Beauty Shouldn't Equal Pain

Latched and Hooked Beauty has a scalp first approach to textured hair care with a mission to diversify the hair extension space with high performance synthetic hair fibers and clean formulas that don't irritate or cause inflammation of the scalp. Our vision is to make beauty simple for Black women using our ready to wear synthetic hair extensions that decrease the amount of time a Black women spends in the mirror preparing for the most important moments of her day. We know that as Black women our hair sets the tone for the day, which is why we started with a product that speaks to our customer's top priority when she wants to feel her most confident--her hair. Latched and Hooked Beauty has diversified the hair extension category of beauty and we are making it accessible for Black women to wear synthetic hair extensions without compromising their health, their skin or their confidence. 

Black women are disproportionately impacted by chemical exposures. We believe Black women shouldn't have to compromise their skin, their health or their confidence. Beauty products such as synthetic hair extensions can include reproductive and developmental toxicants such as phthalates and carcinogens; however, disclosure requirements are limited and inconsistent. Compared to White women, women of color have higher levels of beauty product-related environmental chemicals in their bodies, independent of socioeconomic status. Even small exposures to toxic chemicals during critical periods of development, such as pregnancy (which Black women tend to wear protective hairstyles the most), can trigger adverse health consequences such as impacts on fertility and pregnancy, neurodevelopment, and cancer. 

Initially I started my brand to prevent Black women from hot water burns while protective hairstyling (i.e. braids and crochet hairstyling) but my mission became greater after my oldest daughter got her hair braided for the first time. She sat for 8 hours. She was so excited. My husband and I paid a little over $200 for the hairstyle. After two days she came to me in tears saying she needed to take her hair out because her scalp was in pain. After looking at her scalp I noticed it was red, irritated and she developed white bumps with puss around several of the braids. I immediately removed the braids and massaged her scalp daily and after a week her scalp healed. I started doing research based on what she experienced and found testimonies of other Black women who had experienced similar situations. One woman declared her cousin died and their family was told it was because of the carcinogens likely found in the braiding hair her cousin was known to repeatedly wear. Braids are part of our culture. I didn't want my daughters to suffer while wearing protective hairstyles nor did I want any other woman to suffer and it was then that I knew I wanted to not only find a way to produce non-toxic synthetic hair, but use the one  beauty product Black women love to use to style their hair, to educate them on scalp health. 

We are seeking funding to assist with our customer acquisition strategy and hiring a part-time fulfillment employee. Funding both of these initiatives will help customers who are in need of a solution to their scalp irritation problems, find the beauty of pain-free synthetic hair extensions through Latched and Hooked Beauty as well as a community of women who will not participate in hair discrimination, yet support the decisions each women makes independently about her hair. With more customers comes more sales and having more fulfillment employees to help us process orders quickly and efficiently will allow us to stay competitive and deem us reliable among our customers.

Thank you for supporting our business and acknowledging that Black women deserve access to better hair care products.