![]() Because of the hairs’ curl pattern, natural hair products must address unique needs, such as inherent dryness, to promote healthy hair. “They were focused on serving only women with relaxed hair.”īlack hair, which can grow out instead of down, can range from loose waves to tightly packed coils. “Back then retailers weren’t bringing in natural brands,” said Richelieu Dennis, chief executive of Sundial Brands, best known for its SheaMoisture line. However, by the 1990s product offerings for those sporting natural hair remained sparse. ![]() It wasn’t until the civil rights movement that black people began to reclaim their natural hair in droves. To better assimilate and achieve a higher status in society, black people developed techniques to straighten their hair. Investment from beauty industry giants has helped natural hair products move from specialty stores to the shelves of major retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart and CVS - making it easier for customers to get their hands on what were once niche products.īut it’s also forcing independent black-owned companies to compete with corporations that long ignored the natural hair market, resulting in sometimes uncomfortable changes for customers and business owners alike.įor black women, hair is more than a style - it’s something tangled up in history, politics and race.ĭiscrimination against black hair can be traced to slavery, when slave owners gave preferential treatment to those with “good hair” - a term still used today to describe black hair that more closely resembles European hair textures. And with black consumers spending an estimated $2.56 billion on hair care products in 2016, it’s no surprise others are eager to edge into the market. ![]() wearing their hair naturally at least once in 2016, according to research firm Mintel, natural hair has now hit the mainstream. In the 1990s and early 2000s, these companies catered to and were largely run by a small community of black women embracing their natural hair. ![]() The product line they would go on to develop, Miss Jessie’s, was one of the pioneering brands in the natural hair industry, a once-grass-roots segment of the beauty world that’s now a hotbed for investment. “There was nothing like in the early 2000s,” Miko Branch said. It was a major discovery - well worth the early morning wake-up call - because in 2003 there were very few hair products for black women with kinky, curly or wavy hair. After months of experimentation in the kitchen of their Brooklyn brownstone kitchen, she had finally perfected the concoction that would come to be known as Curly Pudding. Miko Branch was deep asleep when her sister Titi woke her up to celebrate. ![]()
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