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by Laquita
It wasn’t long ago when natural hair wearers had to either go on a scavenger hunt for products to maintain their natural tresses or become Kitchen Beauticians and make their own. Nowadays, you can go into practically any store and find products that are geared toward maintaining and styling natural hair.
As a result of the natural hair surge, many large corporate cosmetic companies have also, for lack of a better term, jumped on the natural hair bandwagon, touting products for ‘curly’ hair and/or ones that contain natural ingredients such as Olive Oil and Shea Butter.
Years from now, will these larger companies end up buying out the smaller internet or home-based ones making them obsolete? Will executives without a strand of natural hair on their heads end up selling natural products? The following bloggers/natural hair product makers shared their thoughts with Kinnks.
Angela Walker, creator of N.E.W. Hairnet.com and contributor to The Coil Review, chimed in on the issue in a piece titled “Celebrating an Industry”.
“We have taken something that is our birth rite - naturally kinky hair - and turned it into an industry of sheer celebration. From the blogs to the salons to professional stylists, this is an industry that celebrates the beauty of blackness; the beauty of blackness with the veils removed. This celebration is pure and true, but will it remain that way?
20 years from now will this now predominately black-owned industry still be run by blacks? Will our natural hair salons have a black face in the window, but a non-black corporate ownership on paper? Will the owners of our major natural hair care products sell their line to Clairol or Johnson & Johnson to make a quick buck? she asked her readers.
Creator of Entwine Couture Beauty products, Dr. Adrienne Carthon stated that if larger corporate companies do buy-out smaller ones, the quality of the product will go down because not much of an investment will go towards quality. “The creation of the products will no longer be a labor of love, it will be all about the money,” she added.
Dr. Carthon feels that larger chains such as Target stocking their shelves with natural products is also great as long as the ingredients/quality of the products are not compromised.
Kindra Perry of Natural Urbanista also weighed in. “As an MBA graduate, I see the value in capitalizing on its growing popularity. It’s a guaranteed cash cow because you will always find naturals looking for the next, best product with ABC and that does XYZ.
But, will they take the place of smaller businesses? I don’t think so, because they have something these larger cosmetics companies will never have—established brand loyalty and personalized customer service. Many of the smaller companies reach out to their customers. When you have concerns or questions, they respond to you directly.
While larger companies may be able to offer their products at a lower price-point, due to their advantage of being able to mass produce their goods, there are just some things that ‘some’ natural-haired consumers value a bit more and are unwilling to trade.”
At the end of her article, concerning the stability of home-based/internet natural hair business, Angela Walker challenged her readers, “I am asking you to continue supporting an industry that supports our people, one whose foundation is based on the celebration of being Black.” I agree with her sentiments. What do you think?
It would be a shame if the smaller natural hair companies went the way of the relaxed hair companies—pretty much bought out by the Europeans. We must support our own—self-determination!!
Great article - if I do say so myself ;o) Thanks for the opportunity Kinnks!