring, we were already prepared. We launched right away and we have managed to train all 20 of our educators remotely in this method through our online class. We now have this class open to all licensed stylists so they can work immediately with the Illusion Method at their salons,” she says.
Extensions are an investment, but one that allows people with fine or thinning hair, limited growth ability or lack of patience in growing hair out to immediately experience healthy-looking, long hair. They also allow the client to change their hair color without coloring their natural hair. The difference with the SILX Global method is that not as much weight is placed on the scalp and there is no string running bead to bead, which equals less tension. This prevents pulling and damage, which is critical to more delicate hair.
The handtied method used, in particular the Illusion Method by Jes Davis, hides the rows of hair “wefts” so that they are not visible when hair is worn up or down and in multiple styles, which solves a common problem that clients have with other types of extensions. Additionally, because the SILX hair is real human hair, it looks and acts natural with a vibrant appearance and in shades that retain their color and shine.
“I receive so many testimonials and personal notes from clients,” Garcia says. “People around the country are excited to finally have the long hair they have dreamed of, and it looks natural. They gain confidence in their appearance and that confidence boost that they talk about is so rewarding to me.”
This fall, as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, SILX Global will be launching a program to give away extensions and extension installations to multiple cancer patients whose outgrowth of new hair is enough to hold the handtied hair pieces. Garcia is eager to offer this service to those who have been through the traumatic experience of losing hair due to chemotherapy.
“We want to help people who are going through unimaginable circumstances,” Garcia says. “This is one way our company can add some happiness and confidence during a trying time. This is a way that we can give back.”
The future of SILX Global rests not only in Garcia’s vision, but also the vision she has instilled in her daughters. “My girls are budding entrepreneurs. Right now, they have a lemonade stand in front of our 1900s home and they are frequently selling their toys in the yard.” Additionally, Avery and Presley are quick to bring in shipments that arrive at their door and help their mother open packages of hair and related business products.
“They want to be involved and they are learning just from watching me run the company. I love seeing their excitement and their minds at work. When I listen to them play, I realize that their Barbies aren’t only taking care of babies, they are running full-scale business operations in their tiny playhouses. It makes me smile. My girls are already familiar with the hustle,” Garcia adds.
The future is wide open for SILX Global. The company plans to keep expanding to more states and acquiring more educators. Currently, the business has 450+ stylists on their digital list who receive education and product updates. The stylists that purchase hair from the company and are licensed are eligible to continue their training at any time.
“We want to be everywhere and the go-to for extensions,” Garcia says. “What we offer is the best quality and the most innovative method. We’re excited for what comes next.”
Dawn Duncan is a creative writer, editor and copywriting agency owner living in Fort Collins. To comment on this article, email letters@nocostyle.com.
