Search Results: Desiree Johnson
Who doesn’t love the versatility of natural hair? With the endless possibilities to extend, chop, and customize your hair, keeping your curly hair fabulous has never been easier with the newest extensions. Several types of hair extensions and textures are accessible for naturalistas, but if you’re looking for curly clip-in extensions, we’ve got you covered. Whether you have type 2 or type 4 hair, there are a variety of extensions to give you extra length and bounce. It can be challenging to find the right extension for your hair because you want to match them to your natural curl pattern and you can’t always gauge that online. We have scoured the internet to find brands that offer a variety of curly clip-in extensions for different textures, colors, and hair types. Step into summer feeling confident and cute with any of these extensions below.
Kurly Klips
Lana Boone is the CEO behind Kurly Klips which was the first hair line to ever offer clip-ins for natural hair. If you are a type 3 curly looking for curly clip-in human hair extensions with a soft texture, look no further than Kurly Klips! They offer a variety of options, whether you want a shoulder-length style or a ponytail.
Heat Free Hair
Heat Free Hair started in 2012 with the goal to create a collection that would match any hair type or texture. Over a decade later, CEO Ngozi Opara has provided millions of customers with a line of curly hair extensions for kinky, curly, coily hair that can provide confidence, fullness, and length. Each texture of clip-ins are meant to blend seamlessly into the hair with a variety of natural hair colors.
Unice
Unice is here to inspire customers to live a glamorous life with clip-in extensions that can be used in any setting whether it’s professional or personal. Their premium hair options are 100% real human hair with textured options designed to match your hair. They make transforming your look easy with secure clips that add volume and length to your curls.
Read next: How To Properly Install & Care For Clip-In Extensions
Mayvenn
Are you looking for voluminous curls, face-framing bangs, and a classic color? Mayvenn offers curly clip-in extensions mimic that replicate beautiful twists and coils of your natural hair, all while giving your own strands a well-deserved break. You can trim them to accentuate even more layering, or leave it as-is and go.
Bebonia
Bebonia Curls was born in 2017 by Soleil who wanted to create curly clip-in hair extensions that spanned different textures and colors. She wanted to provide customers with options that could make them feel beautiful even if they had experienced hair damage. Customers can shop a variety of lengths, textures, and colors, that give a natural look they will love.
HeyCurls
HeyCurls is here to make waves with naturally curly, coily, and kinky hair inspired by your natural tresses. Their curly clip-in hair extensions are flexible, lightweight, and easy to install even if you are a beginner. The website makes it easy to shop by your curl type so you feel at ease and comfortable with your purchase.
Wondering how to use your hair extensions? Here’s what an expert stylist has to say.
Irresistible Me
Are you ready to have curls that are utterly irresistible? Irresistible Me is a brand here to give you inclusive, diverse, and luxurious curly clip-in extensions that are stress-free and risk-free. They offer three different types of curl patterns made from 100% human hair and a free 30-day exchange or return policy.
XoXo Hair Virgin Hair
XOXO Virgin Hair is the premier destination for a high-quality and inclusive wig and extension experience. They have been ethically sourcing quality hair since 2014 from Southeast Asia and encourage their customers to find an option they will love. Their curly hair clip-in extensions help to retain moisture longer and can be easily styled.
Conscious Curls Hair
Conscious Curls offers seven different textures to experiment with and has been used by celebrities like Ella Mai and Kehlani. Their power texture clip-ins are great for blending into type 3 curls and can be blown out and straightened for a variety of styles. Their website also features a variety of accessories and maintenance options to ensure they last past a couple of uses.
Big Chop Hair
If you’ve ever done the “Big Chop” you know this can be a long process that can be challenging to style as you wait for your hair to grow. Big Chop Hair understands that and delivers a variety of clip-ins that make styling and sporting your favorite looks much easier. Melissa Etienne is the owner who used her own personal experience with the big chop to create a brand that was versatile and diverse for all women.
Read next: How I Make My Hair Extensions Last Longer
Originals by Africa’s Best is the affordable haircare brand for women and girls of every hair type and texture! Originals by Africa’s Best is formulated with the BEST high-quality natural ingredients including shea butter, olive oil, tea tree oil, aloe, cloves, and more to help promote strong, soft, and healthy hair that makes hair maintenance and styling easy. Today, with a fresh new look Originals by Africa’s Best is a well-loved and reliable brand staple in beauty supply stores across the U.S. with wide distribution in Walmart, Family Dollar, and OriginalsbyAfricasBest.com. We sat down to chat with the team and talk more about health hair, inspiration, and their fantastic ingredients.
What inspired the name of Originals by Africa’s Best?
With our recent rebrand we wanted to create a look for our products that is as original as our consumers. You’ll notice that all of our products, including our classic Originals by Africa’s Best Hair Mayonnaise Deep Conditioner, feature the same great formulas, regardless of our new look. Our consumers keep leveling up, and so did we!
How have Black women continued to shape Originals by Africa’s Best?
Black and brown women have always been the pioneering voices behind Originals by Africa’s Best. From our marketing team to our product developers! We regularly speak to leading hair care professionals in the curly/coily hair care space to make sure we are always aligned with what is best for the girls. We constantly look at the feedback from the black and brown women in our community. Their voices lead the brand inside and out.
Can you share the types of ingredients the brand has chosen to include in your various formulas?
Our expertly formulated products feature the nourishing, rejuvenating, and revitalizing properties of Olive oil, shea butter, castor oil, egg protein, aloe, and clove just to name a few! We could go on all day, but in short, our moisture-enriched formulas are created with natural and safe ingredients to make hair healthier, longer, and stronger.
What was the ideation behind Originals by Africa’s Best?
Originals by Africa’s Best, formerly known as Organics, launched in 2001 as an affordable haircare line for women and girls of every hair type and texture. It was formulated to help women with curly, kinky, coily, and straightened hair with their everyday hair needs. Each product in these collections was chosen to help promote strong, soft, and healthy hair that makes hair maintenance and styling easy.
What are 3 best practices for maintaining healthy hair?
It’s hard to choose a favorite when it comes to our go-to practices for maintaining healthy hair, but here are 3 that we definitely stand by.
1. When using your Originals by Africa’s Best Olive & Shea Deep Conditioner Masque, rinse it out with cool water to lock in the moisture.
2. Finger Detangle. Finger detangling with your favorite conditioner in your hair leads to less breakage and more defined curls!
3. Protect your hair when you sleep! Cover your hair with a satin/silk scarf or bonnet. You can also sleep on a silk/satin pillowcase.
If you want a few more tips, check out the haircare blog on our website!
What is a hero product that first-time customers should try and why?
When running into first-time consumers we always recommend starting with our Originals by Africa’s Best Hair Mayonnaise Deep Conditioner. This hero product is enriched with Botanical, Herbal Extracts, Vitamins, Egg Protein, and Olive Oil to condition, moisturize, and strengthen damaged or over processed hair.
What can we look forward to from Originals by Africa’s Best in 2023?
In 2023, over at Originals by Africa’s Best, we are so excited to keep providing products with quality ingredients to our diverse, talented, beautiful consumers. Promoting healthy hair all of 2023 is our goal! And we are also beyond excited to connect with our South African consumers, even more, this year!
Ceremonia, the clean hair care brand rooted in Latinx heritage, expands its hero Guava Collection with the new Champú de Guava and Acondicionador de Guava for Damage Repair and Color Protection: a reparative shampoo and conditioner that repairs & protects hair from damage and color fade. This wash duo is the perfect summer companion. It is specifically formulated to repair and protect the hair from the damage caused by common summer stressors, including UV, chlorine, and salt water, while also mending damage from color and relaxing treatments. The formula harnesses natural ingredients instead of using harsh chemicals commonly found in most reparative products. It is infused with antioxidant-rich superfruit Guava and Aloe Vera, to keep the hair nourished and protected all summer.
The inspiration behind this product development came after hearing countless hair stories from the community describing their hair as frizzy, dry, and damaged. The brand took a deeper dive into the root of this and discovered that the common causes of the frizziness, dryness, and damage stemmed from years of hair damaging practices, including conforming to the mainstream beauty standards that only represented one hair texture, coupled with lack of access to products that do nourish hair, as most products in the market focus on styling, taming and simply masking symptoms of damage versus actually repairing it. In addition, the brand found a lack of awareness of summer’s negative impact on hair strands. UV, chlorine, and saltwater damage hair, split ends, and color fade.
With the new Guava Shampoo and Conditioner for damage repair and protection, along with the rest of the Guava Line, Ceremonia provides much-needed relief for hair, rebuilding and restoring strands from years of damaging practices, and protects hair from future damage. With this launch, Ceremonia wants to not only provide the community with proper hair care products to tackle the root cause, but also invite them to live fully on their terms, embracing and nurturing their natural beauty. Ceremonia also wishes to hold space for the women of the Black and Brown communities that have been taught from an early age not to embrace their natural curl patterns and that to be “beautiful”, they have to tame and mask their hair under heavy, damaging chemicals to make it straight. El Pelo Malo No Existe – and Ceremonia intends to end that limiting belief.
