There are hundreds if not thousands of beauty brands on the market catering to black hair care. However, when a Caribbean national manages to build a multi-million dollar brand that can be found in major retail stores such as Target, Walmart, and CVS – we must take notice.
We proudly salute poshgirls Nickie Nougaisse (Haiti) Founder of Curls Dynasty, Yve-Car Momperousse (Haiti) Co-Founder of Kreyol Essence, Rochelle Alikay Graham-Campbell (Jamaica) Founder of Alikay Naturals, Shelley Davis (St.Vincent) Founder of Kinky Curly, Lois Reid-Hines (Jamaica) Founder of Tropic Isle Living, and Terrinique Pennerman (Bahamas) Founder of Kurlee Belle.
#poshandpowerful these inspiring women are trailblazers in our book.
Curls Dynasty
Founded by Haitian-American Nickie Nougaisse, Curls Dynasty is a brand that sets out to provide natural hair care with nourishing ingredients. After Nougaisse was disappointed by the natural hair products she used, experimenting in the kitchen paid off and allowed her to start to develop natural products that did wonders for her hair. Since its origins in 2014, Curls Dynasty proudly states that it is out to change the world “one curl at a time”! Shop their collection of moisturizers, shampoos, stylers, and more.
Kreyol Essence
Haitian founder Yve-Car Momperousse was suffering from damage due to the consistent use of chemical products and other styling techniques. However, Yve-Car always looked forward to visiting with her mother after every hair problem to ask for a bottle of Haitian Black Castor Oil. After getting significant heat damage in the city of Philadelphia, Yve-Car could not locate a single bottle of Haitian Black Castor Oil. So emerged the development of Kreyol Essence. The brand makes sure to use indigenous ingredients from Caribbean farms and uses plant-based oils, butters, and herbs to soothe, moisturize, and fortify hair, skin, and scalp.
Kinky-Curly
Founder Shelley Davis is from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Kinky-Curly has been a constant fixture to natural hair care products for years. While visiting her home one summer, Davis misplaced her hair products and borrowed a friend’s hair mixture that consisted of various herbs and plants. Since then, Davis turned to the natural ingredients of her Caribbean home and studied cosmetic chemistry online while not working her job in entertainment to develop Kinky-Curly, which is now a well-recognized name in the natural hair care industry! The brand offers a wide range of shampoos, conditioners, moisturizers, and styling products, such as the Original Curling Custard.
Alikay Naturals
Rochelle Alikay Graham-Campbell first learned about natural ingredients and the wonders they can have on the hair while as a young girl growing in the Caribbean. Her herbalist, YaYa, helped to provide the young soon-to-be entrepreneur with the knowledge that would later allow her to develop one of the most well-known natural hair care brands on the market. Alikay Naturals treats a variety of hair textures, so you can be sure you’ll find the right products for your lovely locks! Shop the brand’s extensive range of repairing masks, cleansers, detanglers, and much more.
Tropic Isle Living
Tropic Isle Living was founded by Lois Reid-Hines and her late husband Michael in 1992, with a particular focus on celebrating Jamaican tradition and remedies. They also wanted to incorporate Jamaican Black Castor Oil as a household staple, as they knew the nourishing properties of this element. Though Michael did pass in 2016, Lois has taken on the journey to make sure their vision is successful. Tropic Ilse Living uses all-natural Jamaican-sourced products, and offers a wide range of products for both men and women, such as hair growth oils, conditions, shampoos, and gels.
Kurlee Belle
Founder Terrinique Pennerman first developed the brand Kurlee Belle to honor her mother’s legacy. Pennerman fondly remembers the time spent with her mother creating homemade haircare recipes if not at the salon getting their hair professionally done. Kurlee Belle takes influence from recipes passed down in generations of women in the Bahamas, all using the most naturally grown ingredients. The wide selection of Kurlee Belle includes deep treatments, shampoos, conditioners, and much more.