Our Hair is Buying Power.

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(ThySistas.com) In the state of our society many of us are poised to be active participants in change. We are aware of the methods of resistance that involve us taking a physical stand such as open protest. However, we must never forget America is a capitalist society, and she is moved by her bottom line…money. Those in power could argue us down regarding change, but will heed our voice when their capital is threatened. Sistahs we are major consumers of certain kinds of products, and we may want to consider how we spend our money.

It is known, and documented, that black women spend a considerable amount of money on hair and personal care products. Whether natural or relaxed we consistently spend when it comes to our maintenance and upkeep. The question we must consider is who owns the beauty supply stores we frequent, and the products we buy. If we were to withdraw our patronage from every beauty supply store that is not black owned we would cause a shift in that market that would greatly favor our community. To take the matter a step further it would be amazing if were to only purchase products that are black owned, or from manufactures that invest in our community and/or wellness.

I understand some will argue but what about those that don’t have black owned beauty supply stores in there area…the answer is simple…build one. It can be a daunting task at times to make change, and sacrifice will always be a part of that journey. What would we do if, somehow, America really did roll back into segregation and we could no longer buy from others? Ladies we would do what our predecessors had to do…build our own. It’s not a light weight subject given that the hair industry is a five hundred, plus, billion dollar industry.

The natural hair care “movement” on its own is currently powering the hair product industry in the US. We go to Sally’s, Walmart, Target, Walgreens and many other stores only face very high prices on natural hair care product…but regardless of the price we still buy them. An 8oz bottle of shampoo and conditioner can easily cost us over 20.00, and due to such a low volume we’ll be back consuming these prices very soon.

With the emergence of more black women wearing our hair natural we are in a greater position to seize our spending, and redirect it to our community. If we are going to spend high dollar of hair products, and we will, let’s frequent the smaller lines made by us. Let’s support these companies so that they can afford to NOT be bought out by larger corporate hair lines that are definitely NOT controlled by us. Recently, Carol’s Daughter was bought by L’Oreal. Many can cry sellout, but we must put our spending power behind each other to the point that our innovators won’t consider the corporate name. If we don’t have access…we may simply have to create what we need ourselves.

You might be reading this saying…look I’m not a hair chemist. You may not be, but if hair lines and salons disappeared we would be back in our kitchens making it happen. We must never underestimate our ability to be innovative, and to provide what we need for ourselves with our own hands. When we look on YouTube we see quite a few sistah sharing their, Do It Yourself, methods. Many have expressed affordability, and the fact that they know what is being put on their hair.

We must acknowledge that change has a price that we all must pay. With that being said, Sistahs our hair alone is one of the largest areas whereby we have serious opportunity to shift buying power. We must support those that make products for us, by us. We must encourage and support black owned beauty supplies. Yes, it will cost a bit more, but it is well work the investment. Listed below are some black own hair care lines we can support. I’m sure there are more out there than listed here, so if you know of other black owned hair product lines please feel free to share them.

Black Owned Hair Care Lines