“Most ‘damage repair’ products on the market are packed with filler ingredients such as silicones to give you the illusion of results when it’s usually just a temporary fix that overtime makes the same concern you’re trying to fix—worse. The Champú and Acondicionador de Guava for Damage Repair and Protection answer our community’s desire to do better for their hair. As a Brown woman who spent most of my life trying to conform to traditional beauty standards, I’ve seen the damage it can cause to your self-esteem, not to mention the literal damage to your hair. I spent over a decade frantically bleaching and straightening my hair on a daily basis, coupled with toxin-filled products promising to ‘tame’ my hair. When I wanted to break out of that cycle and reclaim my natural hair, I realized I needed to rethink my approach to hair care. Whether you’re looking to break out of a cycle of hair damage or want to reduce the negative impact of color treatments, heat tools, and UV, this duo and line are for you,” says Babba Rivera, Founder, and CEO of Ceremonia.
We chatted with Founder and CEO Babba Rivera to learn more about the new line and its benefits to natural hair!
What was the inspiration behind your newest collection?
The inspiration behind the launch of the Champú de Guava and Acondicionador de Guava for Damage Repair and Color Protection came from our community. Ever since starting Ceremonia, the main hair concern I consistently heard over and over again was frizz, dryness and damage. As a result, many of our community were not feeling confident in their natural hair.
After many community conversations and research, I realized that a lot of our hair damage stems from years of damaging hair practices that we’ve opted into in an effort to conform to beauty standards that have only represented one hair texture and color. I’ve personally spent over a decade damaging my hair on a daily basis, through bleaching and straighteners, coupled with toxic hair products to “tame” and mask my hair instead of nourishing it.
In addition, I found a lack of awareness of the negative impact of summer on hair. UV, Chlorine, and saltwater contribute to hair damage, split ends, and color fade. The combination of a history of hair damage, insecurities around our natural hair, frizz concerns, and unawareness of summer stressors ultimately inspired this line — a Guava infused hair routine specifically formulated to repair damage and protect the hair from future damage. This line is also perfectly suited for those with color-treated hair. In addition to being color-safe (which all of our products are, btw), this is the first line to also proactively protect hair from color fading, while also repairing it from the damage caused by color treatments.
With this line, we want to give our community the tools to live fully on their terms, by embracing and nurturing their natural beauty. We also wish to hold space for the women of the Black and Brown communities that have been taught from an early age not to embrace their natural curl patterns and that to be “beautiful”, they have to tame and mask their hair under heavy, damaging chemicals to make it straight. El Pelo Malo No Existe – and we want to end that limiting belief.
Why did you choose Guava as the key ingredient for your collection? What are the benefits?
Our brand is on a mission to push the boundaries for what clean and effective beauty can be, and part of that is tapping into the powerful natural and clean ingredients that do better for us, versus masking symptoms under toxins.
The Superfruit Guava is used and cherished in many countries across Latin America for its delicious taste, powerful antioxidants, and natural source of Vitamin C, Potassium, and Fiber–which also act as natural protectants for your hair. It also helps boost sun defense by acting as a protective shield against solar rays, neutralizes the free-radical damage that UV exposure causes, and is packed with five times as much vitamin C as oranges. With that said, when we were looking to create a line that would rebuild damaged hair while protecting it from future damage – Guava was the perfect candidate.
How do UV rays affect hair health, and how do these products work to combat those effects?
UV rays diminish hair strength and shine and cause brittle, lifeless hair with split ends. They also contribute massively to hair color fade. The Champú de Guava and Acondicionador de Guava for Damage Repair and Color Protection, alongside our Guava Leave-In Conditioner, Guava Rescue Spray, and Guava Beach Waves, are specifically formulated with the Superfruit Guava in a powerful cocktail of natural and sage synthetic ingredients to combat the damage that UV rays cause, while also protecting it from future UV damage. It’s a first-of-its-kind rinse-off product to provide UV protection even after washing it off!
What are the three tips for using these products?
The Guava shampoo and conditioner is a must during the summer months, and truth be told, year-round for anyone with damaged and color-treated hair. I wash my hair one to two times a week with this duo, then spray the Guava Rescue Spray to help detangle and add additional UV protection. The Guava Rescue Spray is always in my beach bag to re-apply throughout the day when enjoying the sun and the ocean.
I pair the Guava Rescue Spray with the Guava Leave-In Conditioner between wash days to combat dryness and frizz. The Guava Leave-In Conditioner is perfect for smoothing out my baby hairs and sealing split ends. Finally, as a styling hack, I finish with the Guava Beach Waves Spray for messy “fresh off the beach” waves.
How does this shampoo and conditioner duo complement each other?
This wash duo is specifically formulated to work together to cleanse and condition, focusing on repairing and protecting the hair from the damage caused by common summer stressors, including UV, chlorine, and salt water, while also mending damage from color and hair relaxing treatments. The Guava Shampoo pairs perfectly with our Weightless Hydration Acondicionador de Cupuaçu for Fine/Thin Hair for a lighter finish for those with fine, not-so-damaged hair.
Which product is your favorite and why?
Our Aceite de Moska Pre-Wash Scalp Oil has always been my favorite Ceremonia product. But I must say, the new Champú de Guava and Acondicionador de Guava duo might steal the throne because the way it leaves my hair is simply incredible. The shine and smoothness is unmatched!!
Read next: The Winners Of The NaturallyCurly Best Of The Best Awards
Mia Jackson, known professionally as Toyko Stylez, is a celebrity hairstylist and beauty maven killing the hair game. Her most notable clients are Cardi B, Kylie Jenner and Mulatto to name a few. Mia is breaking barriers in the community as a proud transwoman and constantly setting trends in the hair space with her raw talent. We sat down with her to chat about the latest addition to the CURLS family, the Hair Under There Collection and how she has used it with celebrity clients. This new growth and protection system is designed to nourish and hydrate the scalp while wearing protective styles. The collection consists of a wide range of ultra-hydrating, nourishing products made to protect your natural hair under extensions, weaves, braid-ins and wigs.
How does this collection help with scalp maintenance and recovery?
The CURLS Hair Under There Collection keeps the hair extremely moisturized and hydrated while soothing and preventing dandruff in-between washes.
Can you tell us about some styles you’ve created with this collection?
All the styles I have created using the collection are protective styles since the CURLS Hair Under There Collection was specifically formulated for wig, weave, and extension wearers. The most notable looks have been the sleek low ponytail wig that was seen on Cardi b for the Grammys and the elevated finger wave look seen this year on Cardi B at Vanity Fair.
What is your favorite product from this collection and why?
My favorite product from the collection is the CURLS Hair Under There Detox Tea Cleansing Shampoo. I absolutely love how fresh, minty, tingly, and clean the tea infused cleansing shampoo makes the scalp feel.
Get to Know the Curls Hair Under There Collection
Hair Under There Detox Tea Cleansing Shampoo
CURLS’ herbal tea infused, sulfate free, purifying and cooling shampoo can be used to rid scalp and hair of build up from weeks of protective styles. This clarifying shampoo can also be used on curly weave and/or extensions. Pamper your scalp before braiding it in a protective style. Refresh and hydrate your oxygen deprived scalp & deep cleanse your hair after taking out your weave, wig, or extensions. Rinse hair with warm water. Lather & massage Detox Tea Cleanser into scalp. Rinse well. Follow up with Strengthening Moisture Mask conditioner.
Hair Under There Protect Me Edge Styling Pomade
Vitamin Infused Edge Styling Protector (to thicken and protect delicate edges, prevent breakage and thinning). Use Protect Me Edge Styling Pomade to smooth natural hair and to blend with extensions, wigs, and/or weaves. Perfect pomade to create the best edges for your braided style.
Hair Under There Soothe & Cool Scalp Potion
Soothing scalp oil used to refresh, calm, and reinvigorate and hydrate irritated, dry, neglected scalp. Apply Soothe & Cool Me Scalp Potion directly to your scalp before and after braiding your hair before installation of a protective style. Use after taking braids out, to refresh the scalp before shampooing and conditioning.
Hair Under There Strengthen Me Moisture Mask
Condition. Moisturize. Strengthen. Protect. This herbal tea infused, sulfate free, purifying and cooling hair mask helps to rid scalp and hair of build up from weeks of protective styles. This hair mask can also be used on curly weave and/or extensions.
Hair Under There Bomb Braid In Conditioner
Softening & hydrating pre-install treatment to be used before braiding the hair in preparation for an installation of a wig, weave, or extensions. This leave in conditioner can also be used on curly weaves and extensions. Excellent cream to use after taking down braids to prevent breakage. Braiding dry, brittle, moisture deprived hair will only further damage your hair. Start with conditioned hair with this protective “braid in” conditioner.
Read next: Celebrity Stylist Njeri Radway Talks Box Braids & Michelle Obama’s Hair
Njeri Radway is a style unicorn. She is the go-to girl, who never disappoints for on-trend hair looks such as textured haircuts, precision cuts, full blowouts, beautiful bobs, feathered layers, and more. Her expertise includes natural styling, braid and loc styling, cutting, and color application plus more across all hair types.
