[Opinion] Why Naturals Should Buy Exclusively from Black-Owned Hair Companies

By Lurie Daniel-Favors

When Chris Rock’s movie Good Hair was launched there was numerous noise made about the truth that most people making the most of the large Black hair trade aren’t truly Black. It appears everyone seems to be benefitting financially from our collective dependancy to hair that we don’t truly develop.

A couple of weeks in the past Mintel, the market analysis agency reported that over the previous 5 years there was a 26% decline within the sale of hair relaxers.  Pure hair websites all over did the hallelujah dance and plenty of within the pure hair group greeted the information with pleasure.  The concept extra Black ladies are starting to embrace ethnically Black hair (i.e. pure hair) is one which makes many people comfortable.

The numbers have been actually astounding.

Relaxer gross sales are estimated to drop from $206 million in 2008 to solely $152 million this 12 months

Prior to now 12 months, practically 70% of Black ladies “say they at the moment put on or have worn their hair pure”

Now, granted I haven’t seen 70% of Black ladies in my space with naturals (and I think a part of that lower is as a result of prevalence of hair weaves…), however the numbers are encouraging nonetheless.

However once I learn the report, along with getting hyped over the rise in naturals, I used to be immediately reminded of Civil Rights period bus boycotts. Particularly the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott.

Why? As a result of identical to the Montgomery boycott, for the savvy Black owned hair firm, the numbers in that report can imply the distinction between monetary independence—or not.

And our selections as Black shoppers might make all of the distinction.

Historical past in ContextFor those that don’t bear in mind the main points of the bus boycotts, right here’s the fast model.

After slavery, Black passengers have been handled like scum third class residents below authorized segregation.  This was very true when it got here to public transportation.  After numerous incidents the place Black passengers have been pressured to both surrender their seats for White passengers, kicked off of buses all collectively or subjected to racial violence terrorism, the Black group started to boycott the transportation system and demanded equal therapy.

The Montgomery Boycott is likely one of the extra well-known protests. It lasted over a 12 months and was an amazing show of Black individuals actually proudly owning their financial energy. Although Whites in Montgomery have been utterly unwilling to supply non-racist equal service to Black bus patrons, they very a lot wished the cash that Black patrons spent on bus tickets.

Through the boycott, Black taxi drivers stepped as much as present elevated companies. Black church buildings throughout the nation raised cash and picked up footwear to assist the oldsters who selected to stroll to work somewhat than undergo racist Jim Crow insurance policies. The Black group rallied to maintain Black of us cell—and financially impartial—throughout the boycott.

Nonetheless…within the pivotal moments after the boycott’s profitable finish, the Black group returned to driving buses operated by racist bus firm homeowners.

However what if as an alternative of giving racist bus homeowners their transportation {dollars} going again to enterprise as typical, Black patrons determined to maintain their cash circulating in their very own group? What if throughout the boycott, the Black group created and maintained its personal bus firms, met its personal transportation wants and circulated these {dollars} inside its personal borders?

What if as an alternative of celebrating the truth that racists bus homeowners may not overtly discriminate, the Black group rejoiced—after which determined it neither wanted nor wished to spend its cash with these firms? What if as an alternative, these boycotters selected to take their hard-earned cash and provides it to Black owned bus firms that revered them and their humanity?

Pure Hair {Dollars} and The Energy of ChoiceNow, what this must do with the lower in relaxers and improve in Black ladies who’re selecting pure hair alternate options?

All of it comes right down to decisions.

As a result of imagine it or not, the pure hair group can be at a pivotal second.  We are actually shifting the commerce of the Black hair financial system to 1 that rejects the concept that one will need to have straight hair as a way to be deemed socially acceptable. And since Black ladies spend a hell of some huge cash on hair care, that shift is below some intense trade scrutiny.

You see, pure hair web sites weren’t the one ones reviewing that report.

You’ll be able to guess your lace entrance wig that enormous industrial hair product firms are keenly conscious that they’re shedding cash within the hair relaxer market. Anybody who has watched 5 minutes of BET currently is aware of that firms like Pantene and L’Oreal are hitting the airwaves laborious to advertise their new merchandise for “naturals.” They’ve even adopted related language, utilizing phrases like “co-wash,” “curl defining,” and “clarifying” to explain their merchandise.

It’s not as a result of rapidly they modified their thoughts and determined that nappy/kinky/coily hair is gorgeous. It’s as a result of they’re shedding cash to pure hair firms owned and operated by Black ladies. Corporations like Going Pure, Karen’s Physique Lovely, Doris New York and Shea Moisture. They usually aren’t taking place with out a combat.

So now the pure group should select learn how to spend our cash and whom we are going to assist with our financial energy.

Will we reward firms that performed on our insecurities for many years? Will we assist firms who profited by reinforcing a regular of magnificence that was designed to exclude Black ladies and our hair?

Or will we as an alternative select to assist firms began by Black ladies for Black ladies? Will we reward these firms based by sistas working of their kitchens who took the time to mix protected, pure substances in methods designed to advertise the health and beauty of Black hair?

Or will we…not?

Similar to these concerned within the bus boycotts we have now demonstrated our financial potential.  We’ve proven that “going pure” isn’t only a pattern and it’s right here to remain. Now we have now to determine if we are going to throw our financial would possibly behind these companies in our personal group who imagine within the magnificence inherent in who we’re—or if we are going to proceed in a (unhealthy) custom of supporting these exterior our group who’ve proven little loyalty to our wants.

Lurie is an lawyer and the creator of “Afro State of Thoughts: Reminiscences of a Nappy Headed Black Woman. You could find her on Twitter,Fb and YouTube.