What’s with all these companies including damaging chemicals in their hair products? Between using toxins, weighing curls down and drying out your hair, finding the right brands, routines and products is exhausting.
Growing up with curly hair is a double-edged sword. Trying to make it look good while keeping it healthy is a constant battle. It’s even worse when the companies supposed to help our hair secretly damage it instead.
Many brands built on supposedly nourishing curly hair are under fire for causing hair loss and need to be better made. Cantu, Shea Moisture and Mielle Organics were once staples in curly hair routines but are now being cast aside. The amount of products that are healthy for us shrinks every day.
While the main qualms with Cantu and Shea moisture are about dehydration and curl definition, Mielle Organics has allegations on another level.
Recently, Mielle has been “canceled” for causing hair loss and even cancer. CEO and founder Monique Rodriguez was once a small- business owner but has sold her brand to P&G and over the last 10 years, the brand has grown immensely. Her products can be found in huge retail stores such as Target, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart.
Rodriguez took to TikTok to address the allegations in regards to her changing the ingredients once the brand was sold. “From the very beginning, authenticity and transparency have been at the core of what I do,” she stated.
Like many people do after watching controversial videos on TikTok, I of course checked the comment section. The first comment on the video was by @ morgannalexisss writing “Girl I’m bald now.” This comment had 7,198 likes as of Sept. 15.
“Our products are created with healthy ingredients and they are formulated to deliver safe and effective results,” Rodriguez continued. “We’ve always taken great care in ensuring the quality of our products. And that commitment has never wavered.”
However, comments under the video suggest that Rodriguez is reading from a script and not being authentic.
It’s frustrating and disappointing when brands that promote themselves as healthy and organic switch up once they get popular. Many comments under the video claimed Mielle made their scalp itchy, thinned their hair and caused their hair to fall out in chunks. While this may not be the case for everyone, a large majority seem to share the same story.
I have used Mielle products in the past and have always gone back to the basics after. The shampoo never made my scalp feel clean and the hair growth oil never made a difference. I always try my best to wear my hair naturally and loose, but it’s difficult when I feel like my hair doesn’t look good.
After switching to a consistent routine with healthy products, my hair is the longest it has ever been. Just took me about 19 years to get to that point.
My experience is just one of many in the curly hair community. Taking care of textured hair is a personal journey that often involves a lot of trial and error. Most of the time, we have to trust brands that claim to care about our needs. When those companies don’t deliver or, worse, cause harm, it breaks that trust.
The concerns about Mielle point to a bigger problem in the beauty industry: a lack of honesty and responsibility. For years, the industry has been criticized for using harmful chemicals, especially in products aimed at communities of color. Ingredients like sulfates, parabens, and formaldehyde, which can damage hair, are still commonly used.
For black women, this is an even bigger issue. Historically, there haven’t been many products made specifically for textured hair, and the existing ones often have high prices or questionable ingredients. Brands like Mielle stepped in to serve this need. But when these brands start cutting corners or putting profits first, it feels like a betrayal.
Finding the right products can feel like an endless struggle. However, as more people push for clean and effective products, change is possible. Companies must be responsible for the ingredients they use and the promises they make. Until then, the curly hair community will keep pushing for products that not only make our hair look good but also keep it healthy in the long run.