As a master and lead cutter at Aesthetics hair salon, under the leadership of Yene Damtew, Njeri continues to perfect her craft. To date, her diverse clientele has included author and former first lady Michelle Obama, VP Kamala Harris, media executive Debra Lee, Michelle Norris, Tom Hanks, and Rita Wilson. We sat down to chat with the stylist extraordinaire to discuss how she broke into the industry, styling Michelle Obama’s hair, and tips to master box braids this season.
How did your career as a stylist begin?
I have been a licensed cosmetologist for 14 years. My family is from Jamaica, so after high school, I enrolled in a community college in Maryland. I tried to figure out my passion, but then I dropped out of community college in 2008. I enrolled in cosmetology school in Montgomery Beauty School, in Silver Spring, MD.
While I was in school, I worked at a hair salon as a shampoo assistant. Once I graduated from hair school, I was in between jobs and I got a call, from hairstylist Yene Damtew wanting me to interview for an assistant position under her Johnny Wright (HOTUS) who was the lead hairstylist with Mrs. Obama while they were in office. I have been working with the Obamas for 13 years.
What’s been a valuable lesson you’ve learned in your career?
I learned to follow my gut. Perfect my craft, show up, and do my best. Because you never know who’s watching. Also, it’s not always what you know but whom you know.
Do you have a favorite style you’ve created for your celebrity clientele?
My favorite style would have to be one I did on Mrs. Obama for the third night of The Light We Carry Tour in Washington, DC. It was a high ponytail with a side bang. It was simple yet sexy and fun.
What is the best way to prep your hair for box braids?
The best way to prep your hair for box braids would be to shampoo your hair twice. Your first shampoo should be a clarifying shampoo to remove any product buildup and your second should be a moisturizing one. Then follow up with a deep conditioning treatment. Once you’ve rinsed your hair you should section it out and detangle it. Once that is done you should add a little leave-in conditioner and blow-dry your hair. But always consult with your braider first so they can advise you best.
If you’ve never worn box braids before, what is a piece of advice you would give?
You should probably start with knotless braids first. It’s looser on your scalp and you’ll be able to flip your hair from side to side or put it in some sort of style like a bun, without it hurting or being too stiff.
How long do you recommend keeping box braids in?
I’d recommend leaving your braids in for up to eight weeks.
What is a good scalp-based product you can use while rocking your box braids?
It’s Natural Rosemary Stimulating Spray by Influance. It helps relieve a dry itchy scalp and improves circulation. Or you can keep it old school and use Sea Breeze.
Read next: An Inside Look At Vernon François’s Personal Favorite Products
As the first U.S.-made plant-based braiding hair brand, Rebundle uses patent-pending, forward-thinking technology (braidbetter) to create its extensions out of recycled banana fibers. In addition, with Rebundle’s recycling program, you can send back your old synthetic braiding hair to be recycled properly – making room for this brand-new launch!
After suffering from one-too-many itchy scalps while wearing her protective styles, founder Ciara Imani May set out on a mission to find a solution. Along the way, she educated herself on what true sustainability is, and turned over every stone to find the technology that would give your scalp and the Earth the love it deserves. Rebundle uses revolutionary technology to dramatically reduce the health and environmental disparities in the hair extensions industry. Using repurposed biopolymers and naturally extracted banana fiber, each strand of hair is plant-based and sustainably made for more comfort and less waste. We sat down with Ciara to learn more about Rebunde, sustainable hair care, and how she’s partnering with braiders all over the country.
What inspired the name of your business?
I actually didn’t name the company. My friend Jessie, while working together during Venture for America’s side project-athon in 2019, came up with the idea for the name Rebundle. I wanted the name to reflect something about hair or the hair extensions industry in general and for it to tie into sustainability, which is exactly what she was able to come up with. It was a fun serendipitous moment that resonated with everyone, and we stuck with it.
Did you have prior experience with sustainable products before creating Rebundle?
My experience with sustainable products extends through my own efforts of researching sustainable alternatives and adopting a conscious consumer mindset. I was really inspired by the zero waste movement and had questions about how I could incorporate some of those ideas into my everyday routine, which is how I landed on the idea for rebundle initially.
One of my favorite hobbies is looking for sustainable alternatives in my clothing, accessories, personal care products, and pretty much anything in between. I keep a detailed record of brands that are sustainable in some way and make an effort to exclusively purchase items from them and tell my friends and family about these great finds.
Source: Rebundle
Why was it important to include a braider dictionary for customers?
I really wanted to think outside of the box about every touch point we have with how and where we buy hair, what influences these purchases, who installs the hair, and what makes for a great customer experience. I did a lot of initial customer discovery with braiders and recognized that they would always be either a gatekeeper or partners, and I decided to make them partners and make sure that they felt heard and included not only in the product development process but in our business model as a whole. Today, we have over 40 braiders in our directory spanning across the country, some of which we’ve worked with on photoshoots and publications and others who give us really good ideas and feedback on the product.
How do you see the future of haircare changing with sustainable products and technology?
The future of hair extensions looks like Rebundle. Consumers will begin further demanding that the environment, the planet, and people are all equally taken into consideration when watching a product and developing a brand. This extends true for hair extensions as well and is likely overdue, so we see a world in which hair extensions will only get better.
Source: Rebundle
Why is Rebundle a better alternative for your scalp?
braidbetter is better for your scalp because it is certified microbiome friendly, made with biodegradable, non-toxic ingredients that have been tested for toxins, such as formaldehyde.
What can we look forward to from Rebundle in 2023?
You can expect to see a Rebundle in a lot of fun and cool places like festivals, on TV shows, and on TikTok. We’re really focused on what brand awareness looks like for a product like ours that gives us the opportunity to not only educate but to inspire people to want better for themselves and better for the environment.
Have you tried Rebundle hair extensions? Let us know what colors you’ll be buying!
Read next: How to Use Curly Hair Extensions, According to Celebrity Stylist LeAna McKnight
Let us introduce the newest haircare line that hit the market in February 2023, UZIMA, which means ‘Full of Life’ in Swahili. ‘Hair is Life’ draws the connection between the nonlinear nature of life and the nonlinear nature (aka not straight) of coily, kinky, and curly hair, both in their look and the journey we go through in learning to care for our hair. UZIMA is THE FIRST luxury hair care brand to bring clean, modern, multidimensional scalp and strand care to textured hair. Designed to empower those with coily, kinky, and curly hair, UZIMA offers elevated haircare and educates them on how to care for these specific hair types.
We spoke with Leona Dondi, the brand’s Founder, and CEO, who spent years blending extensive research background with cosmetic biotech to create a brand focused on multi-dimensional scalp and strand care. UZIMA products are safe, sustainable, and formulated with effective botanicals to help coily, kinky, and curly hair thrive.
The UZIMA hair care system is composed of four products: USAWA – a hair essence), UNYEVU – a leave-in conditioner, UKUAJI – a scalp serum; and NISHATI – a nourishing hair oil. UZIMA will teach you to properly nourish, clean, and care for your textured hair and scalp by providing detailed step-by-step instructions for each product.
What was the relationship with your hair growing up?
So I had natural hair from birth until I was about 8. I remember my dad doing my hair in the morning before school, and I hated it. I dreaded my mom hot combing my hair every Sunday before church. I’m super tender-headed, especially when I was younger, so I never really enjoyed getting my hair done at any point. My Mom had relaxed hair, and we would go with her sometimes to the salon, and my sister and I would get our hair braided, which required blow drying and braiding. I still also hated that experience. But it wasn’t really about my hair; it was about how painful it was to get it done.
Fast forward to college, my junior college, and in 2006, I started transitioning to natural hair. The only two forums we’re talking about natural hair were NaturallyCurly.com and another I can’t remember, which gave me more confidence to start over. I just started taking care of my hair without being relaxed and noticed it would grow slowly. I began looking to find out what other women were talking about as the natural movement was gaining ground, and, you know, getting product recommendations were instrumental in feeling like I could take care of my hair because no one taught me how to take care.
How did you break into the haircare industry?
If you asked me 15 years ago, it wasn’t even an idea in my mind to make a brand. I started making hair care products because I was allergic to castor oil. I was getting painful irritation, and I couldn’t understand why, so I tried all sorts of other products, and if they had castor oil, I would have irritation. I tried making my products without castor oil from different regions, organic, etc., but it would not work. I started making my products, beginning with body care products, because I had already ventured into this DIY formulation.
I started reading cosmetic chemistry books, patent information, and researching different hair care products and manufacturers. I needed to learn how product ingredients work and what works together, and that’s how I started my foray into formulating. There were two blogs in Europe, one in France and one in Germany, that were also instrumental in my journey, especially with regards to homemade cosmetics that are more natural because even at the time in the US, where we were buying ingredients, our suppliers weren’t providing many natural materials. I generally love formulating and thinking about how to design a product and the problem I must solve. It’s just part of my creative process.
Who inspired or influenced your approach to haircare?
I always loved even though I was allergic to Mielle Organics. I always loved their marketing, rollout, colors, and the way they mix their products. There are several brands. Many of them that are not even in hair care that I admire that I’ve recently begun to follow. What inspired the hair care brand as it is today was my trip to Korea in 2018 which solidified this idea of feeling. This white space that I observed so in Korean skincare is like; it’s like breathing in Korea. It’s so intense and intentional, and everyone is part of it. Everyone ascribes to it, and there’s so much about the kind of attention and care brought to skin care. And I just kind of wondered why?
