#salmons

The Business Of Black Hair

Marlene Duperley of Doris New York started her line of Black hair products after spending time in her mother’s salon growing up. She notes that the salon is an important gathering place for the Black community. “Community salons, like barbershops for men, are meeting places for women,” she said. “We gossip, laugh, tell stories and create a safe haven for each other greater than most people know.“ 

Hair has been a true marker of resilience and pride in the Black community. But due to the emphasis of Eurocentric hairstyles in the United States, Black hair continues to be policed, discriminated against, shamed and unrepresented in the hair care industry.

Work is being done to allow members of the Black community to show up as their true selves. There’s the natural hair movement ― which seeks to affirm natural tresses, kinks and curls ― and policies like the CROWN ACT (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair), which passed in both California and New York State in 2019, addressing discrimination against Black hair at work.

Black entrepreneurs like Karen’s Body Beautiful,Scotch PorterandDoris New York have taken matters into their own hands by creating products and dialogue centered around Black hair care. We talked to these three founders about rising to the occasion and using their businesses as a means of social uplift for the Black community.

To learn more about three founders who are using their businesses as a means of social uplift for the Black community, head here.

: Elias Williams