People often call Black women product junkies without understanding what’s really happening: we are scientists, experimenting on living art.
Black hair—whether it coils, kinks, curls, or waves—has structure, porosity, and needs that vary dramatically from one head to another. Even within one family, two sisters can have entirely different hair responses to moisture, protein, or heat.
🧠 Why It’s Not as Simple as “Just Use What’s on the Shelf”
- Most mainstream products aren’t designed for our hair’s biology.
The molecular structure of tightly coiled hair makes it more prone to dryness, breakage, and shrinkage. Generic “moisturizing” formulas often don’t have the right oil balance or pH to penetrate our strands. - Even “Black hair” products can miss the mark.
Some brands simply repackage existing formulas and market them to us. True nourishment requires understanding the science—how our hair interacts with humidity, hard water, and different climates. - The texture system (3A–4C) only scratches the surface.
It ignores factors like porosity, density, elasticity, and scalp health—all of which affect product success. So a 4C product might work wonders for one woman and leave another’s hair dry and brittle. - Trial and error is survival, not vanity.
We test because history has taught us that most products weren’t created with us in mind. Our “experiments” are how we reclaim care, dignity, and beauty on our own terms.
🌿 Truth: Black Hair Is a Living Ecosystem
Our hair is creative and ancestral—it remembers braids, locs, twists, and styles that carry meaning. The right product isn’t about trend or luxury; it’s about respecting the science and spirit of Black hair.
When I was working as a case manager in a domestic violence shelter, a young Black boy looked at the shelf of donated hair products — rows of items made for straight, fine hair — and said quietly, “Now we really gone look like we live in a shelter.” His words pierced through me. What he saw wasn’t just shampoo and conditioner — he saw confirmation of what too many of us have felt: that our needs, our culture, and our care don’t fit the template. That moment birthed Braid the Ladder — a reminder that Black hair is not vanity, it is identity. Access to products that honor our hair is access to dignity. It’s how we tell families like his, you belong here, and your care matters too.
✊🏾 Call to Action:
“Honor the Science, Honor the Spirit”
Stop letting marketing myths define your relationship with your hair.
Your curls, coils, and kinks are not “difficult” — they are specific, intelligent, and alive.
💡 Take the time to learn your hair’s language:
- Study ingredients like a chemist.
- Journal your wash days like a historian.
- Treat your hair rituals like sacred time — not chores.
Support brands and creators who study our hair, not exploit it.
Share the products, techniques, and routines that truly nurture your hair.
And when someone calls you a “product junkie,” remember — you are a researcher, a caretaker, and a visionary of your own lineage.
🌿 Reflection
That boy’s words still echo as a call to action — not just for shelters, but for every space that claims to offer safety. Care isn’t complete if it doesn’t see the whole person. Our hair tells stories of resilience, survival, and pride. When those stories are erased from the shelves, it tells Black families they are guests in their own recovery.
Braid the Ladder was born to rebuild that bridge — strand by strand, act by act — until every shelter, every system, and every space carries the full humanity of those it serves.
✊🏾 Affirmations: “Care Looks Like Me”
🖤 My hair is a living testament to who I am and where I come from.
🖤 My care is sacred, not optional.
🖤 When I see products that honor my texture, I feel seen, not tolerated.
🖤 I have the right to comfort, beauty, and care — even in crisis.
🖤 I am not asking for special treatment; I am asking for recognition.
🖤 Every strand tells the story of a people who refused to disappear.
🖤 Wholeness includes my coils, my curls, and my crown.
💖 Affirmations:
“Crown of Knowledge, Crown of Glory”
🌺 My hair is not a mystery — it is a masterpiece.
🌺 My coils are instructions written by my ancestors.
🌺 I am allowed to experiment until I find what loves me back.
🌺 I do not chase trends; I study what my hair needs.
🌺 Every twist, every curl, every loc is a living archive of strength.
🌺 I am the scientist, the caretaker, and the storyteller of my crown.
🌺 My hair is not stubborn — it is sovereign.