We don’t do that for hair at all, so I came home and was super inspired. Could I build a product that brought something different to the marketplace that focused on how we care for our scalps? And when I did market research in 2020, I was kind of locked in the idea because one of the findings from that research was that Black women are not thinking about themselves in any meaningful way.
How does your branding reflect your culture?
It’s an enormous credit to my design and marketing team, who helped to bring this to life. Our brand colors are pan-African colors, and so you’ll see those reflected in the pattern that we chose, which is an African-based pattern. This also reflects Kenya, and I thought these colors were fitting because I wanted to address all of us, everywhere, who have textured hair and have struggled to take care of it and love ourselves. I wanted the branding to reflect blackness’s power, uniqueness, and multidimensional aspect.
I wanted to reflect that back to my target audience, so when my designer mentioned black and gold in our redesign because we did have this as the 2nd version of our product packaging, it felt perfect. Black and gold signify an ultimate luxurious experience and are sprinkled with colors reflecting our culture, struggle, and determination. I thought that those two things would elevate the hair care experience and raise expectations of Black women about what’s possible in hair care. We deserve luxurious hair products that do more for hair, and the intention behind this brand is to bring exactly that.
Can you describe the plant-based biotechnology that went into creating your products?
Biotech is such an exciting space, especially right now when it comes to cosmetics. Biotechnology gives us kombucha solid ale, bread, wine, and beer in food. In cosmetics, it can help move us toward a more sustainable future. We get these ingredients from biotech that are generally less demanding of our planet. Biotech involves amplifying an ingredient, so we are strengthening specific parts of that plant to produce byproducts that are helpful to the skin and the hair. They have smaller molecules because you’re breaking down the enzymes within the plant, and then they are more efficacious, bringing more nutrition. The ingredients that we’re using are fermented rice, passion fruit seeds, plant stem cells, peptides, and growth factors.
Which product would be the best to try for first-time users?
I would recommend that first-time users want a product that’s easy to fit into their current routine. Most people use some kind of leave-in conditioner and our UNYEVU LIGHTWEIGHT SILK LEAVE-IN. It’s rich, but it’s lightweight, so it’s not going to be greasy, and it’s not going to leave a heavy residue on your hair, but it’s going to moisturize, soften, and help fight dehydration. It contains snow mushroom, which is the first time this ingredient is being used in a product for textured hair, and our innovative blend of both low and high molecular weight. It will deeply hydrate, so it will penetrate the hair with the smaller molecules, the lower molecular, and then the higher molecular weight, forming a film over your hair.
How did your approach to sustainability influence the packaging?
In thinking about sustainability, I’m considering how something comes into existence and how it ends its life after the customer has used it. Are the people picking it for the manufacturer working in safe conditions with fair incomes? Is the manufacturer contributing positively to the improvement of life and protecting biodiversity? These are the questions I think of when I’m thinking about OK; how do I pick which ingredients I want to use for packaging?
Globally, we have a huge plastic problem, but at the same time, some things only come in plastic at the moment, and not all plastic is recyclable. My goal with UZIMA was to try and move away from plastics to single-use plastics, which led us to pick aluminum. The leave-in conditioner and the essence because it’s lighter, has a larger volume, and are infinitely recyclable. It’s a good way to lower our footprint and pass that on to our customers. And then we also chose lightweight glass, so it’s easier or lighter to transport and is gentler on the environment.
Act + Acre is a haircare company putting scalp care at the heart of its brand with scientifically formulated products and accessories aimed at reducing build-up on the scalp. Helen Reavey is the founder and celebrity trichologist applying her expertise to a wide range of products designed to help diagnose common scalp and hair conditions. Her patented cold-pressed technique has allowed her to create plant-based products that are sustainable and filled with rich nutrients. Each of her collections targets a different scalp challenge like hair thinning or an oily and dry scalp. As she continues to innovate and grow her brand, she’s changing the landscape of haircare with her newest detangling brush ($34) “Designed to prevent breakage using double-length bristles that gently work through tangles without causing damage, the Detangling Brush is designed to be used on wet and dry hair.” We sat down to talk about Helen’s new curl and wave system aimed at protecting and restoring curls.
What is the inspiration behind the name of your brand?
Our brand name was inspired by our mission to provide clean, plant-based products that help you to elevate your hair ritual by taking care of your scalp.
- Act: the process of doing. A ritual. A moment of consciousness.
- Acre: of land and nature. A return to natural elements.
What challenges or struggles did your clients face that influenced the products you created?
Over my 15 years as a hairstylist, working worldwide from salon to runway, I continued to notice an overwhelming commonality across the board of poor scalp health. Thus, I decided to delve deeper into the haircare industry and really examine the products that we use everyday and I came to the conclusion that the industry was serving up a selection of sub-par products that do not nourish, balance and stimulate the scalp. So many of the haircare products we used every day were made through the addition of harsh chemicals and high temperatures, meaning that all the natural ingredients that were initially included are boiling off, reducing the potency and effectiveness of the products. It was then that I was inspired to challenge the science behind the process and carve out a new category within the hair wellness space that focuses on all-natural, chemical-free, clean ingredients scalp centric products.
How would you define a “Cold Processed” hair wellness brand?
Our Cold Processed® Method is our one-of-a-kind product creation method that uses 90% less energy than your average personal care product (which uses a heat process). Our patented technology allows us to maintain the efficacy and purity of each ingredient within our formulations, which then gives us the ability to have fully plant-based products that don’t include chemicals. Think of it almost as a cold-pressed juice but for your hair care products – our scalp-centric products are created to be extremely nutrient-rich, meaning your scalp + hair are receiving all of the ingredient benefits needed to help the hair thrive.
How did your experience in trichology shape how you designed the detangling brush and comb?
Being a trichologist has fundamentally changed the way I approach hair care and more importantly scalp health. The scalp is the root of all hair health, meaning you need a well-balanced, healthy scalp/scalp biome to have healthy hair.
Although brushes + combs aren’t necessarily seen as “scalp-centric” products, properly using a brush + comb is crucial to overall hair health. For example, wet hair is hair at its most vulnerable, so I always recommend gently using the brush or comb to detangle wet hair post-shower, ensuring to start from the ends and work your way up to the roots. Our Detangling Brush was specifically designed with double-length bristles that gently work through tangles without causing damage, while our Detangling Comb was created with wide-spaced teeth to protect the hair from friction + snags.
Additionally, you can use both the Brush + Comb to massage the hair at the root, since scalp massages are known to:
- Increase blood flow to the scalp to help the natural growth cycle
- Improve hair follicle health
- Reduce inflammation that may trigger hair loss
Why did you decide to expand your line with the Curl + Wave system?
Prioritizing your scalp care is a great first step to getting your curls to thrive, and we wanted to create a line of products specifically formulated to promote scalp health, while restoring shape, texture, and shine to curls and waves.
Curly hair tends to be drier and coarser, so it’s crucial to ensure you have the right balance of moisture and protein in your product to help curly hair thrive. The scalp has a delicate microbiome and a low barrier function, meaning that it has difficulty maintaining + replenishing moisture. This can leave the scalp prone to dryness and irritation, which can lead to drier curls and texture issues.
We created our Curl Cleanse Shampoo with 5% Glycerin (vs 1.5% in our original cleanse formula) and Fulvic Acid, to act as a probiotic for the scalp to remove build-up and add moisture. It strikes the perfect balance of cleansing without disrupting the hair’s natural moisture balance, resulting in nourished, frizz-free curls.
From there, our Soft Curl Spray is uniquely formatted with Watermelon Extract, Aloe Vera, and Glycerin which work together to soothe any dryness or scalp sensitivity, while hydrating the scalp + hair. It’s the perfect product to use on a daily basis to refresh and rejuvenate your waves/curls.
And then, for bouncy, defined curls, we created our Soft Curl Lotion, which is similar to a curl creme but is packed with vegan protein to help repair damaged hair and strengthen it, while reducing frizz and adding definition.
It’s also important to note that many curl products on the market contain sulfates and silicones, which can actually further dry out the hair, making curls frizzy and limp. We wanted to create a collection of all the products you may need to elevate your curls, without the use of silicones, sulfates, or harsh alcohols.
What is the difference between the soft curl and soft wave systems?
The main difference between our Soft Curl System and Soft Wave System is that Soft Wave does not include our Soft Curl Lotion. Both systems include the Cold Processed Curl Cleanse Shampoo and Cold Processed Curl Spray, which work together to restore the shape, texture, and shine of curls and waves while soothing + hydrating the scalp. The Curl Cleanse Shampoo is formulated with 5% Glycerin to cleanse + hydrate the scalp for softer and shinier hair, and the Curl Spray contains 0.20% Watermelon Extracts which hydrate and refresh your curl pattern + texture.
Although you can use both systems for any curl type (Type 2, Type 3 or Type 4), the Soft Wave system is especially great for those with Type 2 hair types that are looking to elevate their waves and add a bit more definition. If you have a Type 3 or Type 4 curls, and are looking for a more defined, bouncy curl, I’d opt for our Soft Curl System, since it includes the Soft Curl Lotion. The weightless curl creme is formulated with 0.5% Vegan Protein – which is perfect for giving a light hold + soft finish to curlier and more kinky/coily hair.
