The natural hair market has come a LONG way and it’s growing every day! Remember when you could only buy certain products online, or special ingredients at some hard to find natural health store? Not anymore! Now you can roll up to Target, CVS, Walgreens, or Whole Foods and find products in the aisles that cater specifically to your unique texture.
Many of the top natural hair product makers are now running brands that have gone from the kitchen counter to the shelves of mainstream retailers. There are quite a few natural hair brands that are far from indie and underground – they now have instant name recognition.
So in today’s post, the question is – who got next? Which are the up and coming hair brands that I think are destined to become mainstream darlings? These brands are my top predictions!
Cara B Naturally was the answer to many a natural mom’s prayers – finally a product line dedicated to little girls with natural hair, made with natural ingredients! From the shampoo to the bar soap, Cara B is made with little ones in mind, and the quality of the products speaks for itself. I’m not at all surprised that Cara B is now at Whole Foods, and you can find Cara B products at select Target stores and at select CVS stores as well – click those last links to see if there’s a store near you. I think it’s a just matter of time before Cara B is available nationwide at ALL Target and CVS stores. As more moms stop buying relaxer, there’s going to be a decrease in kids using relaxers as well. And that’s where Cara B comes in. Click here to follow them on Twitter.
Koils By Nature is a brand that makes great products and has a beautiful spokesperson. That’s a double whammy! The brand’s creator, Pamela looks like a model and makes a great in-person representative of her products. Pamela is usually at the best and most well-run natural hair shows and events, so you can meet her and find out more about Koils By Nature. It’s just an incredibly effective product line. My hair ADORES the Shealoe. Which reminds me. I need more! Click here to follow them on Twitter.
With all of the natural hair and beauty brands using “shea” in their title, it can be easy to get them confused. But this shea based hair and skincare brand sets itself apart with quality and commitment to fair trade. And their products are awesome! Beautifully packaged – these aren’t the kind of natural hair products where the labels will fade or come off in the shower. The product line is quality and has been supremely effective on my kinky coily curls – I love the Nourishing Hair Repair Cream and the Maximum Moisture Conditioner. Their shea butters come in a wide variety of fragrances, and the spa sampler is luxe and lovely (would make a great addition to a Mother’s Day gift basket!) I could easily see Shea Radiance products in Target and Whole Foods stores across the country. Easily. Click here to follow them on Twitter.
Who’s got next? Coco Curls just might! The natural hair styling product brand is participating in Walmart’s Get On The Shelf contest – click here to support her bid! Coco Curls is intended to be an all in one styling product made with shea butter and aloe to moisturize your hair and bring out the curl definition. Check out the homie Natural Chica for a review with the kind of dope photos she’s known for if you want to see for yourself! Click here to follow them on Twitter.
Tippi Shorter is known as a leading celebrity hairstylist for a reason – her work speaks for itself. Tippi has styled the likes of Alicia Keys, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, and Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Lady Gaga, and now she’s got her very own line of products that us regular folks will love just as much as her celebrity clients do! Her products are formulated for a variety of textures but use ingredients that many naturals LOVE – the argan oil in the smoothing conditioner and curly cream made my hair very happy! Click here to follow Tippi on Twitter! And follow the Hair by Tippi Facebook group for information on her educational tour.
Here’s one of the most awesome outcomes of the natural hair revolution – now there are mainstream, mass market products that are made to cater expressly to kinky and curly hair. One of my favorites is Curls Unleashed, from the Organic Root Stimulator brand. I still use the Hair Mayonnaise sometimes! Curls Unleashed is all about embracing your natural texture and giving it the moisture and life it’s craving. The products are fee of SD alcohol, parabens, and mineral oil. I really like the Set it Off Curl Boosting Jelly, it’s an aloe vera based jelly that doesn’t make your hair hard or sticky, just gives you curl definition and hold. I think the key to the Curls Unleashed products working as well as they do has a lot to do with Erica, their gorgeous chemist, who’s also a young woman with natural hair! Check us out here, chatting in NYC before the Texture on the Runway event. Click here to follow them on Twitter.
Finally, a hair brand that has listened to the natural consumer. A brand that’s heard the consumer say – I don’t want products that use ingredients that are bad for my hair, and these are my specific areas of concern. The latest bran from the Sof N Free family is called Nothing But. Their products don’t use petrolatum, mineral oil, sulfates, parabens, colorants, or phthalates. Dedicated to the natural woman who shops mass market but still wants to know her hair products are healthy and pure. Look out for a review soon – I’m excited about that cleansing conditioner! Click here to follow Nothing But and click here to follow Sof N Free on Twitter.
Their products come packaged in flashy orange and purple, which to a natural woman with assumptions, may not indicate the kind of products commonly loved for natural textures. Flashy packaging aside, Beautiful Textures DELIVERS. I absolutely love their rapid repair deep conditioner, and that tangle taming shampoo is awesome!! Beautiful Textures is available at Sally’s right now – it’s the kind of brand that would work for a variety of hair textures. It works really well on my texture of natural. Click to follow them on Twitter, and stay tuned for a giveaway right here!
Those are the brands I’ve reviewed recently that I predict big things for. Keep your eyes peeled, you’ll be reading about these products and seeing them in your favorite stores soon, I’m sure!
Have you tried any of these brands? Which have you tried, which do you love, which are you dying to try?
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