BHL: Reality Check -- In this episode Black Hollywood Live hosts Ashley Gray, Corrinne Williams and Michelle Renee interview China Upshaw.

China was raised in Ingelwood, CA, a small suburb in the greater Los Angeles area. One of the earliest childhood styling memories she can recall was her constant frustration that her Barbie’s heads were too small and lacked enough hair for her to style properly. She realized her passion at a very young age when her mother took her to a beauty school where they had dolls with more realistic, life-sized heads. China was enraptured with these dolls, providing her with a more suitable opportunity to style hair. She begged the school owner to give her one of the dolls, and was overjoyed when the owner complied. She would race home every day after school to curl the doll’s hair. 

China knew she needed to grow past styling doll hair; fortunately she had a younger sister with long, beautiful locks that were perfect for her to practice her art.