Curly hair is a journey. Some days, you wake up and your curls look perfect, and other days, they act on their own. Curly heads know the struggle of dealing with frizz, dryness, and trying thousands of different products just to find the one that works best. Lately, scandals surrounding styling products have customers questioning what is really in their favorite, well-known products.
If you have curls, you know you can’t just brush your hair and go on with your day. It’s never as easy as that. It needs to be moisturized and tamed with the right products, and it also needs a large amount of patience. The most popular curly hair method avoids sulfates and silicones while focusing on regular deep conditioning. This trend became popular because it helped people embrace their natural curls. But the reality is, that what works for someone’s curls might not work for another’s. Not only that but, products can stop working once one’s hair gets immune to it. Some products make your hair dry, frizzy, or even clumpy and greasy.
With more people embracing their curls, name brands hopped on the trend bringing out loads of curly hair products to attract a wider audience. SheaMoisture, Mielle, and Cantu became brands well-known for their moisturizing products. However, not all of these brands have stood loyal to their customers. SheaMoisture faced a scandal for changing its formula to sell to wavy-haired customers when its original formula was for tighter curls, making it less effective for curly heads. When Mielle’s Rosemary Mint Oil went viral on TikTok, its formula suddenly changed to be for nonblack consumers, leaving its original customers behind.
Another big controversy within the curly hair world right now is the countless lawsuits against hair relaxer brands. Studies by the Boston University School of Medicine have linked chemical relaxers to serious health risks, including hormone issues and even cancer. For years, Black women were pushed to use these products to meet straight hair beauty standards, but now many are fighting back. This has sparked many conversations about how society still pressures people with curly and kinky hair to fit in with these standards, leaving their natural beauty behind.
However, there is good news. Natural curls aren’t going anywhere. More people are beginning to ditch heat tools and embrace their natural hair. Safer styles like braids and twists are trending, and social media is full of curly hair recommendations and tutorials. The hair industry is slowly catching up, but there is still work to do when it comes to real representation and better products for the curly hair community.
Curly hair is not just about looks, it’s a part of who we are, and despite the struggles, scandals, and constant product changes, curls aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
