Beyond Aesthetic: What Haircare Brands Must Remember When Speaking to the Black Community

Yet the dominant standards of beauty might have you perceiving it otherwise. For a while, even I held the same perceptions. For the bulk of my youth, haircare revolved around haircuts; for me, they needed to be biweekly to appear neat by the standards of society.

At least that’s what I grew up learning from those around me and the social pressures regarding presentability for Black men. In truth, my hair grew too fast, and the fears of “unkempt” hair vis-à-vis professional presentation had crept in before I even had the chance to become a professional. 

All of this was in sound concern, of course. My mother understood the need to protect how I was perceived. As recently as 2019, a Dove Crown study conducted by the Joy Collective found that Black women’s hair is over three times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional.

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After centuries of policing Black women and regulating what is acceptable for them, the natural expression of Black hair should be seen as nothing but revolutionary—especially in professional spaces, where the economics of labor remain stacked against BIPOC talent. To understand the scale of this fear of scrutiny and discrimination, the study also found that 80% of Black women are more likely to agree with the statement: “I have to change my hair from its natural state to fit in the office.” 

This fear I had inherited regarding my hair followed me to college, where academia allowed me to ask questions. It was not until I started asking myself what unabashed care looks like that I started to uncover my truth. I began to wonder what yielding to the needs of my hair looked like because, for the longest time, I yielded to the fears of others’ perceptions.

This brought about subtle changes. Instead of cutting my hair on routine, I fed it. Nurtured it much like I had been nurtured.

Within a year, my afro bloomed. By twisting my hair between my fingers and introducing an element of play to its texture, I gave it a new, natural style. I came to realize that my hair is simply an extension of my body, and this body exists outside of any professional filters. 

As we celebrate World Afro Day on Sept. 15, I find myself returning to the vision set by Michelle De Leon, its founder, to “work with families, schools and authorities to tackle discrimination against afro hair.” It’s endorsed by the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights—a subtle reminder that the personal is indeed political.

In the U.S. we have the Crown Act, an acronym for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, a law that prohibits race-based hair discrimination. It was first introduced in California and signed into law in July 2019. 

The Crown Act is led by the Crown Coalition founded by Dove, the National Urban League, Color of Change and the Western Center on Law & Poverty. As of July 2, 2021, the Crown Act is law in 13 U.S. states, hopefully a beginning of the end of hair discrimination nationwide.

It is crucial that brands and advertisers understand this reality in the Black community. According to a 2018 Statista report, Black shoppers spent on average $473 million on hair care annually in the U.S. alone. 

The nuance of Black hair is vast, and developing products and messaging that speaks accurately and empathetically to those variations is important to connecting with Black consumers. From the hair pattern, pattern size and feel, all the way down to density, these are nuances we are keenly aware of, and we want to see them reflected in our options when shopping for haircare products. The need to use products that are reflective of our natural state is matched by the yearning to see ourselves represented in the products marketed to us. 

Brands and advertisers can take that extra step toward inclusion from the very beginning. From product development to casting, lighting and makeup for shoots, this inclusive approach would help in abating the perceptions and fear around Black hair in the workplace. 

Decades after the Civil Rights Act, we still must fight for common rights every day. World Afro Day should be a reminder to us all that this discrimination is not geographically locked. Therefore, the work of representation and fostering more inclusive environments belongs to each of us.

We cannot give in to the fear of disappointing norms, nor shy away from ourselves in this moment. 

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