Which products would you recommend first-time users try and why?
I always say that prioritizing your scalp health is the first step to getting hair to thrive. To get started, incorporate a weekly scalp treatment into your hair routine, such as our Scalp Detox. This gentle pre-cleanse treatment breaks down oil and removes product buildup from the scalp to ensure the scalp microbiome is balanced and the hair follicles are prepped for healthy growth. You can even apply it with our Scalp Gua Sha, to further support and promote natural microcirculation and relaxation.
From there, make sure to use a sulfate + silicone-free shampoo, and always double cleanse the scalp, as the first wash removes residue + additional build-up, while the second actually cleanses the scalp. After each wash, use a restorative + hydrating serum to soothe the scalp and balance the microbiome. I absolutely love our Cold Processed® Stem Cell Serum – it uses Apple Stem Cells which are clinically proven to promote the hair growth cycle, and Aloe Vera to nourish and soothe the scalp, while boosting collagen production and adding moisture.
And then if I could recommend a third must-try product, it has to be our Scalp Renew. Similar to Scalp Detox, Scalp Renew is a pre-wash treatment that promotes scalp health. The gentle, chemical exfoliant contains 0.15% Salicylic Acid which works to calm scalp irritation + itch, while balancing sebum oil levels and nourishing the scalp. I’d recommend using the Detox and Renew as weekly treatments where you would apply these on different days to maximize the benefits of each product! Or if you want to specifically focus on your scalp concern:
- Scalp Detox = Dry + Itchy Scalp and to boost hair growth
- Scalp Renew = Oily + Flakey Scalp
Have you tried Act + Acre scalp care or hair products yet? Let us know what you thought in the comments.
The Global Premiere of Disney’s live-action film Little Mermaid is giving us all of the mermaidcore inspiration. Tinisha “Sparkle” Meeks once again worked magic with Halle Bailey’s locs, hairstylist Davontae’ Washington styled Chloe Bailey, and Hairstylist Alexander Armand worked with Marsai Marti. Check out how they achieved these carpet-ready hairstyles at the Little Mermaid Premiere.
Halle Bailey’s Ariel red locs
Tinisha “Sparkle” Meeks, @sparkyourhair, had everyone wondering “how did she do that?!” with Halle Bailey’s recent Met Gala hairstyle, and now we have a new awe-inspiring look to zoom in on. Bailey’s hip-length locs in Ariel’s auburn red color end in loose curls. The hairstyle was the perfect complement to her mermaidcore dress by Valdrin Sahiti.
“I don’t look at locs like it’s something different than any texture of hair,” Meeks has told PopSugar. “I love straight textures, I love curly textures, I love locs. To me, it’s all the same.” She continues to innovate new styles and sculptural looks with locs. “No matter what the texture is, I feel like you can manipulate it to look like whatever another style is. I enjoy doing that with locs,” Meeks said.
Chloe Bailey’s Va Va Volume
Chloe Bailey brought the volume to The Little Mermaid Premiere! To achieve this look, Davonte crocheted Chloe’s locs for a flat foundation, prepping the skin with rubbing alcohol to remove all residue and makeup and using the KISS Colors & Care Lace Bond Adhesive Spray – Extreme Hold for a seamless installment. Its extreme hold formula is long-lasting and fast drying to keep your hair and wigs in place until your next wash.
Next, he used a small amount of the award-winning Edge Fixer Glued in Watermelon to tame her baby hairs for an air/soft look. To finish the look Devontae used the Edge Fixer Wax Stick in Sweet Peach to smooth the edge back and combed over with a hot comb.
Marsai Marti’s Half Up Bohemian Braids
“Tonight’s red carpet look for Marsai was inspired by mermaid hair, but we wanted to elevate it to a chic, effortless, glamor look”, explained Alexander Armand.
To help achieve Marsai’s braided half up/half down hairstyle at the Little Mermaid Premiere, Alexander used the KISS Colors & Care Foaming Mousse to add shine to the bohemian braids. Next, he used the award-winning Edge Fixer Glued Max Hold to achieve a polished hair line, with perfectly placed baby hairs. As a final step, Alexander used the Maximum Hold 2-in-1 Super Stay to hold everything in place.
Which were your favorite hairstyles at the Little Mermaid Premiere?
As a nutrient booster, avocados include vitamins that can help strengthen your hair, reduce scalp inflammation, and encourage hair growth. As a food that contains essential fatty acids, they add hydration to dull and dry hair which helps to leave strands hydrated, healthy, and shiny. We’ve compiled a list of jaw-dropping products that include avocado as a main ingredient to help give your hair the hydration it needs this summer. Whether it’s a masque or styling product, there are plenty of avocado hair products to add to your shopping list.
Avocado Hair Masques
Alikay Naturals Avocado Cream Moisture Repairing Mask
If you’re looking to take your hair from damaged to daring, the Alikay Naturals Avocado Cream Moisture Repairing Mask can help provide a deep treatment with nourishment your hair will love. The masque includes avocado oil to help penetrate and strengthen the hair cortex which can improve elasticity, breakage, and dry scalp.
Uncle Funky’s Daughter Heal & Renew Intensive Hair Masque
Uncle Funky’s is serving with a silk protein hair masque that gives a deep treatment infused with avocado oil, aloe vera juice, and argan oil. The mask can work for anyone looking to revitalize their hair and replenish moisture, detangle hair, repair split ends, and protect curls before any heat styling.
Briogeo Curl Charisma Rice Amino + Avocado Hydrating & Defining Mask
Briogeo combines rice amino and avocado for a hydrating and defining mask that defines and defrizzes your curls. As a protein-free mask designed for all curls types and texture works with ingredients like tomato fruit ferment to nourish and condition the most challenging dry hair.
Avocado Styling Products
The Doux We Want Easy Texture Tamer
The Doux is bringing all the hydration with their texture tamer is here to protect your curls before using any heat tools. We know how it important it is prep and protect your curls from the damage of heat products so using this product can help to tame frizz and smooth blowouts with tons of hydration and shine.
Mielle Organics Moisturizing Avocado Hair Milk
Mielle’s Avocado Hair Milk is here to be the remedy to dry and thirsty hair needed an infusion of extracted botanicals and organic ingredients. This product can be used as a daily moisturizer to help with length retention, softening the hair, or smoothing it for better manageability. It can be combined with other Mielle products or used to help seal your ends when creating a protective style.
Bounce Curl Avocado & Rose Oil Clump & Define Cream
Give your the hair the gift of luxury with this multi-purpose leave-in cream that lightly holds and softens hair at the same time. The concentrated ingredients of avocado, black seed oil, and Morrocan rose work together to give your hair volume and hydration. As a 2020 Best of the Best award winner, this is a staple product that can be used as a 2 in 1 cream.
Design Essentials Almond & Avocado Twist and Set Setting Lotion
Design Essentials has a formulated a setting lotion that can help create a lasting hold without a hard, crunchy texture. Avocado is combined with ingredients like jojoba oil wheat proteins, and silk amino acids for essential moisture that seals the cuticle for an overall healthy shine. This quick drying formula is set in a spray bottle for maximum coverage whether you are looking to create twist-in or twist-out style.
Check out: Why Avocado Oil Makes The Best Summer Hair Oil
Organic Root Stimulator Curls Unleashed Coconut & Avocado Curl Smoothie
Are you ready for a dose of maximum moisture and protection while styling your hair? This hydration blend of avocado and coconut helps to add moisture, protect against breakage, and reduce frizz for curls and coils. The avocado focuses on helping prevent breakage and can be applied to dry or damp hair.
Cantu Avocado Hydrating Curl Activator Cream with Pure Shea Butter
This luxurious cream is designed to help define, smooth, and soften your your curls that are quenching for hydration. Cantu has created the curl activator cream to be used with dry or damp hair and infused with ingredients such as avocado and shea butter. The combination of superfoods and vitamins will help to enhance your natural curl pattern and make your hair nice, soft, and luxurious.
Avocado Shampoos
SheaMoisture Power Greens Curly Hair Shampoo and Conditioner
SheaMoisture is bringing the double dose of health with their “Power Greens” collection that is filled with moringa, avocado, kale, matcha, green algae, and shea butter. As a cruelty-free formula it focuses on restoring hair health and replenishing moisture. If you’re a naturalista with dry hair, this is a great formula that can help leave your hair shinier and fuller regardless of texture or hair type.
Taliah Waajid Protective Styles Refresh And So Clean Bamboo, Avocado And Peppermint Dry Gel Shampoo
There is nothing like scalp care whenever you are wearing a protective style. Taliah Waajid is a fantastic product that can help gently cleanse and refresh your scalp with a formulated design that will not disrupt your current protective style. The combination of avocado and peppermint in this dry gel shampoo formula can purify and refresh the scalp which leaves your hair follicles nourished and conditioned.
