I can’t stress this enough: Every texture of natural hair is beautiful—iconic, actually! Whether we choose to freely wear our Afros and voluminous curls in all of their glory, switch up our look with a sleek blowout and silk press, or give our strands a rest by wearing protective styles like braids, twists, and hair extensions, the freedom and versatility that our coils embody is truly powerful.
Unfortunately, natural hair hasn’t always been accepted and offered a seat at the table with mainstream hair care brands. Once upon a time, looking for products that truly nourished curly and kinkier hair types was akin to searching for a needle in a haystack—borderline impossible.
Thankfully, there are an array of Black-owned hair-care brands emerging on the scene at a rapid rate, offering top-tier products specifically targeted to the needs of textured tresses. After all, who better to speak to the unique nuances of kinks and coils than people of color? Here, 30 Black-owned hair-care brands to shop and celebrate now and always.
4C Only
The name says it all. 4C Only was created to target the specific needs of the tightest curl pattern on the hair texture spectrum. With the launch of its first collection in 2020, the brand is on a mission to simplify wash days for kinky textures and breathe life back into the hair-care process for tightly coiled strands.
Chief marketing officer Alicia Ferguson hopes the richly formulated line will empower those with coarsely textured hair. "I know firsthand the troubles of trying to find the right product that will properly hydrate my 4C hair. Products claim to work for all hair types, and the reality is that they don't," she says.
The brand's inaugural products in the Too Easy Collection include a moisturizing shampoo (infused with aloe vera and argan oil), a deep conditioner (formulated with grape seed oil and glycerin) that easily melts away tangles, a leave-in conditioner to serve as a protective barrier for heat styling, and a thick styling cream to strengthen and maintain styles for an extended wear.
Adwoa Beauty
Adwoa Beauty was founded by Julian Addo in 2017 in response to the lack of hair care essentials for kinkier textured hair. The brand is best known for its sleek, minimalist packaging and their luxurious Baomint collection (including a shampoo, deep conditioner, curl defining gel, and more) formulated with rich and ultra-hydrating ingredients like baobab oil, spearmint, peppermint, and wintergreen to keep kinky and curly manes moisturized and defined.
Bread Beauty Supply
Founded by Maeva Heim, Bread Beauty Supply takes the guesswork out of shuffling through endless products in pursuit of establishing an effective regime. Heim created the product line to provide women with 3A-4C hair textures the freedom to take on a lazy hair care routine. The brand offers basics for chemically treated, transitioning, and natural textured hair. One of the standouts is the Kit 1-Wash that includes a clarifying cleanser, hydrating hair mask, revitalizing hair oil, and a satin scrunchie.
Briogeo
After spending seven years working on Wall Street, Nancy Twine walked away from her finance career to dream up plant-powered luxury haircare line Briogeo. Not long after conception her products landed on the shelves of Sephora, deeming Twine the youngest African-American to launch a brand at the powerhouse retailer. Briogeo caters to all hair types and consists of an extensive range of naturally derived shampoos, conditioners, and treatments for optimal scalp and hair health.
Camille Rose
In 2011, after years of mixing her own homemade concoctions for family and friends, Janell Stephens decided to turn her hobby into a hair care brand and Camille Rose was born. Fast forward nine years, and the brand has grown to include 30-plus vegan hair products catered to moisturizing and combating frizz for straight, wavy, curly, coily, and kinky textured hair. You can find the brand at retailers like Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, Duane Reade, and Sally's Beauty.
Charlotte Mensah
With a hairstyling career spanning over 30 years spent styling the likes of Janelle Monae, Erykah Badu, and countless other celebrities, Charlotte Mensah is a natural hair legend. The London-based stylist's eponymous product line includes a collection of sustainably-sourced manketti oil (an African derived oil packed with high-grade ingredients including vitamin E, magnesium, copper, and zinc) products set to deliver loads of moisture to Afro and curly textured hair.
Curls
Founded in 2002 by Mahisha Dellinger, Curls was dreamed up in hopes of celebrating the various textures of kinks and curls. "I had a vision that women would be able to go to any retailer and find incredibly functional products with quality ingredients that celebrate our various curl patterns. So the dream was born," says Dellinger. Eighteen years in and you can walk into your local Target to find the full range of vitamin-enriched hair products.
