Lyda D. Newman

Lyda D. Newman invented the current style of hairbrush we use today. She was born in Ohio, in the year of 1885, month and day unknown. There is not much known about Newman’s early life. She lived and worked most of her adult life in New York.

Lyda Newman worked a trade as a hairstylist. It is said that she worked in Manhattan, NY, and Newport, Rhode Island. In 1898 Newman received a patent for her hairbrush design. Her design included bristles that were synthetic instead of animal hairs, which were often too soft for textured hair. Newman also added rows between the bristles for debris. Her brush was also equipped with a button to remove the compartment with the bristles for easier cleaning. Lyda Newman’s hairbrush design was more cost efficient, easier to manufacture, and more effective on textured hair.

Newman was a member of the Women’s and Negro Suffrage Movements. She canvased the neighborhoods of New York, held meetings on the streets to inform passing people, as well as opening the Negro Suffrage Headquarters in Manhattan. Newman was able to create change, it was said that her name was on the voter’s registration in the New York district in 1924.

Thank you, Lyda Newman for your contributions to the culture!