The US African American hair care market is seeing a huge shift, with many women leaving European beauty standards behind and embracing their natural curls and afro.
With each passing year, this shift is increasing gradually, with more and more women joining the natural hair movement. They are ditching chemical straightening methods like hair relaxers for natural and healthy hair.
This shift has caused a massive impact on the hair relaxer market, and if trends are to be believed, the impact will keep going to grow bigger with each passing year. So here is everything you need to know about the natural hair movement that is finding support among African American women in the US.
Natural Hair Movement
Originated in the 1960s, the natural hair movement picked a pace in the 2000s. It is a movement that aims to encourage the embracing of natural curly hair and afro among people of African descent. In earlier times, people from the African American community used chemical strengthening to make their hair look according to European beauty standards.
The natural hair movement became an important vessel in the early Black Power Movement, where people decided to showcase their natural features to change the definition of beauty in the USA.
For years it has been transforming the market in America and continuing to do so, with many people from the African American community embracing their culture and showing off their natural curls and afro.
Recently, the movement is again gaining traction on social media, with people from different communities showing off their natural hair, free from chemicals and bleach. Many prominent bloggers and social media influencers give this movement all new rainbow wings by sharing videos and pictures of their natural hair.
Hair Relaxer Lawsuits
Hair relaxers are chemicals used for straightening and smoothing curly and textured hair. It is common among African Americans as afro and curly hair are deemed unprofessional due to the significant impact of European beauty standards.
Hair relaxing products contain harsh chemicals found to cause severe health issues in people who have been using them for years. According to the new developments in the hair relaxer lawsuit, many women came forward with claims of hair relaxers being the reason behind their developing uterine cancer.
Many big cosmetic companies have hidden the fact that hair relaxers cause serious health problems and illnesses in people who have been using them for years. It has led to many filing hair relaxer lawsuits with the help of personal injury attorneys.
Falling Hair Relaxer Sales
With rising cases of hair relaxer lawsuits and the natural hair movement picking up the pace due to social media uproar, there has been a massive hit on the sales of hair relaxers.
The sales numbers have drastically fallen with the rise in hair care products catering to natural hair. According to research, around 79% of consumers have worn a natural hairstyle, with many expressing their willingness to maintain healthy hair instead of chemically treated straight hair.
This move to natural and healthy hair has negatively affected the sales of relaxers. With hair relaxer lawsuits becoming more and more common, the decline in sales will continue to proceed.
Saving Time & Money
Hair relaxer lawsuits and natural hair movement aren’t the only things affecting the sales of hair relaxer products. Relaxing hair is complex work that often requires spending a lot of time and money on salon appointments and expensive products. Many African Women are done with spending a lot of their time applying chemicals to keep their curly and textured hair straight and smooth. They no longer want to spend hours sitting on salon chairs to get their hair relaxed. Also, hair relaxer products don’t come cheap if you decide to do it in the comfort of your home.
So, another huge reason for the falling sales of hair relaxers is the time, effort, and money that is required on an everyday basis to maintain hair smooth and straight. Rather, African American women are getting drawn towards hair extensions, wigs, and natural hairstyles to look their best instead of getting their hair chemically treated. Most women now want a quick solution and spend less time styling their hair.
Final Words
From natural hair movement to the rising numbers of hair relaxer lawsuits, things are not looking much nice for the hair relaxer market. People are now embracing their natural hair textures and curls to showcase their heritage and culture. They are no longer bowing down to European beauty standards and making a statement with their natural hair. While some just want to stay away from the hassle of using hair relaxer products. Women in the African American community are leading this new phase of the natural hair movement with the help of social media. Although, it would be interesting to see if hair relaxers will make a comeback like they always have for the past many years.