Design Essentials
In 1990, business executive Cornell McBride dreamed up a hair-care line that encompassed top-tier essentials for natural and chemically-treated hair. His goal was to provide hair-care professionals and their clients with top-tier products worthy of both salon and at-home use. Design Essentials was born from this vision and continues to reach new heights with its full range of styling and treatment sets to enhance shine and hydration, address dandruff, and prevent breakage and shedding for all hair types.
EDEN Bodyworks
Since its 2004 launch, EDEN Bodyworks has sat at the forefront of the natural hair community with its naturally derived hair care essentials. Founder Jasmine Lawrence began by using ingredients in her kitchen suitable for promoting optimal hair health. Every product is loaded with vitamins and rich oils to strengthen the follicles for growth retention and keep hair moisturized and primed for styling.
Felicia Leatherwood Detangler Brush
I think we can all agree that detangling our coils and curls is one of the most daunting tasks in our routine. Thankfully, celebrity hairstylist Felicia Leatherwood has answered our prayers with the launch of her heavy-duty detangler brush. The widely spaced, flexible bristles seamlessly glide through thick kinks and curls to cut styling time in half without snagging or causing breakage to the hair shaft.
Flawless by Gabrielle Union
From big screen star to beauty entrepreneur, Gabrielle Union never ceases to amaze. Earlier this year, Union teamed up with her longtime hairstylist Larry Sims to relaunch Flawless by Gabrielle Union with 12 new and improved wash day and styling essentials for textured hair types. The brand is found exclusively at Amazon and the product lineup includes curl reviving products like their Hydrating Detangling Shampoo, a 3 Minute Restoring Conditioner, Scalp Soothing Tonic Hair Treatment, plus more.
Frigg
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Kimberly Dillon created Frigg to address hair and skin concerns like itchy scalp, psoriasis, and eczema flare ups brought on by stress. Formulated with herbal extracts like cedarwood, rosemary, baobab, and castor oils, the Attuning Hair Potion is beloved by many for its nourishing properties and ability to soothe an itchy scalp.
Grace Eleyae
In 2014, Grace Eleyae created her namesake hair accessory brand to protect hair strands from breakage due to friction and other environmental stressors. What originally started out with the satin-lined slap has since evolved into a full range of silk and satin lined headbands, pillowcases, scrunchies, and turbans.
Jane Carter Solution
After suffering from an allergic reaction from being exposed to chemically formulated hair care products, Jane Carter sprung into action to create an all-natural hair line. Every product from the Jane Carter Solution is blended with plant-based ingredients, essential oils, and natural proteins. The lineup includes a full range of shampoos, conditioners, edge controls, and more to nourish all hair textures.
Kim Kimble
Celebrity hairstylist Kim Kimble has a star-studded clientele—think Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, Oprah Winfrey, Zendaya, Mary J. Blige, to name a few. The stylist recently launched a six-piece solution-based hair-care line at Sally Beauty to provide kinky and curly textured hair with top-notch, easy-to-use products for wash day, styling, and treating.
Kinky-Curly
Created by Shelley Davis in 2003, Kinky-Curly is known as one of the pioneering haircare brands in the natural hair community. The brand is home to the super popular Kinky-Curly Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner beloved by the natural hair community as it easily melts away stubborn knots and tangles, plus provides amazing slip for a manageable wash day detangling session.
Kinky Tresses
After years of frustration trying to keep her dry and brittle natural hair moisturized, Shawna Moses decided to take matters into her own hands. A number of college-level chemistry courses, lots of research, and countless trials and errors later, Kinky Tresses launched with Coconut Mango Hair Butter, the brand's hero formula. The goal of every product in the line? To penetrate the hair shaft and provide dry curls with long-lasting moisture.
Melanin Haircare
Melanin Haircare was started by sisters Whitney and Taffeta White in 2015 with scalp and natural hair health in mind. The brand's focus is to provide the natural hair community with high-quality, naturally-derived products at an affordable price. The minimalist yet highly effective range includes a clarifying shampoo, hydrating conditioner, styling cream, multi-use oil blend, and an assortment of cotton and satin headwraps to keep your curls thriving.
Meraki
Founded in 2018, vegan hair care brand Meraki was built on the premise of wellness. Amber Makupson used her aesthetics training to create botanical treatments that fostered self-love and healing from the inside out. The result: a lineup infused with nourishing monoi, argan, and buriti oils, as well as gemstones to support healthy skin and a thriving hair growth journey.
