Curly Hair Is Making Ouidad Tons of Money
By Macaela Mackenzie. Photos: Courtesy of Instagram.
For curly haired girls, finding killer products that make rocking their texture a breeze is like finding a unicorn. And considering Women with naturally curly or kinky hair textures spend over 100 percent more on hair products than their straight stranded counterparts, it really shouldn't be that hard. Especially when product sales of curl-catering lines are indicating that natural hair on the red carpet and in everyday beauty looks is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Ouidad, which opened the first salon in the U.S. to cater specifically to curly hair in 1983, has known that for a long time. According to a report by WWD, their curl kingdom is seeing major growth across all sales channels. The company is growing by an estimated 20 percent compared to last year (the purveyors of curl care are reportedly on track to do $35 million in sales this year) and they’re also tripling their salon footprint. Over the next year and a half, 3,000 salons will stock Ouidad’s line, making a trip to the beauty parlor all the more friendly for those with more textured hair.
Ouidad’s success is part of a much bigger cultural trend, according to the brand. “Lived-in natural hair is the look everyone wants [now] and people spend less time changing their hair texture,” Ana Divinagracia, Ouidad’s head of marketing, told WWD. “I think it’s a cultural movement, and the landscape of the American population has changed over the past few decades.” Ouidad got ahead of the curve by acknowledging the simple fact that curls and kinks come in a wide variety of patterns, all of which have [specific needs](http://www.allure.com/story/ouidad-curly-hair-brand-growth). Ouidad takes a skin care-like approach to curl care, targeting a range of curl types and troubleshooting issues for loose, classic, tight and kinky curls. As more brands look in to cashing in on the popularity of products aimed at textured hair, a measured approach like this one is key. For so long, women with textured hair have struggled with finding products that actually work for them – to ignore the nuances in the category is missing a moneymaking opportunity.
Ouidad’s Advanced Climate Control line — which accounts for over 20 percent of their overall business — also got a major update recently. With the addition of Nano Protein Technology, the new and improved formulas start by treating the hair cuticle in the shower with a specially formulated shampoo and conditioner that adheres to the hair and covers more surface area thanks to the super small molecular particle size. Then a blend of moisturizers, smoothers, ceremides and UV fighters layer on the frizz fighting capabilities with two styling products that fight humidity and guard fragile curls against heat.
Let’s hear it for rocking even more natural hair — and the products that make it less of a pain — in 2017.
This story originally appeared on Allure.
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