Sheamoisture Is Cancelled: 26 Black-owned Hair Care Brands You Can Support Instead

[imaginary]

Now to go on the hunt for another lotion-y leave-in without glycerin. Luckily I'm in braids for now so I have a bit of time before I use up the products I have and have to restock. I didn't mind them expanding their market, but they didn't have to go the #allhairmatters route

 

[IDareT'sHair]

In no particular order:
Hairveda
MyHoneyChild
Donna Marie
Darcy's Botanicals
Naturelle Grow
Claudie
BlueRoze Beauty
Afroveda
KeraVada
J.Monique Naturals
Curl Junkie
Bekura Beauty
Naturalista
Bask & Bloom
BoBeam
Hydratherma Naturals
Annabelle's Perfect Blends
Cream & Coco
Smooth Naturals

AAHHHHH.....Don't Get me Started! Don't Get Me Started!

 

[Napp]

Oh wow. Their skin products work so well for me

 

[AnjelLuvs]

Update: SM FB Page is back

 

[nubiangoddess3]

Update: SM FB Page is back

No the lessen hasnt been learned till they declare bankruptcy like Carol's daughter

 

[YvetteWithJoy]

Oh wow. Their skin products work so well for me

Me, too, @Napp.

 

[jamaica68]

Just in case no one mentioned https://www.luvnaturals.com which is also black owned.

 

[gorgeoushair]

I've not heard of most of them. Just last night I stumbled across Thank god it's natural in the hair section and they look like they have items that I could use. I'll purchase some of their creams and look into the others.

Kinky Curly Knot Today I use regularly. Good stuff!

There are lots of JBCO companies to add to the list as well.

They(TGIN) are currently having a sale on their site. All hair products are $9.99 with code WEHEARU.

 

[nysister]

They(TGIN) are currently having a sale on their site. All hair products are $9.99 with code WEHEARU.

That is awesome! Thank you!

 

[Saludable84]

Oh wow. Their skin products work so well for me

Nubian works well for me too, but APB and Sarenzo has allowed me to phase both lines out

 

[Cattypus1]

Thank you OP. I have and have tried several of these products. My current fave is the Mielle line. The DC is my boo.

 

[gorgeoushair]

That is awesome! Thank you!

You're welcome!

 

[vevster]

Oh boy. Shea Moisture is in trouble.

 

[IDareT'sHair]

Bel Nouvo
SheScentIt
Koils By Nature
CC's Naturals
HydroQuench Systems
Marie Dean
Inashi Naturals
Cathy Howse Ultra Black Hair
Naturally Smitten

 

[Aggie]

Don't forget Bask & Bloom Essentials is also black-owned.

 

[Aggie]

In no particular order:
Hairveda
MyHoneyChild
Donna Marie
Darcy's Botanicals
Naturelle Grow
Claudie
BlueRoze Beauty
Afroveda
KeraVada
J.Monique Naturals
Curl Junkie
Bekura Beauty
Naturalista
Bask & Bloom
BoBeam
Hydratherma Naturals
Annabelle's Perfect Blends
Cream & Coco
Smooth Naturals

AAHHHHH.....Don't Get me Started! Don't Get Me Started!

Whoops I see you already have them in here (bolded) I totally did not see that earlier.

 

[CodeRed]

Lordt.... Their facebook page is in shambles man.

 

[VictoriousBrownFlower]

I'm definately starting to see that black money and interest can really make or break a company. I think about things like Patty Pies and Eco styler flax seed and castor gel and it's amazing how when we are for or interested in something it has the power to make real bank for the company at hand.

It's sad that some companies don't realize that power until it's gone. I mean we have the power to either bankrupt a company or make every product they sell sell out. That's awesome to me.

 

[SoSwanky]

I'm definately starting to see that black money and interest can really make or break a company. I think about things like Patty Pies and Eco styler flax seed and castor gel and it's amazing how when we are for or interested in something it has the power to make real bank for the company at hand.

It's sad that some companies don't realize that power until it's gone. I mean we have the power to either bankrupt a company or make every product they sell sell out. That's awesome to me.

Right. Just imagine if we could harness that type of power in other areas.

 

[VictoriousBrownFlower]

Right. Just imagine if we could harness that type of power in other areas.

I know... If we actually joined together as a group we would really be unstoppable. Too bad we allow the little things to divide us.

 

[msdeevee]

I have given up the rest of SM line because thankfully I have Sisterlocks now and don't need to use products anymore. I just spritz with water/rose water and I use JBCO from a black owned company on my edges. I was a true PJ.

However, their hair color is the best I've ever tried and I've tried most of them. I don't think I can give that up.

 

[Royalq]

Target has really stepped it up and us offering a lot of these products in stores. My local target is in lily whites ville yet it carries Alikay naturals, Mielle organics, Mane choice, design essentials, curls, Taliah waahid, tgin, Soultanicals, Camille rose naturals, miss Jessie's, oyin handmade, and I think they have kinky curly. Shea moisture used to be the only one in stores but other brands have caught up and are in target, Walmart, walgreens, and cvs. Today I saw Camille Rose naturals at cvs.
Carol's daughter effed up at a time we're they thought they were all alone but other natural companies were cropping up ONLINE. So they got a wake up call. Now Shea Moisture is ****** up at a time where other natural brands are also breaking into stores and are more available. They are no longer alone. They survived so long and made a big name for themselves because they were the most accessible. Not anymore.

