Black Women, TikTok and the Mielle Oil Drama
All hair products may work on non-people of color, but not all hair products work for Black people. While we cannot stop anyone from buying the product, people should take this into consideration before purchasing any products geared towards certain hair types.
(Suad Kamardeen via Unsplash)
Black Women are not happy with the incorrect usage of a Mielle hair oil, the Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil to be exact. Many are worried that with new exposure to a Caucasian audience, there will be a shortage of the product and cause the company to change the product to cater to a wider demographic.
Back in December, TikTok influencer Alix Earle shared her top 2022 Amazon purchases, which included Mielle Organics Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil. In the video Earle said, “I’ve only been using this for a little over a month, and I’ve already seen tremendous hair growth.” Under the video Black women expressed their unhappiness, leaving comments like, “We can’t have nothing” and “Our hair section (is) already small don’t sell out our stuff.”
Amira Dade and Erica Pope, both freshmen at Whitney Young, agree with these women.
Dade said, “White people love to steal Black culture without having any knowledge about what they’re stealing.” Pope added, “Mielle hair products were made by and for Black women and white women can’t take that away from us.”
Founded by Monique Rodriguez, Mielle Organics is a hair and skin care company started in 2014 after Rodriguez’s hair care regimen went viral among her social media followers. The Rosemary Mint Scalp & Hair Strengthening Oil is infused with biotin to encourage longer, stronger and healthier hair.
As a young Black woman who uses this product, I too have some concerns in regards to this new trend. All hair products may work on non-people of color, but not all hair products work for Black people. While we cannot stop anyone from buying the product, people should take this into consideration before purchasing any products geared towards certain hair types.
The company recently announced a partnership with Procter & Gamble.
This guest post is in partnership with True Star Media.