Last Updated on April 30, 2025 by BVN
Overview: Noelle Turner, a licensed hair stylist and owner of Angelic Hair salon, has been making a name for herself in the beauty industry since 2017. She started her career in a traditional workforce but found her true calling in hair care. Turner opened Angelic Hair salon in 2019 and upgraded to a bigger space in 2023. She specializes in African American hair and her salon provides a variety of styles, including braids, wash and goes, flexi rod sets, twist outs, braid outs, and other natural hairstyles. Her team includes five stylists, including braiders, locticians, and a barber. Turner believes in building a team with like-minded people and personality, and she enjoys having an impact on her clients’ self-perception.
Alyssah Hall
When Noelle Turner was in middle school, she was encouraged by a teacher to help a fellow student who was facing hard circumstances by cornrowing her hair during lunch. This was the first instance Turner recalled for her passion for hair; her passion joined her desire to impact someone’s perception of themselves.
Turner is now a licensed hair stylist of eight years and owner of Angelic Hair Salon. Angelic Hair Salon opened in 2019, in a suite in Fontana and in 2023, upgraded to a bigger space, their current store front location in Ontario. When Turner started, it was herself and another stylist. Now, she is part of a team of five, including braiders, locticians and a barber.
Before Angelic Hair, Turner graduated from college with a degree in sociology and psychology, and a minor in business. Post graduation, Turner worked in the traditional workforce, where she realized it did not align with her passions or interests.
“I started getting serious about hair once I saw the difference that I made in [the lives of] my colleagues, my girl friends, [and] my family. When I made it my actual career was when I didn’t like working at a government job,” Turner said.
Falling into the beauty industry came natural to Turner. She figured since she was already “glamming” everyone around her, that she might as well make a career out of it. In 2017, she became licensed in cosmetology, but began working in a salon that hindered her growth. This salon provided a toxic work environment for Turner and pushed her to secure a small salon suite with enough room for her and another stylist.
According to Turner, instead of pulling a chair up to a table she was not welcomed to, she would just build the table herself.
“Instead of trying to fight my way through and being at a salon that didn’t really serve me and allow me to do all the styles that I wanted to do with African American hair, I kind of ventured off and that was during COVID,” Turner shared.
“At the place I was before I wasn’t necessarily allowed to service women who looked like us. So, getting back to the simplicity of my own hair and what my aunt’s hair looks like and my mom’s hair looks like, that was a necessity, and it kind of just came into place. It was organic,” Turner continued.
For Turner, hair care in the Black community means identity and self reflection. Turner shared that when you enter a salon, it should be like entering your “homegirl’s” space and feel like a safe community.
“I think it’s more than just the appearance of what your hair is going to look like, but it’s the ritual in seeing your hairstylist or your favorite client sitting across from you and getting their hair whipped,” Turner explained.
Black women don’t receive as much opportunity in the beauty industry space, but Turner never allowed that to discourage her. She used her hard earned money to fund Angelic Hair and never took anything that didn’t work out as a failure, only a lesson. Turner has styled celebrity clients, olympic athletes and other high profile clientele, as well as local clients.
Her biggest tip for Black entrepreneurs is to work hard and consider the version of themselves 10 or 20 years from now. She said if they put in the hard work now, it’ll be easier when they become a master in their craft in the future.
“Just put in the hard work and don’t allow yourself to feel like you need a hand out, maybe somebody to see you in the space that you’re in, but not the hand out. Do all the hard work for yourself,” Turner said.
Building a team was essential to Turner once Angelic Hair expanded to their Ontario location. Turner noted that some people are exceptional stylists, but that doesn’t always mean they’ll align with the business. Turner believes that energy, personality, spirituality, intuition and alignment were all key factors for her during her process of building a great team.
“Everyone that works here has either been a client or a friend of the family or someone who has seen us on the internet and they just wanted to join the team…They saw that they could complete the circle of like-minded people and personality,” Turner stated.
Brianni Williams is a part of the Angelic Hair team and has known and worked with Turner for a year and a half. Williams specializes in natural hair services and has been licensed for four years. She offers a variety of styles like braids, wash and goes, flexi rod sets, twist outs, braid outs and other natural hairstyles to her clients.
Williams connected with Turner through Instagram. She was following Turner in hopes of finding someone trustworthy to style her hair. To William’s surprise, while looking at Turner’s instagram she found that Angelic Hair was hiring, so she came in for an interview and has been at Angelic Hair ever since.
“I admire [Turner’s] communication the most because she’s super easy to talk to about anything…and she makes it an easy process,” Williams said.
“Also, I like the respect that she gives. She doesn’t try to hover over you, but she also wants to give you help as well, if you want it. She’s always there to give you what you need,” Williams continued.
Turner loves being able to set her own schedule as an entrepreneur while making a great income. She also enjoys being able to choose which clients she styles, but ultimately her favorite part of her job is having an impact on the way her clients see themselves.
“When I’m able to see someone’s reaction to their first sew-in hair extension appointment, having that type of happiness come from them, it also trickles down into my little box of joy that I’m able to redistribute,” Turner exclaimed.
It’s important to Turner to suit each client’s personality and make them comfortable in order to have a positive impact on each client’s day.
“It takes a lot of energy to chameleonize yourself and be that for everyone, but it’s so fulfilling and rewarding at the end of the day when you know that you were a part of someone’s wedding or baby shower or just their pick me up for the week,” Turner continued.
This article is part of the 2025 Black Voice News Series, Good Black Jobs: Advancing Meaningful Work and Wealth in the Inland Empire. This reporting initiative is funded through a grant provided by Thrive Inland SoCal Catalyst Fund in partnership with the Inland Empire Community Foundation.
