The HistoryMakers

Olive Lee Benson of Boston, Massachusetts was recognized as a premier hair stylist and an expert in relaxing and straightening hair. Owner of Olive Beauty Salon, Inc., which she started in 1959, Benson was born Olive Lee Battle in Cambridge, Massachusetts on September 11, 1932, to Henry Basil Battle, Sr. and Lillian (Clayton) Basil, the ninth of ten children in the Battle Family. She attended Cambridge public schools, graduating from Cambridge High and Latin School in 1949.

After high school, Benson studied at the Wilfred Academy in Boston, where she received her diploma and certification to practice hairdressing and styling. In later years she continued her professional training and education at Pivot Point (Chicago), Vidal Sasson and Jingles (London, England), Clairol (New York) and Wella in Massachusetts.

In 1959, Benson opened a small storefront beauty shop in north Cambridge, in the neighborhood where she grew up. Her clients, mostly African Americans, were women with extremely curly hair. She offered the most advanced styling and hair treatment techniques. Guided by the inspiration of Madame C.J. Walker, the first black woman to become a self-made millionaire through her hair and cosmetology business in the early 1900s, Benson was determined to leave her impact on the hair care business, too.

Benson moved her Cambridge salon business to Boston in the 1960s. With the success of her first Boston salon, she moved to two larger locations in Boston's upscale downtown retail districts, before opening up her largest enterprise in 1997 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, a nearby Boston suburb. Women from a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds come to Olive's Beauty Salon to have their curly hair straightened and styled with the most up-to-date, state-of-the-art fashion or to have their "broom-straight" hair frizzed up a bit for fashion's sake.

Hair styling competitions caught Benson's attention early on in her career. She attacked the enterprise with fervor, entering local, regional and national competitions. A holder of numerous awards, she received a citation and honor as the first black inducted into the Hall of Renown of the National Cosmetology Association in 1991 and awards from the International Beauty Show from 1991 to 1994. In 1996, she was the first African American to receive a North American Hairstyle Award.

Benson devoted much time to researching and testing hair products at Pantrese, Soft Sheen Products, L'Oreal, Johnson Products and Revlon. At Soft Sheen, she served as the director of education, and she is known for creating a unique "off the scalp" application for straightening.

Following the successful completion of her Hair America examination in 1976, Benson became the designer and coordinator for several industry publications that set seasonal trends for both ethnic and non-ethnic styling. She also became an editorial columnist for Shoptalk Magazine, a national publication for salon professionals.

One of Benson's lifelong dreams was realized in 1996, with the creation and marketing of her own line of hair products. The line known as Universal Textures included a relaxer for all types of hair texture—which she calls a "universal relaxer," a protein hair conditioner, a shampoo and a leave-in conditioner. Her products are marketed under Universal Textures at her Chestnut Hill salon. She had dreamed licensing a chain of salons across the country to use her products.

Benson passed away on June 26, 2005. She is survived by four daughters, all college educated. Two are educators, one is a hair stylist and the other is the coordinator/manager of her salon in Chestnut Hill.

Benson was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on January 26, 2005.