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Just Say No to Kiddie Perms Disguised as Hair Softeners!

September 12, 2014 By ARMOURELLE

*NOTE: This is a piece I wrote for MadameNoire.com

Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet Photography via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: Pink Sherbet Photography via Compfight cc

While we knew most children’s relaxer treatments as “Just For Me” back in the day, kiddie perms these days are being disguised with the terms ‘softeners’ and ‘ curl looseners.’ Updated product names and refreshed marketing language that mesh with the terminology of the natural hair care community grace the boxes of products that chemically alter the state of a little girl’s hair. I get it—expand and grow the demographic. These products, however, send the same negative messages to little girls about their hair.

Putting harsh chemicals on a 3-year-old’s head warrants an immediate side-eye. And though chemical burns heal and scalp irritation subsides, those scars to the self-esteem of young girls remain. By sending the message that the way she looks isn’t fine and good through the use of such products, as mothers and guardians, we run the risk of having our girls continue to carry such a false belief, which can turn into years of feeling ‘not good enough’ and ‘not pretty enough.’ Altering the texture of a girl’s hair at an early age pits them against their peers in yet another unhealthy competition and comparison.

Don’t be fooled by the new marketing speak of these rebranded products. Instead of slapping the Boxed Kiddie Perm 2.0 on our daughters’ heads, let’s encourage them to have a healthy case of Hand-in-Hair Syndrome. Let them play in their hair, feel it, get familiar with its quirks and be excited to learn about how to care for it. Learning to care for natural hair at a young age is a definite bonus because she’ll have a foundation of knowledge about her hair for whatever style she rocks in the future. When she is old enough, she can choose how she wants to style her hair—be it with a relaxer, natural, braids or otherwise. She’ll be empowered with enough practical know-how to weigh the pros and cons but also know her hair’s unaltered texture and behavior.

Girls and women should know and be able to easily recall the texture of their natural hair. It’s disheartening to hear a woman say she doesn’t know her true hair texture because she has kept up with a choice that was made by someone else to alter her hair many years ago as a child. It’s just another way of quietly stripping away the person she is by permanently changing her look and by taking away her choice. There is no reason a girl at six or seven years old needs a ‘treatment’ for her hair with all the information out there now about how to care for natural hair of a wide variety of textures.

There’s nothing wrong with finding ways to shorten styling time, especially for a young child who wants more play time on Saturday night rather than sitting around getting their hair washed, combed and braided for Sunday morning. There is, however, an issue with sending the message that our girls aren’t good enough the way they are. Instead, we should encourage our girls to love their hair, and themselves, by learning about character, caring for hearts, feeding their minds and feeling carefree about the way they look. No alterations needed.

Filed Under: Beauty + Hair, Fly Feminism, Madame Noire, Writing Tagged With: Freelancing, Hair, Writing

YES WE SHOULD: Supporting Black Female-Owned Hair Care Businesses

May 22, 2014 By ARMOURELLE

*Note: This is a piece I wrote for MadameNoire.com.

My Honey Child is a Black woman-owned company!

Image courtesy MyHoneyChild.com

It’s been a few years and the natural hair movement is still going strong. With more and more women embarking on ‘hair journeys,’ there have also been an increase in the number of products formulated specifically for a variety of natural hair textures. Last fall, Nielsen published a report that noted the buying power of blacks topped $1 trillion and that we are nine times more likely to purchase hair care and beauty products. Year after year, the Essence Smart Beauty report confirms the growing influence of the black dollar in the beauty industry.

In addition to supporting the community, reclaiming our dollars in an industry where black women have tremendous and impactful buying power is important, according to Dr. Paula Chrishon who owns the Tendrils and Curls™ boutique in Houston, TX and an E-commerce extension of the brick and mortar store. The hair care and beauty industry along with the increase in E-commerce gives many women the chance to move from simply daydreaming about entrepreneurship to becoming kitchen chemists, running small businesses, to transitioning into CEOs. “Time and time again, these products are developed in the kitchens of black women who are making every effort to remedy an issue they are experiencing with their own hair,” says Chrishon.

Krika Bradsher, owner of the Sophia Sunflower Salon in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the accompanying product line, My Honey Child, splits her time between handling the product manufacturing, packing and shipping while working at her salon full time.

“I realized that I needed something to complete the business. I was using many products but none were giving me the results that I felt my clients deserved. Many products claimed to moisturize but they only gave my clients dry hair because they were loaded with fillers and alcohols. I then decided to do research and begin mixing, and it went from there,” she says.