Read next: 20 Silicone Free Curl Styling Products
Kiara Brumfield is a Chicago-based chemist, cosmetologist and S.T.E.M mentor. A proud alumna of Howard University in Washington, DC, Kiara earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology there in 2014. Unaware of opportunities or career paths in science that could also spark her passion for hair and beauty, the Chemist returned to Chicago and enrolled in Cosmetology school. While pursuing her license along her self-defining journey, she was recruited by a Chemical Manufacturing company in the personal care industry. It was there that she began to envision how to balance beauty and chemistry.
She loved being a chemist and started looking to apply to positions that would allow her to use both her passions in one role. This is how Kiara arrived at her current position at Universal Beauty Products: Scientist/Licensed Cosmetology.
The opportunity enables her to formulate products, manage claims substantiation, evaluate product performance in the company’s salon to create high-performing hair care products. In her spare time, she loves to volunteer and speak at events to expose youth to S.T.E.M. careers in the beauty industry, such as being a cosmetic chemist. Kiara hopes her presence in her community and the industry will inspire youth, especially African Americans, to pursue careers in science.
We spoke to Kiara about her role at Jamaican Mango & Lime, and the products she’s most excited about to level up our protective styles.
Jamaican Mango & Lime have been in business for 30 years, how did you get started with the brand?
I was a Quality Control Chemist at a surfactant company when I learned about the personal care industry. I was also a licensed cosmetologist and decided to look for opportunities where I could use both my passions. I was beyond excited to see that Jamaican Mango & Lime was hiring for a chemist position. This position has allowed me to formulate and conduct performance testing on newly developed products. I’ve been using Jamaican Mango & Lime since I was a child and I’m so excited to continue supporting the brand in developing quality products.
How would you describe your Jamaican Mango & Lime in 3 words?
Original, Trusted, and Carefree.
What inspired the focus on the brand’s core ingredients?
Jamaican Mango and Lime products are inspired by Jamaican culture. We use nourishing and natural ingredients throughout our product lines to support consumers in starting and maintaining healthy locs, twists, braids, and other styles.
What are the benefits of using natural ingredients like mango and lime on your hair?
Using natural ingredients adds moisturizing, antioxidant, anti inflammatory and antimicrobial properties to hair care formulas.
What is a common misconception about using castor oil?
The main misconception I’ve heard is that Castor oil can cure alopecia. There are so many factors involved that correlate to hair growth. Castor oil cannot cure alopecia, but it can be useful for certain forms of alopecia like alopecia areata. Creating a healthy hair care regime and using castor oil as an ingredient to create a healthy environment is one of many ways castor could promote hair growth. Not taking proper care of your hair and adding castor oil will not result in growth.
What are 2-3 products that are best for creating protective styles?
1. Jamaican Mango and Lime Extra Hold & Easy Braid Jel – Braids
2. Jamaican Mango and Lime Braiding & Setting Mousse – Braids, Twist, Finger Coils, Roller Sets, Wet molds, Etc.
3. Any of the Jamaican Mango and Lime Locking Gels – Locs and Twists.
What are 3 tips for maintaining braided hairstyles?
Using Jamaican Mango and Lime Braiding & Setting Mousse, following the completion of the style, is a great way to set and ensure longevity. To preserve your style I would suggest using Jamaican Mango and Lime 6-in-1 Soothes & Revives Braid Refresher and Jamaican Mango and Lime Foams & Refresh Dry Wash to keep your hair clean and moisturized. An added benefit to using Jamaican Mango and Lime braiding line is that it has odor blocking technology in all the products to keep your braids fresh longer.
What products would be best for first-time users to use from your brand?
I would suggest our Smooth Moisture line. Smooth Moisture is the best product I’ve used to execute a silk press without using harsh chemicals. It leaves your hair flowy and smooth, with extra shine. It contains technology that has been tested in a laboratory and salon. Extensive research proved that the Smooth Moisture system prevents breakage, has great humidity protection to prevent curl reversion, has heat protection in every step, and even makes hair stronger after using the system. These products are ideal for consumers with natural hair who desire a sleek straight look without heat damage. Smooth Moisture is the perfect at home system that yields the salon look without salon prices. This system is also great for stylists to elevate their services.
Looking for your next braided hairstyle? Here are 21 to try next.
The Met Gala is one of the biggest nights for Hollywood celebrities and designers looking to showcase their talents through immaculate styling and visual concepts. True to the annual May event, celebrities flocked to the streets of New York City to honor the late Karl Lagerfeld with an array of ensembles that paid homage to his fashion legacy. Janelle Monae attended the event with an eye-catching top knot hairstyle, courtesy of Mielle Organics products. Celebrity stylist Nikki Nelms takes us behind the scenes and shares her secrets to creating this runway-worthy look.
Janelle’s super tall, structural top knot was inspired by her exaggerated tweed tuxedo by Thom Browne. “We really wanted to make this look special” Nelms said, “since this will be the first Met Gala where her hair will be visible since 2017.”
How Janelle’s Top Knot was Created
How to Prep Hair for a Top Knot
Prep for Janelle’s 2023 Met Gala hairstyle started with a calming wash using the Mielle Pomegranate & Honey Moisturizing and Detangling Shampoo and Conditioner. This shampoo works into a luxurious lather and has an amazing scent. It cleans without stripping away moisture and pre-detangles curly hair, while the conditioner helps to achieve shiny, smooth-to-the-touch hair.
Once towel dried, I misted her hair with Mielle’s White Peony Leave-In Conditioner, and then I followed with the Mielle Mongongo Oil Thermal & Heat Protectant Spray before blow drying.
How to style the top knot
To style, I used the Mielle Avocado & Tamanu Anti-Frizz Stay Straight Serum before lightly straightening the hair.
I made a secure ponytail base to start then added wire and wrapped the hair around to create the height and structure.
After the hair was up and sleek, I applied the Mielle Rice Water & Aloe Braid Gel. It was perfect to get a nice smooth base braid.
I pulled pieces out throughout the updo and re-wrapped into knots around the pre-wrapped hair to add dimension and depth.
I finished with the Pomegranate & Honey Blend Super Hold Edge Gel to get those edges laid down.
The final look led to a tall cylinder like structure.
Want more? Check out 33 more stunning hairstyles from the Met Gala 2023.
The 2023 Met Gala was a night to remember, with celebrities showcasing their stunning looks on the red carpet. Among them was Ariana Debose, who stunned in a hair look that paid homage to Karl Lagerfeld’s iconic hair color and her own heritage.
Ariana Debose’s Met Gala hairstyle was created by Celebrity Stylist, Araxi Lindsey, who combined different ideas to create a unique look. Joseph Altuzarra envisioned the classic finger waves of Josephine Baker, while Ariana and Araxi had a vision of white ombré cornrow braids. Together, they created an edgy, artsy look, and celebrated cultural greatness.
Araxi used the As I Am Rice Water Collection to achieve this look for shampooing and conditioning. The collection is known for being light with a gentle fragrance, making it the perfect choice for Ariana’s hair. After a blow dry to smooth her hair for braiding, Araxi went for an artsy parting with a little bit of edginess.
The result was cornrows going into a fishtail braid with a tribal finish. To smooth and condition Ariana’s edges, the Araxi used the As I Am Classic Curling Jelly. The Curling Jelly added natural moisture to Ariana’s hair and allowed movement until it dried into place.
“I love the natural moisture that the As I Am Curling Jelly gives,” Araxi said. “The Rice Water Collection is perfect for keeping hair light and smelling great. I’m thrilled with how this look turned out, and I’m honored to have been a part of Ariana’s Met Gala experience.”
The Met Gala is known for its extravagant fashion and beauty looks, and Ariana Debose’s Met Gala hairstyle was no exception. With its cultural inspiration and unique style, her hair was a standout feature of the night.
Want more? Check out 33 more stunning hairstyles from the Met Gala 2023.
When Flawless by Gabrielle Union hit the shelves, it immediately set itself apart from other celebrity-owned beauty brands for nourishing ingredients and dedication to textured hair. Flawless by Gabrielle Union is starting the year off by expanding the collection from the essentials like shampoo and deep conditioning masques to stylers that will elevate your hair game. The collection is heavily inspired by the salon experience – one that allows individuals to be vulnerable, talk about issues of importance in the community, and escape the stressors of life. Flawless by Gabrielle Union wants to pay homage to this experience by also giving people the opportunity to renew their looks and spirit, which is why we are so thrilled to be introducing these new products.
Flawless by Gabrielle Union wants to pay homage to this experience by also giving people the opportunity to renew their looks and spirit
We sat down with celebrity hairstylist Larry Sims and co-founder of Flawless by Gabrielle Union. Sims originally began his entertainment career fifteen years ago in Chicago as a professional dancer and choreographer for some of the most influential artists in music, including Missy Elliot and Sean P Diddy Combs. However, Sims always loved hair and quickly realized that is where his ultimate passion lies. It was not long before Sims started amassing his own list of celebrity clients including Gabrielle Union, Janet Jackson, Queen Latifah, David and Victoria Beckham, Christina Milian, and Mary J Blige. As the co-founder of Flawless, Larry aims to provide product knowledge and style education to everyone. Check out more from our interview with Larry below where he breaks down each new product and shares insights into how the collection was created.
What was the goal of creating these new products?
