Monique Rodriguez

There are no days-off when you’re taking over the beauty industry one hair care product at a time. Today, products from Monique Rodriguez’ brand Mielle Organics are sold at roughly 100,000 stores across the United States. But, Rodriguez started off as a registered nurse with a passion for creating. “I didn’t feel like I had a creative outlet. I wore the same scrubs every day. I couldn’t really do my hair because I had to wear a surgical cap. It was very boring,” Rodriguez told The Root. Rodriguez found her outlet in different ways. She started posting about her hair and skincare online and creating products in her kitchen. Rodriguez found a chemist to help her create her first product. And from there she’s quickly cornered the market on “natural” hair care products. For all of her work to build-up her empire and give us curly gals some great products, Rodriguez is a clear choice for the Root 100 list.