In 1909, a Black American entrepreneur invented a chemical solution accidentally, which could be used for straightening hair safely well ahead of time while experimenting with liquids to solve a common problem with sewing machines

In 1909, a Black American entrepreneur named Garrett Morgan was trying to solve a problem with sewing machines when an unexpected discovery changed the direction of his work. Morgan was experimenting with a chemical solution that could reduce the heat and friction created by fast-moving sewing machine needles. During the process, he noticed that the solution could also change the structure of fibres. He tested it further and found that it could straighten tightly curled hair. The discovery led him to develop a hair-refining product and start the G.A. Morgan Hair Refining Company. His work later became part of the history of chemical hair straightening.

In 1909, a Black American entrepreneur connected a sewing machine problem with hair care

In 1909, a Black American entrepreneur, Garrett Morgan, was working with sewing machines when an experiment led him to a different application. Morgan was trying to find a chemical solution that could reduce friction around sewing machine needles. The needles moved quickly and could become hot enough to scorch some fabrics.


During his experiments, Morgan noticed that the liquid also changed the way fibres behaved. He later tested the substance on animal fur and his own hair. The result showed that the solution could straighten tightly curled fibres. The discovery became the basis for a hair-refining product and another business.

Morgan's work on hair care was one part of a career that also included inventions related to workplace safety and traffic control. He became known for his safety hood, which preceded the modern gas mask, and for a traffic signal design.

The sewing machine problem that started the experiment

Morgan had learned about sewing machines through his work in Cleveland. After moving there in 1895, he worked with sewing machines and developed knowledge of how they operated and could be repaired. He opened his own sewing machine sales and repair shop in 1907.

Morgan later became involved in the clothing business. He and his wife, Mary Hasek, started a clothing business, and the operation eventually employed more than 30 people. His work with sewing machines and clothing placed him close to the technical problem that led to the hair product. The problem involved the speed of sewing machine needles.

• Needles moved rapidly through fabric.
• Friction produced heat.
• The heat could scorch wool and other fabrics.
• Morgan looked for a liquid that could reduce friction.
• His experiments produced a chemical solution that affected fibres.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office describes the sewing-machine experiment as the indirect route to Morgan's hair-refining business. Morgan was working on a liquid intended to prevent a sewing needle from burning fabric when he realized that it could also straighten hair.

How the chemical solution led to the hair product?

The discovery was not planned as a hair-care invention. Morgan was attempting to solve a mechanical problem. Accounts of the discovery describe Morgan noticing that the liquid changed the fibres of a piece of material. He then tested the substance further. One commonly repeated account says he applied it to a neighbor's dog and observed that its curly fur became straighter. He then tested the substance on his own hair.

This sequence gave Morgan a possible commercial use for his chemical formula. The important point was that the substance could alter the structure of the hair fibres. Morgan then worked on turning the liquid into a product that could be marketed for hair care.

Historical sources differ on the exact year of the initial discovery. Some accounts place the discovery around 1909, while other sources date the hair-straightening invention earlier and the company or commercial development to the 1900s and 1910s. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office confirms the connection between the sewing-machine experiment and Morgan's hair-refining company.

From an experiment to a hair-refining company

Morgan recognized that the discovery could have a market among Black consumers. He developed the substance into a hair-refining cream and established the G.A. Morgan Hair Refining Company. The company marketed hair products and expanded beyond the original formula. Sources describe products that included hair-growing cream, black hair dye and a curved-tooth comb designed for hair straightening.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office notes that Morgan advertised his hair-refining cream to Black customers through African American-run newspapers. This placed the product within a growing Black-owned business and consumer market. The business also mattered to Morgan's later work because its success gave him a source of income that allowed him to devote more time to invention.

Who was Garrett Morgan?

Garrett Augustus Morgan was born on March 4, 1877, in Kentucky. He was one of 11 children. His parents had been enslaved before his birth. Morgan received limited formal schooling and later moved to Cincinnati as a teenager. He worked as a handyman and paid for additional education through a tutor. In 1895, Morgan moved to Cleveland. He worked with sewing machines and gradually developed technical skills. He later opened his own repair business.

His early experience with sewing machines became important to his later inventions. He developed sewing-machine-related devices and established himself as a businessman before becoming known for his safety inventions. Morgan married Mary Hasek in 1908. She was a seamstress from a family that had immigrated from Bohemia. Their work in the clothing industry became connected with Morgan's business activities.

The hair business helped fund later inventions

Morgan's work did not stop with hair care. His safety hood was patented in 1914 and became known as an early gas mask. The device was designed to protect people from smoke, fumes and other hazards. Morgan and his brother later used the device during the 1916 Lake Erie waterworks tunnel disaster to help rescue workers.

Morgan also developed a traffic signal. His 1923 patent covered a three-way traffic signal. The invention added a warning position between the stop and go signals. These inventions show how Morgan moved between different areas of technology. His businesses and experiments included sewing machines, hair care, safety equipment and traffic control.

Why the hair-straightening discovery matters?

Morgan's hair-straightening work is part of the history of Black entrepreneurship and hair care in the United States. At the beginning of the 20th century, Black consumers had a growing need for hair products designed for their hair. Barbers and hairdressers formed a large part of Black businesses and professional occupations during the period. Morgan entered this market with a product that came from an experiment in another industry.

The discovery also demonstrates how an invention can develop from an unrelated technical problem. Morgan was not initially searching for a way to straighten hair. His objective was to reduce friction and prevent sewing machine needles from damaging fabric. The result was a chemical hair-refining product that became a source of income and contributed to the growth of his business.

Morgan's wider legacy

Morgan continued inventing and running businesses for decades. He also became involved in civic activities and African American causes in Cleveland. His inventions gained recognition during his lifetime. The National Inventors Hall of Fame inducted him in 2005 for his work on the safety hood and three-way traffic signal. Morgan died on July 27, 1963, in Cleveland, Ohio. He was 86.

His name is now associated with several inventions, but his hair-refining product represents a separate part of his career. The story began with sewing machine needles, friction and fabric. An experiment intended to solve that problem led Morgan toward chemical hair care.

The history of the 1909 Black American entrepreneur and his chemical solution therefore connects mechanical repair, chemistry, Black entrepreneurship and hair care. It also shows how Morgan used observations from one problem to develop a product for another purpose.