In the 20+ years of my life, my hair and I have been on quite a journey.
Growing up, I always wore a ponytail, partly because I hated having hair in my face and also because I never liked the attention my curls attracted from others, even if it was usually positive. With the exception of Madison Pettis in “The Game Plan” — which is still a stretch, mind you — there weren’t many women in traditional media that I could look up to who looked like me or had my hair texture.
By the time I was in middle school, however, YouTube had become a repository of tips, tricks, styles, and endless product recommendations from women whose hair looked just like mine. To say the least, I was influenced. My mom would take me from store to store as I was convinced I had found the next “perfect” product for my hair, from Shea Moisture and Camille Rose to DevaCurl and Miss Jessie’s.
Even now, I can’t help but try out any new creams, gels, or mousses for curly hair that catch my eye on TikTok or while browsing the cosmetics sections of my local Target—and I’m not alone.
In January, consumer news company NIQ reported that black consumers in the U.S. spent $9.4 billion on beauty products in 2023.
According to a 2022 McKinsey report, Black consumers account for 11.1% of beauty spending, even though Black brands only account for 2.5% of sales, creating a $2.6 billion gap in the market.
Black celebrity brands could be an attempt to bridge that gap. Over the past five years, Black women have had a particularly big impact on the haircare space, thanks to the creation of companies like Tracee Ellis Ross’ Pattern Beauty and Taraji P. Henson’s TPH by TARAJI.
The latest brands to join the discussion are Beyoncé’s Cécred and Rihanna’s Fenty Hair.
So it only felt right to leverage my self-proclaimed status as an “expert curly hair product tester.” To see which brand, if any, was worth adding to my collection, I decided to try out the shampoo, curl cream, and deep conditioner from each line.
