Which ones are YOU using!

[Poplife]

African-American owned products

African Natural - African Royale - Baby Love - BB, BB SuperGro - Black Magic - Blue Satin - California Curl - Care Free Curl - Carol`s Daughter -Curly Grow - Curl N Body Systems - Design Essentials - Designer Wave - Donnies - Dudley products - Duke - Elentee - Gentille - Isoplus - Kemi-Oyl - Kink Wave Memory System - Lesisure Curl - Mizani - Oil of K - Optimum Care - PCJ - Pink Oil Moisturizer - Phase 2 Press N Curl - S-Curl - Soft & Beautiful - Sporting` Waves - Vitale - Wave by Design- Wave Nouveau


Non-African-American

Always Natural - Affrim - African Pride - Afrosheen - Bantu - Bigen Hair Color - Bone Strait - Classy Curl - Creme of Natural - Dark & Lovely - Dax Excelle - Fabulaxer - Frizz-Ease - Gentle Treatment - Lekair - Let`s Jam - Long Aid - Lustrasilk - Motions - Murray`s Hair Pomade - New Era - Nice n` Easy - Options - Paul Mitchell - Posners - Right on Curl - Revlon Permanent Relaxer - Royal Crown - Sebastion - Sof-N-Free - Sta-Sof-Fro - TCB - Ultr Sheen - Ultar Star - Vigorol


It's DOES matter!! Support our black businesses.

[kiml122]

I use every thing by BB or Bronner Brothers because not only is it black owned, but my hairdresser is a Bronner.

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Peace
KL

[sunnydays96]

Personally, I used what works best on my hair. Hey people may say I'm wrong for not supporting black businesses, but I'm a Paul Mitchell fanatic. I'm also into that Organic Hair Products Line- the hair mayonniase, olive and carrot oil. Just like the pictures, it works wonders on hair. If you want your hair to grow, especially use the carrot oil. It stinks but it's amazing.

[Poplife]

Well that's your choice. There are alot of people that don't care who makes their products. But just as a reminder, for every white-made hair product there is a black-owned hair product that works just as good or better.

[MIDWESTDIVA]

I agree Poplife!

I try to support Black owned businesses whenever possible. I no longer buy hair products, since I get my hair done so often. I wear my hair very short so I can't do it myself. My current stylist uses Motions products, which are good. But I would prefer that she use Mizani (which is the bomb and is Black owned). However, she doesn't see things that way.

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"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on." ~Robert Frost

[sunnydays96]

Originally posted by Poplife:
Well that's your choice.

I know it's my choice. Pardon you, I was just answering the question. Finally to clarify myself, I support black businesses (the store I buy my products from is african-owned, one can get a dashiki and a relaxer in the same place) or black individuals trying to make money, just not with a particular hair product.

My question would be who owns the store where you are buying these black products? Is it black-owned? Because once cannot say, "support black businesses", while shopping in the other race's store.

[Poplife]

Yes, Pardon me if I wanted to comment on something you said. I thought it was allowed.

Who owns the store's I used to buy my hair products in? I don't know who Sam Walton sold it to, but I bet they are white. Since my school is in a very white and somewhat rural town, that's the ONLY store that sells hair care products for blacks. I don't have many options. I buy my hair products online from www.carolsdaughter.com (black owned).

My point was, most of us HAVE to shop in white owned stores like Giant Foods, Target, Wal-Mart, Sallys, and Safeway because they don't have the privledge of having a black owned store in their area. My mother and father live in a BLACK area and we don't have any black beauty store owners. So to help even things out, the least we can do is buy items from black owned company's so we are putting some of the money back into our own communities...where it should be. People like Dudley's give scholarships to young black people so they can go to college. You'll never see Paul Mitchell doing that.

[NUPE4LIFE]

First I would just like to say that a person has the right to use whatever products they feel like using. Some people were brought up using a certain product and they've just stuck with it over the years. That goes for both black and white owned products. Second, I don't think that we should assume that just because we support a black product that means they're pumping money back into the black community. Nor do all white businesses take their money and give back to the white community. There are some black entreprenuers out their who are in business to solely make a buck. I say all of this to say, you never who's pumping money where. You never know, Paul Mitchell could have some sort of scholarship for minorities.

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KAPPA ALPHA PSI FRATERNITY, INC.
SPR 97
XI LAMBDA

[LadyAKA]

I have to agree with sunnydays96 and NUPE4LIFE, I use what works!! I also switch up a lot so sometimes it may be Black owned and then other times it is white owned. I also feel that hair care is not the only way in which you can support our fellow Black Entrepreneurs ... we (Blacks) are doing everything now a days. There are black owned Bus companies for all of those planning ski trips this Winter. And what about DC Air, a Black owned airlines ... so Hair products are not the only way. But to restate my answer and to answer the question, I use both interchangeably, again I use what works and I don't think I would change that just to support a black business or for that matter a white, Asian or green business.

[AKA2D '91]

I remember some years ago that the way you could tell if the product you were using was "black" was from this picture on the back of the product that had this profile of a lady or something...

It's amazing to "see" the list of NON-African American products...

