UN-RULY, a beauty platform dedicated to black hair and women, and black hair care brand, Dark & Lovely, have released a short film to spark an overdue conversation about protective hairstyles.
This is a term used to refer to styles such as braids, weaves, twists and wigs that keep one's hair free from manipulation. As one of the fastest growing hair care categories among an estimated 80% of Black women, protective styles have become a go-to choice for embracing personal style, while encouraging growth and maintaining hair health.
Today, however, with over an estimated one-third of black women in the USA suffering from thinning around their hairlines, which can be caused by styles that place too much tension on one's hair, UN-RULY and Dark & Lovely are taking on the task of creating new standards in black hairstyling practices.
Pretty Shouldn't Hurt dives deep into the evolution of black hairstyles, and serves as a starting point to a long-term initiative with Dark & Lovely, which recently launched its Protective Styles Collection to promote healthier looking hair during each phase of a protective style. The film shines a light on the potential damaging effects caused by these styles, and offers advice on what should be done to make the styles truly protective.
“We've grown up believing ‘the tighter the better’ when it comes to braided hairstyles,” says UN-RULY Co-Founder, Antonia Opiah. “As a result, today's generation of black women have seen their moms, aunts, grandmas and even friends lose their hairlines. We're now setting out to reduce the rate of hair loss and thinning hairlines among black women by bridging the K.A.P (Knowledge Attitudes and Practices) gap."
UN-RULY is enlisting the support of 100 of the most vocal and influential players in the black hairstyling industry, including experts featured in the film – natural hairstyling pioneer, Anu Prestonia, board certified dermatologist, Dr Crystal Aguh, celebrity hairstylist and trichologist, Dr Kari Williams, and Emmy-nominated celebrity stylist and Dark & Lovely ambassador, Derick Monroe, to get behind the guidelines set forth in the film.
Promoting the importance of proper maintenance with the right products is an equally important part of the film's objective, which makes the project's partnership with Dark & Lovely, so timely. The four products in the brand's Protective Styles Collection – a tension tamer, hair refresher, cleansing water, and detangling cream, are fortified with aloe vera and mint properties to relieve, refresh, and recover hair from a protective style making wearing one easier and more enjoyable.
To view the short film click here
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