We really wanted to make sure that we got products out to our consumers and our supporters that were super affordable and on-trend. We wanted to make sure that it was affordable and accessible no matter what your social or economic status was and or is. We’re really proud to say that we’re able to still give the efficacy of the same quality without compromising our ingredients and we’re really happy.
What was the inspiration for expanding the brand to stylers?
These new stylers were an homage to what a beauty shop is and the experience people had within them growing up. There are two different experiences between a beauty shop and a salon. We wanted to create a marriage of both cultures and show that no matter if you’re in a shop or in a salon both of those experiences still warrant the quality of these new stylists that we have. We’re really proud and excited for everybody to see the campaign that’s coming out.
Let’s talk products, can you break down each product for NaturallyCurly?
5 Butter Miracle Leave-in Conditioner
First, have our 5 Butter Miracle Leave-in Conditioner ($10.99), it is absolutely moisturizing and amazing. We originally launched the 5 Butter Miracle Mask which is super hydrating and moisturizing. The goal was to build off the success we had with that product and we believe we have a conditioner that a lot of our consumers really love. The fact that we had all 5 Butters in it that was topped off with a bit of sweet honey, was amazing. That extra hydration is essential for a curly girl or guy that’s rocking their natural style hair which can be a bit drier. We really wanted to really dive into the moisture and the hydration of this leave-in, so this is really great.
Elongating Curl Custard
We originally launched with our defining curl cream rather and a lot of curlies like to cocktail it with a gel to get the elongation. We listened to our consumers and decided to create a product for them that became our Elongating Curl Custard ($10.99), which is super defining and is really shiny. It seals the cuticle. It has amazing ingredients in it and it just gives you that elongation and that definition without the flaking or drying. It does not create that crunch that is typically associated with gels so you’re gonna have a soft finish with definition.
Styling Glaze
I’ve been in this business for many years and I’ve used glaze products on so many people and one of the problems with glazes is that if you’re under lights, if you’re working long hours with heat, sometimes they can melt. It can run that. As a stylist, it was super important to come up with the right combination of ingredients so that it doesn’t perform in that way. With our Styling Glaze ($8.99) it’s great for high ponytails, buns, and up-dos. I’m really proud of Gab and I think that it probably is one of her favorite products. When we had test series and tried to figure out the components of the products she was like no I’m keeping all of the testers, so she robbed me of the testers. We’re really excited for everybody to get their hands on them, these are absolutely fantastic.
Nourishing Scalp Spray
Next is our Nourishing Scalp Spray ($10.99) for those that are rocking natural hairstyles like Bantu knots, braids, or flat twists. If you’re rocking your foundation underneath your units and you don’t want to start all over, you can really refresh your scout with this product. It has aloe, peppermint, bacuri butter, and coconut oil in it and it’s all just really refreshing. It allows you to get a little bit of longevity out of having to start over on your wash days. We did launch with. scalp soothing tonic and the difference between both products is that the scalp soothing tonic soothes the scalp, but it also gets rid of build-up from products you were using. This completely refreshes and nourishes your scalp, so you can use these two in combination.
What product would you recommend our readers try out for the first time?
From the styler line, I would say the first thing that I would recommend trying would probably be the elongating custard. I’ve noticed in the market that a lot of people have the same issues with the finish of custards, whether it be flaking, crust, or it’s not defining or elongating. This is super versatile for women that are wearing it as a wash-and-go, twist-outs, or the shingles method. It starts off with moisturizing, replenishing, and hydrating it.
Are stylers are they best used alone or can they be cocktailed?
We wanted to make sure that the line was standalone but also cocktailed in any way that fits a person’s specific needs because as we know there isn’t one hair texture or one process that works for everyone. You can’t do like a one-size-fits-all in terms of your hair. Every hair texture, routine, and lifestyle has specific needs, so we really wanted to make sure that these products could work alone or in tandem together which can be a cocktail.
Why do you think there has been a renewed interest in scalp care?
Gab has children and when you think about her own hair journey, where she has lost hair due to IVF treatments and trying to get pregnant, we specifically have gone down a very deep dive into how to grow her hair back from basically nickel size and bald spots. We tried everything under the sun, but what we realized as a company and as friends is that it really starts number one with what you put in your body and then what you do outside of your body.
Outside of your body, it starts with your scalp, so when we talk about how to get healthy hair growth consistently, I always lead with a proper diet and drinking tons of water. I encourage stimulation and exercise to invigorate your blood flow from the inside and then from the outside. You’re going to have beautiful hair, but if the scalp isn’t nurtured and taken care of, then it all goes to waste. Taraji is a good friend of ours and we support TPH by Taraji and her tagline is “healthy scalp, healthy hair.” I feel like in the space she was one of the first elected to lead the charge. She blew the horn on that and I really appreciate that as well.
What is a fun summer style that you’d love to see created with these products?
Summer is definitely coming. I feel like box braids are happening. You know, one thing that I was doing with Janet Jackson in particular is that I was adding hair to her box braids. Everybody was trying to figure out how we did it, what it was and and the method we created. I just love the fact that people can have an opportunity to protect their hair but also incorporate extra hair into their protective styles without putting any heat on their hair. I’m really excited to see that trend pop this summer.
Have you tried the Flawless by Gabrielle Union products? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Read next: 12 Ways to Style Box Braids
Davines Group was started in 1983 in Parma, Italy by the Bollati family and had been producing high-end hair care products for consumers worldwide. President and Owner David Bollati has remained committed to creating and developing products that evoke sustainability and have cutting-edge chemistry that is ethical for customers. The multi-faceted haircare line is sold in over 90 locations worldwide and features a wide range of products to serve any hair type and challenge. Their most recent launch is their curly hair line formulated and designed to help fight frizz, maintain elasticity, and leave curls bouncy and defined. We sat down to chat with the owner about their humble origins, sustainability, and curls.
Davines originated in 1983 in Parma, Italy. What has been a staple of its evolution over the years?
Founded by, and still, 100% owned and run by, the Bollati family in Parma, Italy, Davines is an international beauty company with distribution in more than 90 countries dedicated to a balance of beauty and sustainability. For the past 30 years, all Davines products have been care-crafted in Parma using the highest-quality natural ingredients and scientific rigor. As the company and environmental commitment have evolved, all product packaging is now plastic-neutral, carbon-neutral, and produced with clean energy. As a certified B Corp, the Davines Group strives to place social and environmental sustainability at the core of its ethos.
“At Davines, we believe that living a balance of beauty and sustainability, what we can “sustainable beauty”, can improve our lives and the world around us.” – Davide Bollati, President
How does your “sustainable beauty” philosophy affect your ingredients and product manufacturing?
Sustainable Beauty, the balance of beauty + sustainability, is the driving force behind our products and projects — from formulation to design to ethics and customers. We constantly push ourselves to be better and do better for the planet and our clients while creating high-performance products.
Why is having a positive environmental impact such a staple of the business?
Since becoming a certified B Corp in 2016, we have rewritten our way of doing business, looking at business as a positive force capable of generating a profit and, at the same time, creating a positive impact on people and the environment. We have also decided to align our objectives with the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the UN Agenda 2030, entrenching them into our corporate strategy.
How would you describe the ingredients sourced from the slow food presidium and included in your products?
Every Slow Food Presidia ingredient in the Essential Haircare line is cultivated by an Italian farmer who works to preserve ingredients at risk of extinction. The Essential Haircare line lets you feel good about giving your hair the custom care it craves while also helping to protect and preserve our planet’s biodiversity.
What is one piece of advice you give an aspiring entrepreneur looking to break into the hair industry?
“For a hairdresser, I would avoid the word entrepreneur altogether. I believe if you get into hairdressing to solely make a dollar, then that’s all you will ever earn. If you begin with an interest that develops into a passion, this is the correct path. I always encourage fellow hairdressers to find great mentors whose work catches their attention and learn from them, soaking every piece of knowledge they can from them and anyone else around them. Ask why, question your teachers, so you know not only how to replicate but innovate, study the history of art, music, film, fashion, and art from which catches your attention, then use all of that culture to distill into a style of work which is original to you, this will help you make a mark in whatever direction your career takes and most importantly do it for the love of the craft, not money or fame, likes or followers. If you do it for love, and there’s a good chance you’ll have a rewarding career.” – Tom Connell, Davines’ Hair Art Director
What inspired the curly hair collection?
“The desire was to experiment with the vast array of curl care and styling products available, combined with wanting to provide ideas and options for both the hairdresser and client when approaching curly hair. The lack of knowledge and fear of how to properly treat and style curls is very common among hairdressers, and we have, hopefully, addressed some of these concerns.” – Tom Connell, Davines’ Hair Art Director
A winter favorite from your collection is the “Curl Gel Oil” how would you describe its uses and benefits?
This is aCurl Gel Oil that was created for thick, coarse curls. It is an innovative gel-to-oil formula that features a gel’s soft hold and the hydration of an oil, delivering frizz-free definition to each strand, with hair left feeling natural, soft, and shiny. To achieve soft curls, apply Davines’ this is a Curl Building Serum to damp hair, then layer with This is a Curl Gel Oil and scrunch into the hair. To finish, diffuse the hair to dry. To achieve more defined curls, apply Davines’ This is a Relaxing Moisturizing Fluid to damp hair, then layer with This is a Curl Gel Oil and scrunch into the hair. Diffuse to dry, and enjoy your bouncy, defined curls!
