Black-Owned British Curly, Afro, and Natural Haircare Brands
10 Game-Changing Black-Owned British Hair-Care Brands That Are Totally Worth the Hype
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After Black Twitter made it known that many popular afro hair care brands are not owned by people of colour, naturalistas became very curious about which of our favourite products are made by people with hair like ours. Before you do your own detective work about the owners of leading multitextured hair brands, we've saved you the time by rounding up the best hair products made for and by Black women in the UK.
Shea Moisture and Carol's Daughter were two of the biggest names in the natural hair movement of the early 2000s. It was surprising when longtime fans, like myself, found out that the women who helped us transition from relaxed to naturally curly hair sold their namesake brands. Shea Moisture was bought by Unilever in 2017, under its parent company Sundial Brands that also owned Madam C.J. Walker. Carol's Daughter was bought by L'Oréal in 2014, but founder Lisa Price remains heavily involved. "I've been doing this for 26 years", she said in an interview with Vibe. "When your child is 26, they need their mom but not every day. I don't need to be there as much."
Ahead, each of the Black-owned British hair-care brands featured have been picked for their great reviews and impressive ingredients, with details about their founders and hero products.
Flora & Curl
Rose Ovensehi designed Flora & Curl around the needs of her 4C hair, which was severely damaged by chemical relaxer. The gentle, plant-based brand focuses on boosting moisture and is made from ingredients sourced in the UK.
Hero product: Flora & Curl African Citrus Superfruit Hair Oil (£25)
The Afro Hair & Skin Co
Founded by Ibi Meier-Oruitemeka, The Afro Hair & Skin Co approaches hair and skin through the eyes of wellness, and uses the finest quality ingredients that are grown and harvested within the UK.
Hero product: The Afro Hair & Skin Co Rebirth - Glow Recovery Clay Mask (£20)
Dizziak
Created by former beauty writer Loretta De Feo, Dizziak set a new standard with its superrich deep conditioner and shampoo. It's great for all hair types, made with aloe vera, shea, and six luxurious oils, and it will give you luscious curls in five minutes.
Hero product: Dizziak Deep Conditioner (£22)
Jim + Henry
Founder Tammy Facey March started Jim + Henry with a lightbulb moment and eight simple ingredients. The brand's highly rated "Eight" leave-in conditioner is made with water, shea butter, vitamin E, vegetable-derived emulsifier, rosemary oil, chamomile oil, mandarin oil, and preservative.
Hero product: Jim + Henry Eight (£20)
Afrocenchix
Joycelyn Mate and Rachael Corson founded much-loved hair-care brand Afrocenchix. The partners work with scientists and chemists in the UK, and use a mix of natural and organic ingredients to create some of the best afro hair-care products in the country.
Hero product: Afrocenchix Seal - Natural Hair Oil For Afro Hair (£16)
Anita Grant
After winding up in the hospital when a lotion left her hands blistered, Anita Grant swore off nonnatural beauty products and set out to create her own line. Her award-winning beauty products use ingredients like shea butter, cacay oil, and plantain spinach, all of which are purchased directly from farming communities that house fair-trade and organic suppliers.
Hero Product: Anita Grant Creamy Café Latte Unscented Daily Leave-In Butter (£4)
Bouclème
Bouclème is a homegrown British brand designed by Michele Scott-Lynch. The range of curly hair-care products gives frizz-free definition without that sticky or flaky feeling.
Hero Product: Bouclème Curl Defining Gel (£15)
Holy Curls
Born in Sweden, founder Badria Ahmed didn't have many options when it came to styling her tight coils, which led to her creating Holy Curls. The all-natural hair-care brand is geared toward wavy, spiral, tight, or kinky curls.
Hero product: The Holy Curls Discovery Kit (£28)
Charlotte Mensah
Award-winning British hairstylist Charlotte Mensah is an expert in afro hair. Mensah created her own hair products that are formulated around manketti oil, an extract sustainably sourced from the manketti nut that not only hydrates, but also smooths frizz, adds shine, and soothes dry scalps.
Hero Product: Charlotte Mensah Manketti Oil Pomade (£52)
Yako Beauty
Yako Beauty founder Rahma created the brand when she experienced hair loss after childbirth. The products contain 90-to-100-percent natural ingredients, and include a macadamia oil smoothing cream that is divine.
Hero product: Yako Beauty Smoothing Oil in Cream (£16)
