59 Inclusive haircare

Inclusive haircare

Care for textured hair types, often excluded from mainstream hair branding, is taking up more shelf space and selling fast.

Hair stylists and celebrities are embarking on an inclusive journey to make haircare for all hair types effective and accessible. In a market that often excludes textured hair needs, women of color are creating new space for Afro-centric hair, introducing consumers to dedicated salons and curated new product lines.

Pressed Roots in Dallas, Texas, which opened in October 2021 after a previous incarnation in pop-up form, is dedicated to delivering professional blowouts and hair treatments for customers with highly textured hair. Founder Piersten Gaines, a graduate of Harvard Business School, launched the service for a largely underserved market and told Wallpaper* that she is “challenging the broader beauty and haircare industries that have excluded ethnic hair textures for decades.”

Tracee Ellis Ross’s Pattern Beauty haircare line launched at Sephora in September 2021, making it widely available. Pattern’s success challenges the attitude “that Black haircare is a niche market,” Ross told InStyle.

Gabrielle Union’s Flawless products are now accessibly stocked by both Walmart and Amazon. Flawless, developed with celebrity hairstylist Larry Sims, comprises 12 nourishing, luxurious products designed for afro-textured hairtypes and includes shampoos, conditioners, serums and more.

Why it’s interesting As brand narratives continue to focus on diversity and inclusion, new labels are stepping up, creating space for authentic products curated by and for Black entrepreneurs. Stores are stocking up on inclusive haircare products and original new services are blossoming, ushering in inclusive care for textured hair.