For first-time users, what are the 2 staple products they must try from the curly hair collection?
This is Curl Building serum is a must-have product for those with curly hair. It adds elasticity and shine to the curls while blocking frizz and humidity. For wash day, our LOVE Curl Shampoo and Conditioner is perfect for those looking to control their curls, and the consumer, is sure to see immediate results.
Check out: How Young King Hair Care is Bridging the Curly Industry Gap for Young Black and Brown Men
Julissa Prado is continuing to blaze a large path for her Latina-owned business, Rizos Curls. The self-funded hair care line for curls, coils and waves everywhere founded by Julissa Prado celebrates expansion to every Ulta Beauty location by launching a National Masterclass Tour with curl experts including Celebrity Hairstylist Irinel De León.
As of April 9th, Rizos Curls will be available at all Ulta Beauty stores, making them the first Latina-owned curly hair care brand to do so. This expansion marks the growing success of the brand from their initial launch of 300 stores at Ulta Beauty in June 2021 to now being available at more than 1,350 Ulta Beauty locations. To celebrate and continue fostering community-focused experiences, Rizos Curls is launching a free Masterclass Tour with stops in Los Angeles, New York, Houston and Orlando bringing the country’s top curl experts directly to the community, including Celebrity Hairstylist Irinel De León and nationally known beauty influencers such as Viva Glam Kay! Customers can stop by their local ULTA where they can witness live curl transformations, expert tips and tricks for your waves, curls & coils, and a Q&A with Julissa!
The celebration continues with the launch of two new products from Rizos Curls at Ulta Beauty as the brand continues to expand into scalp care and styling products for curls and beyond. These two new products were designed to help users achieve healthy hair by keeping the scalp clean, balanced, and nourished. Read more about the newest additions to the Rizos Curls line up below.
The Apple Cider Vinegar Scalp & Hair Rinse.is a game-changing product that will reboot hair to receive and retain moisture for a healthy scalp and soft bouncy curls proven to help styling products perform better. Formulated with 95%naturally derived ingredients, this clarifying hair rinse removes scalp build up by gently cleansing and removing residue with its key featured ingredient – Certified Organic Apple Cider Vinegar.
Made with ultra-potent, quality ingredients like Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Niacinamide, Black Tea Kombucha, Lemon Oil, Blue Agave and more. All combined to gently clarify, add shine, deliver nutrients & antioxidants.
How to Use:
- Massage a small amount to wet, freshly shampooed hair and scalp.
- Allow to sit for a maximum of three minutes and then rinse thoroughly with cool water.
- The Apple Cider Vinegar Scalp & Hair Rinse can also be used in place of shampoo.
Follow with the Rizos Curls Deep Conditioner, if needed.
The Beach Waves Texturizing Salt Spray is an easy-to-use non-drying texturizing salt spray that gives waves a fuller, thicker look while providing instant definition for heatless waves. Formulated with Sea Salt for natural texture enhancement along withBlue Agave Leaf,Aloe, andPrickly PearCactus,the Beach Waves Texturizing Salt Spray provides nutrient rich hydration all while Papaya and Passion Fruit extracts enhance natural shine.
It’s PROVEN to enhance texture, volume and shine! Unlike other salt sprays that may dry out your curls, we carefully selected ultra-nourishing ingredients including Blue Agave Extract, Red Algae & Prickly Pear Cactus to ensure that your hair is healthy, protected & flourishing.
How to Use:
Spray on damp or dry hair and scrunch to activate waves.
Air dry or diffuse.
Apply spray at mid length to ends for best results.
Can also be applied to the scalp to absorb excess oil.
Let’s give a huge applause to Rizos Curls for this amazing feat! History making moves at Ulta, a masterclass with world class stylists, and new products? We can’t wait to see what’s next!
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Coachella is the event of the spring and we’re excited to see all the stunning styles that evoked desert chic. Celebrity stylist Coree Moreno is the genius behind your favorite stars like Cynthia Erivo, Lupita Nyong’o, and Danai Gurira. As the stylist behind coveted red carpet looks, magazine covers, and reality tv, Moreno has curated fantastic braids, twists, and afros, for Hollywood’s brightest stars. This past weekend, he took his skills out to the desert for the biggest music festival of the spring.
Lil Nas X wowed the crowds at Coachella 2023 with his stunning and versatile hairstyles, all thanks to the nourishing and protective hair products from As I Am. The pop star’s hairstylist relied on the brand’s Rice Water Micellar Shampoo and Conditioner to prep his hair for the festival looks that left everyone talking.
Lil Nax X’s Braided Blowout Pony
Moreno shared that working with a pop star on-the-go requires products that can cleanse, nourish, and protect the hair and scalp. As I Am’s Rice Water Micellar Shampoo and Conditioner were the perfect choices for Lil Nas X’s Coachella looks, which included a braided blowout pony and a raver shag.
The Rice Water Micellar Shampoo was used to cleanse Lil Nas X’s hair, while the Rice Water Conditioner provided nourishment and detangling for easy styling. The hairstylist also used rice water before blow drying and in between protective styles to keep the scalp and hair healthy while braided.
The Raver Shag
“We wanted to create a variety of looks that showcased Lil Nas X’s personality and style while ensuring his hair remained healthy and strong,” said Moreno. “As I Am’s Rice Water products were the perfect choice to achieve that balance.”
What was your favorite Coachella hairstyle this year? Let us know in the comments!
Helix Hair Labs is bringing innovation to the natural hair space with their newest hair tools to protect your hair while you sleep. Rebecca Allen and Carly Stapleton are co-founders who are using research, development, and testing to the forefront of the consumer conversation around hair wellness. Their two new products, the sleep sleeve and silk slip tie, help address help protect your hair damage and help maintain any style of hair regardless of texture or hair type. The products are designed to be versatile and complimentary to any hair routine for easy maintenance and protection whether you are sleeping or exercising. We sat down to chat with the burgeoning entrepreneurs to learn more about their new business entering the market.
Why do you think there has been a renewed conversation around hair health?
I think what we observed was really that everybody was losing their hair. Specifically, through the pandemic, you know whether that was illness-related or stress related. Compounded by all of the other reasons we’re always losing our hair whether that’s life cycle related or just genetically predisposed. It’s it felt like there was much more front-facing conversation happening about hair loss because of the pandemic in part, and that that was playing out on social media as well.
What inspired the name Helix Hair Labs?
We wanted the brand to be grounded in efficacy, science, and observed reality. I think particularly in hair care, there is a lot of well-intentioned, but wishy-washy information out there. Helix alluded to the various textures of curls and the actual shape of a double helix gives shape to the hair
How is your branding process and how does it reflect who your company is?
We wanted a brand that felt fresh and organic with a futuristic vibe. We used a lot of clinical outer space inspiration like a white laboratory on the inside, a space station rather than the deep part of space. The bright clinical clean space station and bringing in organic elements to it. I wanted it to feel gender-neutral. We want our products to evolve and everybody to feel invited in. When we were conducting our initial interview series, we met with people in their 50s and 60s and we found that regardless of age, many people are experiencing the same types of hair challenges. We didn’t want to be just another Gen-Z zebra or millennial brand and focused on being as inclusive as possible.
How did taking a scientific approach to shaping your product development?
We spent a lot of time getting in the bathrooms of people with all different types of hair who were managing it in all different ways and understanding what their routines were, and what the products they were using were both web products and tools and devices. We wanted to create a comprehensive mapping of how people were cycling through their hair. Once we got into the development we had a lot of ideas about ways that we could improve points in people’s routines and provide specific tools that would either create efficiencies in their routines or efficacy in their routines. We’re rigorously making sure that these products work for everybody with a specific texture and making sure not to overlook people with 4C hair. We believe with any tools is that when you design with the customer in mind that you actually can make better products for everybody.
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What common hair challenges do your products solve?
Everything that we’re bringing to life falls into what we call the Helix code and that is that you want to grow your healthiest hair, style it with minimal damage, and then protect it. Our mantra is to grow, style, and protect with every product. What we’ve brought to life first falls into our class and protect bucket. For example, our silk slip tie is 100% Mulberry silk and it’s kind of a cross between like a scrunchy and a Hermes twilly. To customers with curly and coily hair, you can achieve whichever style you want. Similarly, our sleep sleeve is for protecting your hair at night or during exercise. Depending on your hair length, you can secure it at a different length, so it’s versatile and it’s working for a lot of different people in their preferred way to wrap and protect their hair.
What are the best ways to use your products?
I’d say for the sleep sleeve, the best way to use this is when your hair is done and you are going to bed and you want to protect it from damage while you’re sleeping, right, like friction while you’re sleeping, and also preserve your style. There’s no wrong way to tie it if that is totally personal preference. The other way that people can wear it too is if you are doing an overnight treatment on your hair and you want to just wrap it so that you’re not making a mess.
We designed little cutouts to make space for your ears and then you can wear it with the crossover in front and the logo market back should fit comfortably over your ears.
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Read next: How Entrepreneur Gabby Goodwin is Growing Her Beauty Empire at Age 15