 

[vevster]

@Royalq what happened with Carol's daughter? I thought they just tried to get big to fast.

I used to use their products when they were small and Lisa Price used to sell out of her brownstone.

 

[Royalq]

@Royalq what happened with Carol's daughter? I thought they just tried to get big to fast.

I used to use their products when they were small and Lisa Price used to sell out of her brownstone.

Carol's daughter did what shea is doing right now. They were all black everything in the beginning. No shame to say they are black for black women. Kinky and curly textures were in the front and center. Then they got super successful and were really raved about by everybody. Slowly kept testing the waters by adding biracials and whites. Then proclaiming that black women are the main demographic, then testing the waters again. Until they started having blatant ads and commercials targeting white women and started ignoring us black women. They used to have their own stand within Macy's just like Mac and Clinique that's how big they were. I was still relaxed when all this went down but I think they were the first major natural hair brand to be do widely available (see the similarities with shea moisture?). Correct me if I'm wrong ladies but I think just like SM , CD also sold a major chunk of their company to whites. We got concerned and they were all "don't worry we are still for black women. These investors are just helping us become better. But they definitely started to switch to white women and looser hair textures like wavy type 2 hair. Black women got fed up with the disrespect and stopped buying. At this same time the natural hair movement was gaining major steam and natural hair companies were popping up online so carols daughter was no longer alone. They fell and fell hard and haven't recovered ever since. For a few years I didn't even see them in stores. Apparently they went bankrupt. They started cropping up at walgreens like a year or 2 ago but they are always on sale. Idk what the sales are like now.

But this shea moisture thing is eerily similar to the demise of CD. And they are arrogant. They think that just because a few white women buy there products they can kick us to the curb and survive. Thing is yes a few white women buy your products but they are NOT the main purchasers. Target can have 100 SM products but white women are buying maybe 15. The rest is us. So if you alienate us and pay us dust so we stop buying who is going to buy that other 85 products to replace us? And you are in EVERY target and walgreens. If you have a huge inventory on shelves but only a small percentage (white women) are being sold you can't survive. You will go bankrupt. SM is waaaay bigger than carols daughter ever was so this fall will be huge.

 

[Honi]

I don't know how they will come up out of it. SM states that their formulas haven't changed but customers are posting snapshot comparisons. Lol. Damn shame.

 

[Coilystep]

The majority of Shea moisture products don't work for me. I like their masques for deep conditioning; however I don't need them then as a staple. I will use up what I have and keep it moving to a different brand. This weekend I deep conditioned with the mane choice deep treatment. My hair loved it.
SN: was talking to ww at work yesterday about my weekend and that I webt to hair show this weekend. I was showing her Instagram pics from the event and Shea moisture's booth happened to come up. She was like ooh they have products for my hair. I was like um yeah

 

[vevster]

Carol's daughter did what shea is doing right now. They were all black everything in the beginning. No shame to say they are black for black women. Kinky and curly textures were in the front and center. Then they got super successful and were really raved about by everybody. Slowly kept testing the waters by adding biracials and whites. Then proclaiming that black women are the main demographic, then testing the waters again. Until they started having blatant ads and commercials targeting white women and started ignoring us black women. They used to have their own stand within Macy's just like Mac and Clinique that's how big they were. I was still relaxed when all this went down but I think they were the first major natural hair brand to be do widely available (see the similarities with shea moisture?). Correct me if I'm wrong ladies but I think just like SM , CD also sold a major chunk of their company to whites. We got concerned and they were all "don't worry we are still for black women. These investors are just helping us become better. But they definitely started to switch to white women and looser hair textures like wavy type 2 hair. Black women got fed up with the disrespect and stopped buying. At this same time the natural hair movement was gaining major steam and natural hair companies were popping up online so carols daughter was no longer alone. They fell and fell hard and haven't recovered ever since. For a few years I didn't even see them in stores. Apparently they went bankrupt. They started cropping up at walgreens like a year or 2 ago but they are always on sale. Idk what the sales are like now.

But this shea moisture thing is eerily similar to the demise of CD. And they are arrogant. They think that just because a few white women buy there products they can kick us to the curb and survive. Thing is yes a few white women buy your products but they are NOT the main purchasers. Target can have 100 SM products but white women are buying maybe 15. The rest is us. So if you alienate us and pay us dust so we stop buying who is going to buy that other 85 products to replace us? And you are in EVERY target and walgreens. If you have a huge inventory on shelves but only a small percentage (white women) are being sold you can't survive. You will go bankrupt. SM is waaaay bigger than carols daughter ever was so this fall will be huge.

I remember Carol's Daughter had stores in malls. But yes, their formulas changed.

Once I finish my SM inventory no mas. Especially if the formulas are different.

 

[beauti]

Thank you for this informative post. I won't be purchasing any more Shea Moisture products. The Manuka dc was my fave but it stopped working for me anyway.

 

[UmSumayyah]

I just love their Bar Soaps. But there are other all natural bar soaps out there.

I have a bar soap by them next to my sinks in the master bath and my hands feel so soft after washing I don't even need lotion. But they care #cancelled, I will find some other $5 per bar of soap to buy.

 

[curlyhersheygirl]

I knew this was coming with all the formula and label changes and the sudden acquisition of Jennelle's kiny curly coily me website. The aim was to keep marketing to us via blogs and youtube which is way cheaper than actually including us in a national commercial ad campaign.