Natural Hair and Protective Styling’s Effect on the Hair Industry

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LaToya Harris

LaToya Harris is a natural hair blogger and journalist from NJ, but she currently lives in MS. She is also the creator of 1BlessedNatural Mag, a blog magazine that recognizes natural hair and empowers Black women. Ms. Harris has been natural for 6 years.

Latest posts by LaToya Harris (see all)

Black Women’s Reactions to 90’s Hair Products Echoes That of Many Naturals - April 19, 2018
Zendaya Lets Us Know the Difference BetweenWeaves, Wigs, and Extensions - April 14, 2018
Woman Shaves Head Bald After Weave Damaged Her Scalp - April 5, 2018

Every day, Black women around the world are going natural. Perm sales have declined significantly in recent years. If you need proof, visit your local beauty supply store. Boxes of relaxers have been replaced by moisturizers, co-wash conditioners, and curl enhancing products. It’s clear the natural hair movement has greatly affected the hair industry, especially in the area of weaves.

Many celebrities like Gabrielle Union posted pictures of their long natural hair on social media, crediting their growth to protective styling. On her Facebook page, Union said, “When you take care of your own natural hair when you wear wigs, weaves, and extensions…” This is one of the many reasons why sales in weaves and wigs skyrocketed in the past years 3 years. More Black women are using protective styles to grow their hair.

In 2015, the Mintel research company reported that Black women spent a large amount of money on wigs, weaves and extensions. They said this:

Three in five (63 percent) Black women purchased wigs, weaves, extensions or styling tools from local independent beauty supply stores in the last six months, averaging an annual spend of $239 (vs $173 for Black men), with 10 percent of Black women spending over $250 annually. Further suggesting that wigs and weaves are here to stay…

The natural hair movement and demand for wigs, weaves, and extensions have lead to a larger variety of textured hair products. For example, Marley kinky Kanekalon (synthetic) hair is often used for crocheted braids.

Kinky weaves and clip-ins are also popular among Black women. If you Google “curly hair clip ins,” you will see a host of images and websites that are dedicated to the clip-ins. Naturals’ DIY hair videos lead to many women attempting to recreate styles using wigs, weaves, and extensions. Just ask natural hair YouTube vloggers like Naptural85 who has over 800,000 subscribers.

The natural hair movement’s emphasis on protective styling has lead to the shaping and molding of the hair industry. Many naturals are gravitating towards hairstyles containing wigs, weaves, and extensions that match their natural hair texture, and we are loving every minute of it!

Author: LaToya Harris

“Changing attitudes about natural hair” is what we do at Natural Haircare News. Through informative articles, podcasts and videos, we go beyond just sharing the latest advice and tips on kinky, curly, wavy haircare – We shake things up and focus on the realities of wearing our hair natural.