Mielle Organics
Created by Monique Rodriguez with the type 3 and 4 curl patterns in mind, Mielle Organics caters to a diverse range of hair types and needs. The Rice Water collection promotes hair growth and length retention, while the new Pomegranate and Honey collection caters to hydrating and strengthening type 4 textures.
Miss Jessie's
Born in Brooklyn in 2004, and now one of the most recognizable natural hair brands in the nation, Miss Jessie's is a curly girl's dream. From the highly regarded Pillow Soft Curls cream to the silky smooth Baby Buttercreme (perfect for super-fine curl patterns and kids), the range of curly girl essentials—developed by sisters Miko and the late Titi Branch—are endless. If you want to hydrate and prime your curls for styling, look no further than these nourishing creams, moisturizers, and deep conditioning treatments.
Oyin Handmade
Back in 2001, when products for natural hair were scarce and the market was flooded with ethnic hair products geared toward relaxed or straightened hair, Jamyla Bennu created the all-natural Oyin Handmade hair care line and began distributing it locally. By 2003, she built a brand website and started selling to the wider naturalistas community. And the brand is still thriving today, with Oyin remaining as a family-owned business, and growing its range to include both hair and body care.
Pattern Beauty
Founded by Tracee Ellis Ross in 2017, Pattern Beauty is a full range haircare line tailored to meeting the needs of 3c to 4c hair textures. The brand is a decade in the making and offers a plethora of cleansers, stylers, and hair tools for a seamlessly luxurious natural hair styling experience.
Rucker Roots
Rucker Roots was inspired by two sisters' admiration for their mother's fresh-from-the-family-garden treatment recipes for their hair back in the 1980s. In 2015, the brand officially launched and provides naturalistas with shampoos, conditioners, styling creams, and serums boasting nourishing vegetable root extracts and vitamins to promote optimal hair health.
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Sunday II Sunday
Maintaining your natural hair while staying active comes with its challenges: You sweat, causing product buildup. Plus, you're likely dealing with moisture loss or scalp irritation. Sunday II Sunday, founded by serial entrepreneur Keenan Beasley, is a high-performance line of treatment serums, oils, and sprays designed to tackle natural hair woes for your sporty lifestyle.
Taliah Waajid
For more than 20 years, Taliah Waajid has been at the forefront of creating sustainable products for the natural hair community. Every single product has been made with kinky, coil-y, curly, and wavy hair textures in consideration. Whether you're looking for a ultra-hydrating system to revive dry and brittle strands or looking to care for your mane while in a protective style, this brand has you covered.
The Wrap Life
Wrap Life intentionally celebrates Black women through beautiful imagery and head wraps made with care. The brand was inspired by the various headdress iterations in West African culture and not only are the head wraps, bandies, and turbanettes the perfect natural hair accessory, but they also serve as a protectant for your tresses.
TPH by Taraji
This isn't your typical celebrity beauty product—it's deeply personal for actress and activist Taraji P. Henson, who created a namesake hair-care line based on her own experiences wearing hair extensions over the years. Whether you're dealing with scalp irritation, in need of a curl refresher, a hydrating deep conditioning treatment, or a detoxifying cleanse, I can guarantee there's a hero product in the bunch that can get the job done. A favorite pairing: the remarkable Master Cleanse Targeted Scalp Wash and Mint Condition Tingling Scalp Conditioner for accessing the scalp while wearing protective styles.
Uhai Hair
Dealing with a flaky scalp and treatments that ultimately dried out her hair, Susan Edwards was emboldened to created a natural, nourishing solution of her own. At the core of her line Uhai Hair is the antioxidant-rich African superfood baobab oil, which helps shield hair from environmental damage and dryness while soothing irritated scalps. It's found in everything from the edge gel and treatment oil to styling creams and the nourishing conditioner.
Vernon François
Celebrity hairstylist Vernon François brought his namesake line to life in 2016 to help do away with the stigma that kinky and curly textured hair needs to be toned down or "tamed." His mission is to educate every culture on the best hair-care practices and to inspire the masses to embrace the pure beauty and versatility of their kinks and curls. For François, it's all about letting your texture shine through and his extensive range of stylers, treatments, finishing sprays, and hair tools are made to do exactly that.
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