Hair care products that nurture the natural black women hair has now invaded the shelves of major retailers like Wal-Mart, Target, and CVS. Gone were the days when these products can only be bought in specialty stores. Furthermore, a lot of mainstream brands are introducing their own versions of black women hair products.
Survey says that almost 71% of black American wears their hair naturally at least once in a year. And when they do, they need products that are specially made for their black, curly hair. Collectively, they have spent some $2.56 billion on such kinds of hair care products in 2016 alone.
The increase of hair care products for the natural black hair of African-American women is stimulated by the transformation of these women. Slowly, they are embracing their natural curls and reclaiming its inherent beauty. And that means lesser dependence to hair relaxers and straighteners.
For black women, their hair says more than just their fashion sense or style. It has a lot to do with their personality, history, race, and even political views. The discrimination arising from having black curly hair is slowly fading, which means women are no longer associating black curly hair with slavery and inferiority.
Back then, all the hair care products that black women can buy are designed for relaxed hair. Now, you can see many hair care products that care for the natural curl pattern of the hair, with these products nourishing and moisturizing every strand. The first few hair care products that have penetrated the market are developed by companies spearheaded by black women. Right now, mainstream hair companies are recognizing the trend and they are creating their own versions of black hair care products and sell them to the market.
Many stores now have the ethnic hair section where tons of brands for dark and kinky hair are available. While this section is in no way as big as the section for the straight, soft hairs of white skinned women, it is now so much easier to purchase these otherwise specialized products from just about any major retailers these days. That’s a big leap from having to order these products only from small specialty shops.
Some of the mainstream brands that now cater to black hair are the TRESemme Naturals Nourishing Moisture Conditioner, Giovanni Direct Leave-In Weightless Moisture Conditioner, Burt’s Bees More Moisture Shampoo with Baobab, ApHOGEE Intensive Two Minute Keratin Reconstructor, and Terresentials Mud Wash, among others. And not too long ago, L’Oreal and Unilever decided to acquire black brands such as Carol’s Daughter and Motions.
With the increasing trend in this particular market, more mainstream brands are expected to join the bandwagon and directly compete with the black women preferred brands such as As I Am, Taliah Waajid, Camille Rose, Alikay Naturals, Alodia Hair Care, and Belle Butters. These brands are strongly supported by black women and it may be an uphill battle for mainstream brands to compete with them. Even so, the various choices that black women have for their natural hair is already a big win for them.