Chrishon and Bradsher represent the growing number of black women who own hair care product lines that are emerging with support and success. Professional associations like the Black Owned Beauty Supply Association (B.O.B.S.A.) and Black Wall Street, International are putting support behind hair care product lines manufactured by black owners. B.O.B.S.A., for instance, plans to install hair care product vending machines in barbershops and beauty salons with most of the products available being produced by black-owned businesses. Black Wall Street, International helps young entrepreneurs enter the hair care industry as product manufacturers.

In supporting black-owned businesses, it’s still important to use the same common sense for trying any new product: do the research and look for professional labels like UPC codes. This is key for products that claim to be 100 percent natural, as there may be no chemicals to provide long shelf life. “The natural hair phenomenon is great because it’s a change in the industry. New entrepreneurs are entering the marketplace and a lot of these products are made by hand,” says Sam Ennon, president of B.O.B.S.A. “The downside is that they are made in the kitchen by someone with no chemical background. There’s no shelf life and these products are sold directly to the consumer.”

Considering the strength and equity of the brand is important when buying products from any company. “I knew that My Honey Child had brand equity in 2004, because I was receiving so many calls from hair salons and online retailers who wanted to carry the product. Orders were coming in from all over the world and people wanted to find out ‘Who was My Honey Child?’” says Bradsher.

Chrishon experienced a similar situation when Tendrils and Curls™ became a recognizable brand name. Shw says, “The first inclination of this came about when more and more male customers who were in Houston on business from places like Holland, Sweden, Japan and Brazil began to visit the boutique holding long lists of hair products to purchase for their wives who had identified us online.”

Though some brands get their start in the kitchen, many gain a loyal following that allow the owners to seek out chemists and manufacturing plants that can offer the proper mix of ingredients helping the products provide the most benefit to the consumer and the business owner in the long run. “Get with an association. An association like B.O.B.S.A. has all the things [new entrepreneurs] need help with,” advises Ennon.

Simply put, there is a way to support these black-owned businesses in the hair care industry and that way is buying. With the economic power associated with black buyers, to support black businesses is the best way to circulate dollars back into our communities. The authenticity of these products means buyers connect with the brands on a deeper level than with bigger, well-known brands.

Knowing this, black women should patronize black woman-owned hair care product lines and black-owned beauty supply stores. It seems convenient to shop large, national department stores or mega-sized beauty supply stores, but choosing to ‘buy black’ has benefits when it comes to beauty products.

“You feel confident in knowing that these products have been crafted specifically to meet the unique needs of those with naturally textured hair,” says Chrishon. “Much like the hair of the creators of these brands.”

– This article originally appeared at: http://madamenoire.com/429163/support-kitchen-chemists/#sthash.vuI6Uss2.dpuf

Filed Under: Beauty + Hair, Fly Feminism, Life, Madame Noire

You’d Better Swang that Mermaid Hair, Guh!

November 16, 2013 By ARMOURELLE

Phoenix earrings.

Kiss giant hoop earrings like these goodbye–you’ve got your Kim K. wig.

So you just big chopped—hurrah!—and after prancing around for weeks letting the wind kiss your scalp and buying tons of new dangly earrings, you may feel the newness of your crop wearing off. You know what? That’s okay. You can buy wigs from your favorite beauty supply store.

Apparently, though, if you choose to wear a Kim K inspired wig and you’re natural, it’s a problem. If you don’t know what this type of wig looks like, it’s a long, layered hairstyle with loose, face-framing curls. Some people argue that if a woman, especially one with an afro, wears a long, straight wig, she’s not being ‘real,’ because if she were ‘real,’ she’d wear her Teeny Weeny Afro as it is, unashamed.

I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t see anything wrong with a little bump and shine, especially when it comes to changing hairstyles when you feel like it. Wigs are pretty awesome, and a way to give your natural hair a quick break when you’re feeling bored, or want to allow time for your hair to grow. Here are four reasons why going from close crop to wavy Rapunzel-like hair shouldn’t be a problem at all.

Read more here: When The TWA Is Too Teeny: Why There’s Nothing Wrong With Rocking A Long, Silky Wig — http://madamenoire.com/321930/4-reasons-fake-wear-long-straight-wig-working-title/#sthash.Bcd1hKIM.dpuf

Filed Under: Beauty + Hair, Fly Feminism, Madame Noire Tagged With: I Do What I Want, Top Four

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