[12dn94dst]

Originally posted by AKA2D '91:
I remember some years ago that the way you could tell if the product you were using was "black" was from this picture on the back of the product that had this profile of a lady or something...

you can still tell which hair care and beauty products are Black owned. The Proud Lady symbol is still displayed on products that are members of the American Health and Beauty Aids Institute (AHBAI) http://www.ahbai.org.

[MIDWESTDIVA]

I won't support any business that sells inferior products, Black owned or not. Maybe I am the only one that feels this way. But I don't like it when mainstream companies make products geared specifically for us (ie. Revlon's African Pride, Flori Roberts). Likewise, I don't want to see Ralph Lauren or Donna Karan selling hip-hop apparel. If they make a line of products that is geared toward everyone, that's fine. If we stop buying Joico, Aveda, or Paul Mitchell, those companies will still have a large customer base. But if we stop buying Soft Sheen or Optimum products, these companies will go under. Just something to think about.

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"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on." ~Robert Frost



[This message has been edited by MIDWESTDIVA (edited January 13, 2001).]

[sunnydays96]

Originally posted by Poplife:
So to help even things out, the least we can do is buy items from black owned company's so we are putting some of the money back into our own communities...where it should be. People like Dudley's give scholarships to young black people so they can go to college. You'll never see Paul Mitchell doing that.

Yes, Dudley's is one example of a black company giving back, but how many of those other black companies named are doing the same? Moreover, how do one know that those non-black-owned companies aren't giving back?
My point is there are other ways to support black businesses than just hair products alone.

For me personally, I support the smaller black-owned businesses within my community more than the corporate ones. I just think more justice is done when I know that the owner of a small soul food restaurant can make a profit to put food on the table for his family and a decent roof over their heads. Rather than the owner of say, Black Magic earning money off of a stock dividend and buying his teenager a Lexus.

[Poplife]

AKA2D '91, yes the list is quite amazing. I have to admit I think that I didn't think about any of them being black owned or not. A very conscious mentor of mine emailed me this list and I thanked her twice for it.

I can kind of understand the rest of you when you say that you use what works. I used to say that too, but when I when my dad opened an African America Cinema Store and everything changed. He sold rare and classic tapes of everything from Porgy and Bess and Stormy Weather to Roots and Queen to B.A.P.S. and Booty Call. Our first year was very rough because of the same thing that you all are saying. Everyone one when to Blockbuster with some excuse..."they have a longer rent time, they have those little cards, blah blah blah."

My father was afraid we would go under until a friend suggested we do some advertising on a black alternative radio station that is popular with local activists.

The turn out was amazing!! We met brotha's and sista's that actually drove FURTHER than they had to just to shop with us. This kept up for another year or two until people started to catch on. Because of the increase in profit, we were able to better the current service and add brand new ones. Needless to say, the store is doing quite well now. My dad made enough money to start an internet based company and guess who he is hiring?

YUP! Young, talented, black men and women.

Even though I was a freshman in high school my dad had me read these books about how Jews, Asians, and Hispanics SUPPORT THEIR OWN. That's why they are the 1st, 2nd, and soon to be 3rd wealthiest race in this county. Now that more and more Muslims are coming to the USA they are following suit. Where does that leave us brotha's and sista's??

We seems like we are the only race that wants to rationalize not helping our own. I have heard so many excuses from blacks in my home, school, job, and even here. I have not heard one person saying..."maybe I'll pick up a trial size of this or that and at least see if it works."

I was watching comic view one day and someone said:

If a Latin guy see's other Latin's beating someone up, he'll jump out and say "I need to help my countrymen!!" Let a brotha see that! He'll keep driving and say "Damn, they whuppin that brotha's a$$! He musta done SOMETHIN'!"

I laugh for two seconds before I realized how true that was. Then it wasn't funny to me anymore.

I'm tired of freakin' Korean's sucking up all my town's money. I refuse to spend my dollar in a store owned by people who hate us. They don't set up their stores in black area's across America because they like blacks...they know we will make them rich so they tolerate us from 9-5 on weekdays and 8-10 on Saturdays!

Screw that. I'm opening Poplife's Store of Beauty as soon as I save up enough money! AHBAI products only!! *lol*

Hope to see ya'll there!

[Poplife]

Originally posted by sunnydays96:
...but how many of those other black companies named are doing the same? Moreover, how do one know that those non-black-owned companies aren't giving back?
My point is there are other ways to support black businesses than just hair products alone.

For me personally, I support the smaller black-owned businesses within my community more than the corporate ones. I just think more justice is done when I know that the owner of a small soul food restaurant can make a profit to put food on the table for his family and a decent roof over their heads. Rather than the owner of say, Black Magic earning money off of a stock dividend and buying his teenager a Lexus.

I understand you, but I just feel that it's buy now and decided later. All in all, I'd rather by a black teen a Lexus then a white one. That's sad if it comes down to that, but if I does, I won't hesitate to make my choice.

But in my earlier post I said that most folks don't have a choice. For instance, my county was named in the 5 richest black counties in the USA in 2000. Strangely, the number of black owned beauty stores is slim to nill. We have resturaunts, video stores, art stores, and even NAIL SALONS, but no beauty supply. Beacuse of that, if I can't buy any Carols Daughter over the web, I buy a product that is at least black owned.


[This message has been edited by Poplife (edited January 13, 2001).]