This massive change in perception is largely due to the voices and visibility of trailblazingcontent creatorsand celebrities.
Among the latter, actress Teyonah Parris stands out for her glamorous natural hair looks on screen.
Should a beauty consumer want quality virgin hair for a silky-straight sew-in, the options are plenty.
Ashley Nguyen at Munehaus Creative Studio
Luxe hair that seamlessly blends with their natural bang out 4 pattern?
The options are slimmer.
How long have you been natural, and what prompted your transition?
Blūm by Teyonah Parris
In or right out of college, I became curious about [my hair].
I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, her hair is so beautiful.
I wish my hair could do that.’
Blūm by Teyonah Parris
My girl was like, ‘It can.
What are you talking about?’
And as that started to happen, I realized this is way more than hair.
This is about not including myself in my narrow Eurocentric ideal of what’s beautiful.
And I wanted to fix that immediately.
It was not an immediate fix.
What inspired you to launch Blum?
And then there was a certain point where I didn’t want to do that.
I started to do that more, and to my surprise, I did not get much pushback.
[Directors] were like, ‘Yeah, sure.’
Blum by Teyonah Parris
Then I realized they wanted to usemyhair.
I was like, no, because I’ll be bald unintentionally by the time this is done.
I needed [textured] extensions or wigs to help me navigate my job more easily.
I kept asking over the years, and it just wasn’t happening.
That moment was when they planted the seeds that I could do this on my own.
It was going to be challenging, but it could be done."
Black women invest so much money, credibility, and authority into the beauty space.
What is the significance for you now as a consumer and an owner?
“It had to be about more than just, ‘I want some hair extensions.’
Blum is creating a legacy for my child, something she can own.
Now my family can say, ‘Hey, this is ours.
We worked for this.’
Why shouldn’t I and anyone who comes along after me have some say and stake in this space?
Blum has been about kicking down doors and continuing the path already laid by other Black entrepreneurs.
Blum is that for me in business form.
“My favorite is theHeadband Wigbecause it’s so easy.
When I tell you I can make this Headband Wig do 10 different things.
I can make it into a half-up, half-down look.
I have put it upside down and made it a pineapple.
I put that headband wig to work, honey!”
You have a lot of hair!
Sometimes, wearing a wig can be challenging because it can look bulky in the back.
However, because the headband wig is textured, it masks any lumps.
“It sure does!
When I’m getting dressed up, I prefer theU-Part Wigs.
My stylists prefer theClip-Insbecause they are so easy and versatile.
But I love the U-Part because I get to use my edges.
Launching Blum makes so much sense because you often wear natural hair on the red carpet.
Can you talk about that?
2013 was the first time I said [my hair] has to be this way.
“Now, I still might come out with a buss down slick silk press bob, okay?
And that’s okay because that’smychoice.
You’ve taken on a lot of roles throughout your career.
Which character’s hairstyle is your favorite?
“My character Monica Rambeau inWandaVision,with her curly, beautiful Afro.
Playing a Black female superhero with chocolate skin and big natural hair was a dream come full circle.
You’re co-starring in Netflix’s dark comedyNo Good Deed, premiering December 12.
How was that experience?
“That was my first project back from maternity leave.
Working with [creator] Liz Feldman was amazing.
I love her humor and its darkness.
Many people were on that show, but I was mostly with Anna Maria Horsford and O-T Fagbenle.
We were a fun little family.
Even though I have a hair brand, my biggest mission is to share with women that you don’tneedanything.
You don’tneedmakeup, et cetera.
I enjoy it because it’s an option, and I like to change things up.”
