Last week, Amazon introduced a new shop called “Textures and Hues.” The shop organizes a wide array of hair products for all types of ethnic and textured hair into an easy shopping experience. You can purchase everything from basics (your standard shampoos and conditioners) to styling products (they’ve got dozens of serums and styling creams), and even some popping wigs and weaves (whether you’re into the authentic look or the Nicki Minaj mermaid goddess style)!
They currently carry some of the biggest brand names in the natural hair community—that means all your favorites and all the labels you’ve been waiting to try like Devacurl, Camille Rose, Carol’s Daughter, Cantu and Shea Moisture (my personal go-to’s). It’s exciting to see a major retailer like Amazon recognize the business in natural hair and be willing to create something that caters to us, curly girls and boys!
One awesome feature is the “coupons” tab. Amazon lists all of the products that are on sale and the different coupons you can “clip” to get discounts when you purchase. Since so many of these brands use high-quality, all-natural ingredients, their products can be more expensive than your usual drugstore brands. The expense of transitioning (going from straightened or processed hair to natural) is sometimes a major deterrent to ethnic women in celebrating their natural beauty. So, this is one of the most beneficial aspects of the store. There are currently deals on staples curly girls swear by, like Carol’s Daughter Black Vanilla line. If you’re interested in transitioning or getting new leave-in’s, check out those discounts!
But the coolest part of “Textures and Hues” is the community Amazon is building around it. Included in the shop are guides to finding what type of natural hair you have. You can use their easy-to-read diagrams and pictures to help you determine where you fall on the curl-pattern chart (i.e. 2a, 4c, etc.). They’ve also put together a series of video tutorials to help all the natural girls and guys out with copying the latest and trendiest looks. The tutorials feature the women from @Mynaturalsistas, a dedicated and talented group of natural-haired girls from the “My Natural Sistas” blog, another awesome place to find hair inspiration and help
For so many ethnic girls and guys out there, it can be difficult to find what works for you. There are so many types of textured hair. Learning how to style and care for yours is often a long, ongoing learning process. Seeing the community be recognized and watching Amazon support creators and brands is a heartwarming experience for a mixed-race girl like myself. I know how much help this shop would have been to me and my mom when I was growing up—we both struggled with what to do with my big, frizzy curls! I also know it will be a “frequently used” tab on me and all of my curly BFF’s browsers as we share the latest products we’re obsessing over or the sweetest deals. Shout out to Amazon for becoming more inclusive!
All photos courtesy of Amazon.