Natural Hair and Braiding Academy Fulfills Need

LeAnn Drake – LeAnn Drake is the owner and operator of Fusion Hair & Braid Academy, in Joliet, Luv’Le Style Salon, in Romeoville, and the creator of Fusion Hair Care. Photo provided by LeAnn Drake.
LeAnn Drake – LeAnn Drake is the owner and operator of Fusion Hair & Braid Academy, in Joliet, Luv’Le Style Salon, in Romeoville, and the creator of Fusion Hair Care. Photo provided by LeAnn Drake.

 Natural Hair and Braiding Academy Fulfills Need

By Tia Carol Jones

LeAnn Drake has been braiding her hair since she was young. Before she knew it, she was braiding hair in the community. In 2010, Illinois passed a law that required hair braiders to get a special license by taking 300 hours of training. Because there wasn’t a hair braider program, Drake went to cosmetology school. She fell in love with styling hair. She wanted to create a space where people would be able to get their hair braiding license, so she opened Fusion Hair & Braid Academy.

Drake saw the demand for a hair braiding program and started the process to open Fusion Hair and Braid Academy in 2022. She decided to open the location in Joliet because she wanted to give back to the community where she grew up.

Through the program, students will learn how to braid hair, sanitation, the fundamentals of business, retail, proper procedures that relate to natural hair styling, as well as understanding the texture and density of hair when braiding. Drake said when people are properly trained how to care for hair and how to braid hair, it decreases the possibility of people losing their hair or losing their edges.

Those who participate in the program will receive 300 hours of training. The day program is 10 weeks, which takes place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; there also is a part-time program, which is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and lasts for 16 weeks.

Drake also owns and operates Luv’Le Style Salon, which is located in Romeoville, and sells hair. She also has a haircare line called Fusion Hair Care. Drake wanted to create the hair care line because she wanted to create her own products. It took her 14 to 15 months to formulate and complete the product creation process. She wanted to make sure the product was something she stood behind.

She has a foundation called Fusion Foundation, where she teaches parents how to shampoo, style and maintain their children’s hair in between salon visits. She wanted to provide resources to parents who have foster children and adopted children. With Fusion Foundation, she knew parents would want to know which products were the best to use on their children’s hair. It is sold inside the salon and at Fusion Hair & Braid Academy. It also is available on Walmart’s website.

“I wanted to create something for the moms, the dads, or whoever to be able to have a product to use that I 100 percent  stand behind,” Drake said.
In opening up Fusion Hair & Braid Academy, Drake wants to use the hair care line as an example of how to be an entrepreneur and build a brand.

 She wants the students to know they have options in the entrepreneurial space of being a hair stylist. She also wants to empower and make an impact on her students.

Fusion Hair & Braid Academy is accepting students on a rolling basis.

Those interested in the program can call 815-782-2294, or visit www.fusionbraidacademy.com.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.