Who has the right to ‘black’ hair products?

[MetaDaughter]

White women aren’t being ‘banned’ from using black beauty products – but they should know this - by Kemi Alemoru. The Guardian.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/10/black-women-beauty-products-white-options?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

There’s so much irony tied up in this - hard to know where to begin …

I'm not seeing a problem with the article.

Good lord what a load of nonsense! I'm Jewish descent and I use Shea Moisture products. Never thought this could be perceived as a problem but who knew!

I use Shea moisture, shouldn't I then?

It sounds great, im
off to buy it!

Equality! But no, not like that

It's a strange one - white women have only very recently started using oils in their hair and scalp (why?) whereas black and Asian women have been using them regularly for years (actually, centuries). I don't have a problem with it personally (but then I'm asian), I just hope that it means that if a product's good it will become more widely available for all.

I get their point completely. There's also the concern that the product might eventually get reformulated to fit their new buyers rather than the OG buyers. If you look at reviews they say it's too heavy for their hair etc but they have thin hair never intended for the product to work. It's a balancing act - there are far fewer products for black hair. More customers means the company can hopefully succeed and create more. But I do get the point the article is making.

But surely if products made for black women also work for white women and the companies can make and sell more of their products they can bring the prices down, not up. I notice cantu hair products are now stocked in boots and waitrose, is that not progress? Or will cantu run out of products so black people miss out on buying them?

I'm biracial and find this ridiculous. People can use what they like on their own body and hair.

You can't put a product out and police who buys it - that's business suicide.

I thought this was a really unteresting article. I dont get the issue with it.

It’s absolutely bloody ridiculous. Maybe I should tell Kemi Telford I’m not buying her ‘gentrified’ skirts because they’re for black women? No, that wouldn’t go down too well would it (and I love them so I’d be cutting off my nose to spite my face 😆).

Nor do I! The irony is in how black women have had to fight to be allowed to do as they like with their hair - only to get closer to achieving that and find that others have made access to the best products difficult or impossible.

I think that's part of the point. It's a bit like when people bought gluten free at the start of the pandemic even though they could eat other stuff so then people who could only eat gluten free had nothing.

I'm not sure that is true - Italians have been using Olive Oil on their hair for centuries, millennia in fact.

This should send the message that the product should be made more widely available - not that others shouldn't use the product.

Ah... I couldn't work out from your OP what your stance was!

I’m black and find the whole thing nonsensical. I use hair products targeting white women, Japanese and Korean skincare, Indian and Arabic hair oils. I don’t understand why mainstreaming black hair products is problematic. Given how “othered” black hair usually is, I would imagine normalizing and encouraging other ethnicities to try products used by black women would be a good thing. Unless I’m missing something 🤷🏾‍♀️

Good point, probably Greeks too. I meant ww predominantly in Britain and America etc

Glad you said this - I use products from all over (as well as foods and other goods). I'm just not understanding this.

I also think we live in a diverse global world. It's silly to think people won't use the same things.

I also don't know how true that is, really, for non blond hair but I do know that oils are crap on my blond hair and just make it look greasy. So that's probably why.

I’ll use whatever I like on my own body.

I am sick of this divisive, poisonous BS.

I'm white with wavy hair and only use black hair products - because black women really know curly hair.

OK one product may be caught up in a Tiktok wave but honestly, it's not hard to find black-owned brands selling hair products, there are multiple internet shops selling them. Over the years I've had multiple 'holy grail' finds.

Seeing products like Cantu on the shelves in supermarkets to me is huge progress from the years when the only good thing to do to curly hair was straighten in, and if you were black as well then the shops simply didn't want your business.

I use that range. I have curly hair and it needs it… but a little bit goes a long way for me!