When Micaéla Verrelien began planning her destination wedding in Florence, finding someone to do her hair and makeup became a year-long search. Verrelien, who co-owns Brooklyn’s Sweet Fire Cafe & Studio with her husband, Christopher Sidwell, asked her community on TikTok and Instagram for recommendations for a Black bridal beauty expert in Italy. The same name kept coming up: Harriet Akotowah Mensah, founder and creative director of Hetty’s Beauty Parlor and The Afro Beauty Team.
Verrelien eventually hired Mensah for her wedding at Villa Merlo Nero in Florence. The booking required Mensah to drive almost five hours each way while transporting the products and tools she needed for the bride’s hair and makeup. While Verrelien needed Mensah for a destination wedding, the difficulty she faced finding the right professional is not unique. Mensah says Black women living in or traveling to Italy often struggle to find nearby hair and makeup artists trained to work with their hair textures and skin tones. Some travel long distances to reach her, while others pay the additional cost of bringing her to them.
Originally from Ghana, Mensah has lived in Italy for 12 years and is now based in Brescia. Through Hetty’s Beauty Parlour, she provides mobile bridal hairstyling, makeup, and wig installation services, traveling to clients across Italy. Most of her destination-wedding clients come from the United States, while she also works with clients from other parts of Europe and beyond.
A Destination Booking That Started Online
“Micaéla found me while searching for someone who could provide both the level of expertise and the understanding of Black beauty that she wanted for her wedding in Florence,” Mensah told Travel Noire.
Mensah said Verrelien was not simply looking for any available hairstylist or makeup artist. She wanted someone she could trust with her hair, complexion, and the look she had envisioned. After members of her online community repeatedly tagged Mensah, the two began discussing the wedding and worked with Verrelien’s planner to arrange the services.
“A destination wedding booking is much more than simply arriving at a location with a makeup kit,” Mensah said.
For the Florence wedding, Mensah had to pack everything required to complete the planned looks and coordinate her work around the weekend’s schedule. The round-trip journey totaled almost 10 hours by car. Working several hours from her home base also meant preparing for problems that would otherwise be relatively easy to solve.
“You cannot simply realize that you forgot something and go back to your salon. You have to anticipate everything,” she said.
This kind of request has become increasingly common for Mensah. She has traveled to clients in different parts of Italy, while other clients have made long journeys to reach her. Some have accepted high travel charges because working with someone they trust is more important to them than hiring a professional nearby.
The pressure can be considerable. Mensah said she worked during her pregnancies, including on her estimated due date, and 10 days after giving birth. She has also charged higher travel fees for distant bookings, but said clients still wanted her to make the trip.
“What is interesting is that sometimes the distance is not even the biggest issue for the client. Their priority is finding someone they trust,” Mensah said.
Building A Business Around A Gap In Italy’s Beauty Industry
“Hetty’s Beauty Parlour started from a very personal place. I saw a gap in the beauty industry and realized that Black women in Italy were often struggling to find professionals who genuinely understood our hair textures, skin tones, and beauty needs,” Mensah said.
When she entered the industry, Mensah said professional Black hair and makeup services were difficult to access, particularly for brides. Women relied on community recommendations, traveled long distances, or did their own hair and makeup when they could not find anyone suitable.
“I started small, but over time, word spread. What began as a one-person business grew through trust, referrals, and the relationships I built with my clients,” she said.
Clients told Mensah, “I have been looking everywhere,” “Nobody knows how to work with my hair,” and “I couldn’t find anyone who understood my skin tone.” Some contacted her after appointments in which their hair had not been handled properly, or their makeup did not match their complexions. Others had already traveled for hours in search of the right professional.
“A bride should be worrying about enjoying her wedding day — not worrying about whether her hairstylist or makeup artist knows how to work with her hair or skin,” Mensah said.
Instagram has made Mensah’s work visible outside her immediate area, but she credits personal recommendations with turning that attention into bookings. Wedding photographs circulate among friends and relatives, and inquiries can come from a completely different city.
“Social media gives people visibility, but trust is what converts that visibility into bookings,” she said.
Expanding Access Beyond One Stylist
Mensah believes Italy’s beauty industry needs more training, representation, and professionals who can work with Black clients. “A wedding is not the day to experiment,” she said.
“I would love to see a beauty industry in Italy where Black women have the same level of choice and accessibility as everyone else. Where finding a professional who understands your beauty needs is normal — not something you have to search for through your community, travel hours for, or book months in advance because there are so few options,” Mensah said.
She is now expanding beyond a one-person business by developing The Afro Beauty Team. The aim is to increase the number of professionals available without lowering the quality of service her clients expect.
“I don’t want the solution to be that every Black bride has to find one person — me,” Mensah said. “I want to help build a professional beauty ecosystem where more skilled artists can serve this community at a high standard.”
