Photo by J. Balla Photography on Unsplash
Best Black-Owned Hair Care Brands to Shop in 2022 – Our Ongoing Series!
By Jacqueline Samaroo
Hey, hey! Welcome to CurlyNikki’s ongoing series featuring a mix of well-known and up-and-coming Black-owned hair care brands.
Each has an identity all its own but they are all connected by a common goal: creating Black hair products that will produce the best results for textured hair. A healthy scalp and hair, leading to curls with tons of definition, hydration, and bounce are what these brands are all about.
And, stay tuned – there are more than 50 companies in the series. We’ll feature a new lineup of Black-owned brands for you each Friday!
Here are the five Black-owned hair care brands we are highlighting for you today.
1. Naturalicious
Naturalicious is one of the most recognizable Black-owned hair care brands. Its focus is on plant-based beauty and taking the stress (and huge time investment) out of wash days. Its founder, Gwen Jimmere, is the first African American woman to hold a patent for a natural hair care product. She started the company after devising a product combination that trimmed her own 5-hour wash day routine down to just 30 minutes, something she knew other women would love.
Products Shoutout
Naturalicious Heavenly Hydration Grapeseed Hair Mist
For tight and loose curls to help boost hydration between wash days. Features both grapeseed oil and avocado oil to leave hair softened without any buildup.
Naturalicious Divine Shine Moisture Lock & Frizz Fighter (Step 3)
Use as a hot oil hair treatment to leave hair frizz-free and with loads of shine. Contains Spanish almond oil, safflower oil, and extra-virgin olive oil.
Related articles:
- What Is a Hot Oil Treatment and 10 Reasons It’s Good for Natural Hair
- Should You Be Steaming Your Hair? Helpful Answers to 12 FAQs About Hair Steaming
- The Best Hair Steamers for Natural Hair – Top 10
2. Upgrade Boutique
Britney Winters, a Harvard Business School alumna, founded Upgrade Boutique in response to her struggles to find products and services that worked for her hair. She personally understood the need for top-quality wigs and extensions, so while many Black-owned hair care brands focus on hair products, this is where Upgrade has its niche. True to its belief in the importance of freedom of choice, Upgrade Boutique offers customizable raw human hair wigs styled by freelance hairstylists.
Products Shoutout
Upgrade Boutique Choyce
A 20-inch lace closure wig in a body wave texture. Comes in small to large cap sizes and is customizable with color highlights and bleached style at an additional cost.
Upgrade Boutique Tracee
A kinky, curly textured lace front wig sold in small to large cap sizes. Length is 20 inches and the style can be customized at an additional cost.
Related articles:
- Natural Hair Care: Protecting Natural Hair Under a Wig – 12 Fantastic Tips
- Thinking of Using a Wig as A Protective Style? Here Are 7 Awesome Reasons to Go for It!
3. Miss Jessie’s
Sisters Miko and the late Titi Branch co-founded Miss Jessie’s in 2004. The company and its products are named after their grandmother who was known for DIYing natural and effective hair care solutions for family and friends. Miss Jessie’s grew out of the sisters’ hair salon (originally Curve Salon and now renamed Miss Jessie’s Salon). The brand now sells a wide variety of products for kinky to wavy hair types and is one of the best-loved Black-owned hair care brands.
Products Shoutout
Miss Jessie’s Multicultural Curls Styling Lotion
Specifically designed for multi-textured, multi-cultural hair. Formulated to eliminate frizzing with its safflower seed oil, olive fruit oil, and flower extracts.
Miss Jessie’s Leave-In Condish
A lightweight leave-in conditioner and detangler made for all types of hair, including transitioners. Features soybean, aloe vera, and pumpkin seed extract in its formula.
Related articles:
- 11 Fabulous Benefits of Leave-In Conditioner for Natural Hair
- 10 Ways to Make Transitioning to Natural Hair Easier
4. NUELE
“Ultra-clean hair products” are what NUELE Hair offers to kinks, curls, and waves. The company was launched in 2020 by friends Anne Cheatham and Christine Martey-Ochola who met at church in Philadelphia. Both have science-based backgrounds: Cheatham (a Zambian native) is a nurse anesthetist and Martey-Ochola (a Kenyan native) is a biochemist. This rising star among Black-owned hair care brands has received recognition in the form of the Refinery29 Innovator Award and Harper’s Bazaar Hair Award.
Products Shoutout
NUELE Hair Serum
A lightweight blend of 5 concentrated oils – moringa, jojoba, clary sage, argan, and rosemary. Ingredients sourced from female farmers in Ghana and Morocco.
NUELE Hydrating Hair Mask
Comes as a powder and serum that you DIY (add water and mix) into a 100% vegan hair mask. Ingredients include moringa seed, eucalyptus, and shikakai.
Related articles:
- 6 Exciting Benefits of Moringa Oil for Hair Growth (with Product Suggestions!)
- Hair Oils: What is Oil Rinsing + 8 Reasons It’s So Good for Natural Hair
5. PATTERN Beauty
PATTERN Beauty was launched by Tracee Ellis Ross in 2019, but she reveals it had been in the making for ten years before that. This Black-owned hair care brand features an impressive lineup of products designed specifically for 3c to 4c hair types. PATTERN’s products “give naturally textured hair “the support it [needs] to be its true self” with Juicy and Joyful” cleansers and stylers, as well as hair tools to assist with hair care and styling.
Products Shoutout
PATTERN Beauty Heavy Conditioner For Coilies
A deep conditioning treatment that contains avocado oil, safflower seed oil, shea butter, and jojoba oil. Well-suited for adding moisture and slip to high-porosity hair.
PATTERN Beauty Hydration Shampoo
A combination of honey, coconut oil, and aloe vera leaf juice. Safely and gently hydrates and moisturizes kinks, curls, and coils as it cleans away buildup.
Related articles:
- Stylin’ and Profilin’: The Best Hair Gel for Curly Hair – Our Top 18!
- Natural Hair and an Active Lifestyle Can Coexist – Here’s How!
- Hair Porosity: What Is It and How Is Black Hair Affected?
We’re more than halfway through the list of 50+ Black-owned hair care brands in our series. Have we already featured all of your favorites? Let us know what’s missing!
