Black Hair, Narratives and Industry Innovation: Celebrating Our Worthiness

I was 9 years old when I got my first relaxer. My mom and aunt did it, together, at our home in Fort Washington, Maryland. Neither of them knew much about hair beyond how to braid it. And yet there we all were — with not one, but two, Ultra Sheen permanent crème relaxer kits — changing the texture of my nearly waist-length hair in the master bathroom of my parents' home. The memory triggers many emotions, some good and some miserable. My hair journey has been, intricate — yes, that’s a good word — and getting my hair relaxed at home for the first time is but one milestone on that provocative journey of self-discovery.

It all came back to me when my teammate Alesha Mitchell passed me this throwback Dark & Lovely hair relaxer commercial to offer commentary on. I watched and re-watched with wonder, until I settled into comfort with the following reminders:

• Debbie Allen is and always has been a trailblazer! She served us vulnerability and social media realness decades before social media was a “thing.” With a life’s work that spans 60 years and counting (she started dancing at 3…so you can check my math), she is not only a pioneer, often overcoming racism, sexism and under-representation; she also lifted many others as she climbed. Ms. Allen used her talent and passion to create “profound, transformational, and long-lasting contributions” to the arts and television. She was the first Black woman to receive the Governor’s Award during the 2021 Emmy Awards.
• DIY projects are awesome, but not when it comes to chemically retexturizing hair. Period. The list of reasons why not to chemically retexturize hair at home are too much for right here, right now. We did what we did back in the day, like smoking on airplanes and in restaurants, only because we knew no better. We know better now. I’ve formulated hair relaxers, and my cautionary, “Do not try this at home” is an offer of love. If you like to live on the edge, color your hair at home. Hell, cut it at home if you’re feeling really frisky! But leave the retexturizing chemicals to the pros. ?
• The facts we focus on and the narratives we choose shape our lives. Our personal and collective narratives about a situation or circumstance either enhance or undermine our power. Paradox and nuance dictate that multiple facts, and perspectives, can exist at the exact same time — as is and was the case with our highly textured hair, within mainstream culture and workplaces.

Fact: Women with highly-textured hair did and do exist in environments where their hair’s organic texture is frequently under-represented and sometimes not appreciated. Focus on this fact can, and did, create for some a desire to conform to mainstream business and beauty standards. Focus on circumstances of under-representation, or being seen as less-than, created a whole host of challenges. In the hair product industry, consumers with low self-esteem and minimal demands diminished the perceived need for innovation and formulation of better and better products. Low self-esteem quite literally contributed to antiquated and brutally cost-reduced product formulations as well as substandard service levels in beauty salons.

Yet there was and has always been another concurrent fact — One that we would serve ourselves well to remember, particularly in a season chock-full of potential for hair product innovation.

Fact: We know our worth. Quiet as it's kept, we believe that our full lips, big booties and kinky coily tresses are aspirational targets for beauty.

For some of us, under-representation of our hair types and textures did not diminish our sense of worth or love (for our hair.) Yup, I’m still talking about hair (well, kinda). If and when we choose to modify our hair’s texture it is for increased flexibility or ease. We choose hairstyles based on our desired aesthetics and for purposes of honoring the highest and best use of our precious time. We know we were "Dark & Lovely." Product manufacturers of means scramble to please us in exchange for riches. And, if a product or service company does not create to our standards, we dip and create our own that align with our values and beliefs.

The energy of worthiness is what led Leroy Keith to execute a leveraged buyout of Dark & Lovely brand creators Carson Products, in 1995. The move made him the first Black chairman and CEO of the company, which was founded in 1901.

The gift we have as Black women is that our hair can be worn all the ways — silky straight, kinky-coily fros, braided, twisted, loced, and more — all in one week if we so desire!

The natural hair movement of the past decade enhanced our collective self-worth and focused many more hearts and minds on positive facts about Black hair. The movement made way for the CROWN Act and continues to normalize and enhance representation of the styles organic to our textures. Our embrace of the narrative that our Black is beautiful means that we will be discerning consumers when manufacturers present a new wave of chemical products for our consideration.

Our narrative of self-determination gives us power in the marketplace. Manufacturers respond to demanding consumers with innovation after powerful innovation. Given these facts, what exactly do we want from the next generation of chemical retexturizers? We are absolutely worthy of all of it!