Cultural diversity in the hair industry has helped us grow into the inclusive community we now are. As part of this community, we celebrate what makes us unique; our hair textures, from straight to curly, and our colors, from virgin and color-processed to gray and every color in between. On May 21, we celebrate the UN-sanctioned international holiday, World Day of Cultural Diversity. It’s a day for dialogue and development to touch on the richness of our world’s cultures and the ongoing international dialogue for achieving peace within them.
As cultures pertain to the hair industry, we see them all. Each approach to every head of hair is different, whether highly textured hair from Black and Latino cultures or thick, coarse hair from Asian and Indian cultures. Our hair is how we communicate with the world. Our decisions to embrace the textures we’re born both start conversations and take a stance. Increasingly, clients today are embracing their natural hair textures. Most specifically, in the naturally curly community. Years of relaxers and flat ironing are now seeing repair and bounce again with the help of OLAPLEX treatments to rebuild hair as close as possible to their virgin-like states.
When celebrating the differences that make us unique, we impact future generations of women and men embracing their natural textures, rather than fighting them. Clients are also the most informed they’ve ever been, thanks to social media and the internet. They’re learning how to maintain and protect their textures, even after color processing or thermal styling. The advent of OLAPLEX bond building created a shift amongst generations, towards the bright path to acceptance; honoring what we are born with, and promoting diversity.
Without diversity, the hair industry wouldn’t be the vibrant, exciting one it is today. When you walk into a salon, you’re open to alternative possibilities, a boost in confidence, and ways to enhance what’s naturally yours. On top of being culturally diverse, it is an industry championed 80% by women, and composed primarily of minorities. As minorities and women, we’re able to create our narratives and inform our clients that embracing themselves is the best transformation they’ll see.
We love change and find that in 2021, a year of healing, we are transforming from constructs and oppression to love and acceptance. We challenge you to bring this discourse into your community. Promote conversations on what makes each person unique and how their cultural contributions impact the greater picture. By actively honoring our diversities and keeping the dialogue going, we’re able to see just how bright the future looks for everyone.
