Black Beauty History is an ongoing series here at Afrobella – click here to read some previous installments. Think back to the very first black hair product you may  have ever heard of – the first product you knew was intentionally made for our specific hair needs. For me, I believe that product was Luster’s Pink Oil…. read all

(Photo Credit: Madam Walker Family Archives) In many ways Madam C.J Walker is a patron saint and guiding light for the natural hair industry. Respected as an entrepreneur, activist, philanthropist and innovator, she became known as the first black woman millionaire in America. Her “Walker system” of anti-hair loss products was all homemade, made for… read all

  This week has been exciting and busy, and I feel like I’m almost experiencing a full circle moment in my blogging career. In 2013, I wrote a blog post about Black Beauty History, focusing on these products of yore — click here to check that out. Back in 2013, I did a lot of… read all

In 2013 I got ambitious for Black History Month, and decided to kick off a month-long series on black beauty history. I titled it 28 Moments in Black Beauty History, intending there to be a new post every day. Things were going great at the beginning. I wrote informative, research-heavy posts about Josephine Baker and… read all

  For 40 years, women of color have known and loved Fashion Fair Cosmetics. The venerable beauty brand based in Chicago was a staple in my formative years and I know I’m not the only one who remembers that familiar pink marbleized compact being on their mother’s dresser. The brand has been through so many… read all

  Do you remember where you were, when you found out? I do. I was standing backstage at Texture On The Runway, such a fabulous New York Fashion Week event. I was waiting to be interviewed by Corynne Corbett for Essence, when Dickey of Hair Rules came backstage and said five words I won’t ever… read all

This month, I will feature snapshots of black beauty history. Expect to see images, products, tastemakers, artists, models, and films that have shaped our world in terms of fashion and beauty today. Most casual students of black history know about historical hair product impresarios and entrepreneurs – women like Madame C.J Walker, Annie Malone and… read all

I spend so much time looking forward, sometimes I need a reminder to look back, marvel, and appreciate how far we’ve come. I got a wonderful reminder from esteemed Caribbean-born author Nalo Hopkinson, who sent me a link to Yale’s online Beinecke archive of rare books and manuscripts. In the Randolph Linsly Simpson African American… read all