6 Benefits to Wearing Your Hair Natural Instead of Relaxed

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Natural Hair Can Help Black People Regain Control of The Black Hair Care Industry

Black hair care is a $9 billion industry while 30 percent to 34 percent of all hair products in the United States are purchased by Black women. Weaves, worn by women of all ethnicities but especially by Black women, account for 65 percent of hair-care revenue. The hair comes from a variety of sources: India, Asia, Russia, Brazil, Mongolia and Malaysia, and helps to build wealth for entrepreneurs from those countries.

The number of Black women who said they don’t use products to chemically relax or straighten their hair jumped to 36 percent in 2011, up from 26 percent in 2010, according to a report by Mintel, a consumer spending and market research firm. At the same time, sales of relaxer kits dropped 17 percent between 2006 and 2011, according to Mintel.

With the natural hair movement growing, budding Black entrepreneurs can seize the opportunity to corner the natural hair care segment of themarket, while older, established companies run by other ethnicities play catch-up.

 

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