The Black beauty industry began in the post-slavery Reconstruction era, when Blacks looked for ways to groom and straighten their hair as well as take care of and often lighten their skin. Spending by Black consumers on hair and skin products fueled a new entrepreneurial class and created a handful of millionaires. By the late 1960's, the sale of Black beauty products had evolved into a multi-million dollar business that was heavily influenced by the civil rights movement and deeply rooted in Chicago's South Side. A decade later, innovative high-maintenance hair styles and cosmetic products transformed the market into a billion dollar industry, and Black beauty product manufacturers began facing hostile competition from large non-Black corporations. NO LYE: AN AMERICAN BEAUTY STORY details the fight to control the industry and looks at the impact of popular culture on ethnic beauty standards in America.