BLACK HAIR CARE VS. WHITE HAIR CARE - which do YOU prefer?

How does your hair respond to black vs. white products?

  • "White" products work for me i.e. Nexxus

    Votes: 100 26.4%
  • "Black" prodcuts work best for me

    Votes: 24 6.3%
  • I can use both

    Votes: 255 67.3%

  • Total voters
    379
  • Poll closed .

glamazon386

Well-Known Member
I agree with the ladies who mentioned that you have to use the best products for your hair type. I think that's more what it's about. Even amongst black people our hair is different and requires different things.

Also, I do think there is a difference between white hair and black hair. We can't sit here and act like there is no difference at all because there is. If it wasn't we wouldn't be on this site. People fail to realize that because the majority of us are relaxed, our hair is going to need more moisture and protein to keep it strong. The relaxer breaks down the bonds in the hair. You have to give it special care and attention.

And the other thing is that white people tend to wash their hair more frequently than we do because their hair gets oily. I know a lot of the ladies here are frequent washers but you are in the minority. We usually apply oils, butters, grease, etc to our hair. White people generally don't do those things. Maybe the curly heads but not the straighter textures. For those reasons we may require different products.

I still think that a lot of their products have better ingredients though. Especially the curly hair ones. I don't think a lot of black hair care lines have tapped into that yet. Most of us are still too busy trying to get the nap out so they probably don't think there's a market there.
 
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discodumpling

Well-Known Member
On another hairboard that I frequent which is predominantly Caucasian. The ladies are fond of oilings both deep & light/daily. With the same things we use here ie. shea butter, jojoba, coconut etc. But hey that's just been my experience. :)

As a matter o fact they often reference LHCF when discussing products and techniques.
 

good2uuuu

New Member
Either or. But I only let the white people do my hair. Sorry. Can't have the cullered folks in my haid:nono: They just don't understand.
 

tbaby_8

Active Member
I use both. What works best for my hair is what I will stick with. Hair texture is individual to the person not race. Because I have seen some white people that get relaxers like blacks and Jherri curls are nothing but perms like white people get. We just have to add moisture into them.:grin:
 

Creatividual

Well-Known Member
I use a lil bit of errythang. Don't use the "white" products so much anymore but I used to use Biolage, Nexxus, n Joico (which I still get every now and again) and got great results. It's all about what works for your hair. LIke one member said, a lot of the products black vs. white are the same. They are just marketed/packaged differently to appeal to their targeted demographics/audiences.
 

Cheleigh

Well-Known Member
I tend to buy products sort of generically marketed, but leaning toward white I guess. (Aubrey Organics, Regis/MasterCuts, Trader Joes, Aveda). I make some of my own products (from butters and oils that black or white folks use), and I do use "black" gels and curl activator. I also will try products made by "black folks" for natural/curly heads like Curls, Blended Beauty, Oyin, etc.
 

JustKiya

Well-Known Member
I don't even know what a 'white' hair care product is vs. a 'black' one.... and my hair doesn't care what skin color the product is 'made' for either.... I prefer to use products made for PEOPLE, and even then I'll step outside the lines (jacking products from Mr. Ed on the DL :lachen:)

Ahhh, okay, with the marketing clarification, I'll say that I would suspect that most of the products I use are marketed towards white people - and I say that because MOST of the black-marketed products that I have checked out have one, if not all, of my hell-nawh ingredients in them (cones, mineral oil, petroleum) and thus kick themselves out of the running for personal use.

Then, I think a lot of what I use isn't marketed at all - or at least not where I'm seeing it - so...... I'm still not sure.
 

anon123

Well-Known Member
my hair responds better to black hair products....with good ingredients that is...

the white hair products are just 'blah' on my hair. nothing exciting. but i'll still use one or two for cowashes

^^^yeah, this. most white folk I know (in real life, not on hair boards) aren't putting a bunch of stuff in their hair to get or keep in moisturized. lots are working on keeping it not oily. i do look for products based on my hair type, and though I know all black people don't have the same hair, despite people saying they've seen different, I have never seen my hair type on a white person. though i'm not against using "white" products for curly haired girls and even some others like Trader Joe's or Suave or whatever. but my favorite lines right now are Qhemet Biologics, Oyin Handmade, and Karen's Body Beautiful. So in sum I'll use anything I like but my favorites are marketed towards black people with quality ingredients.
 

GOD

New Member
While I understand the folicular differences between str8 & curly hair. I've found nothing that differentiates the actual chemical make up of hair between races & or ethnicities. The primary component in hair is keratin, unless "black" keratin differs from that produced by our y/t counterparts....Hair is Hair.
Well youre right, from the standpoint that the chemicals inside the hair fiber is all the same, but hair products are affecting the physical structures of the hair, not the chemicals within the hair fiber.

And to go further, it is incorrect to assume that white hair care products are the same as black hair care products, but just branded differently. often times theyre formulated for caucasians (fine, straight hair, oily scalps), which wouldnt jive at all with ethnic scalps.

GOD
 

glamazon386

Well-Known Member
^^^yeah, this. most white folk I know (in real life, not on hair boards) aren't putting a bunch of stuff in their hair to get or keep in moisturized. lots are working on keeping it not oily. i do look for products based on my hair type, and though I know all black people don't have the same hair, despite people saying they've seen different, I have never seen my hair type on a white person. though i'm not against using "white" products for curly haired girls and even some others like Trader Joe's or Suave or whatever. but my favorite lines right now are Qhemet Biologics, Oyin Handmade, and Karen's Body Beautiful. So in sum I'll use anything I like but my favorites are marketed towards black people with quality ingredients.

Exactly. And I think that makes a big difference. That's probably why a lot of their shampoos seem harsh or drying to our hair.
 

*Muffin*

New Member
I like to utilize the best of both worlds. Aveda and other "white" hair care companies have some really good products that work well for Black hair, and also Carol's Daughter and various other black hair care companies make good products.
 

discodumpling

Well-Known Member
In all fairness most black women don't do 1/2 the things we HERE ON THE HAIR BOARDS do :grin:
Most of the y/t women I know in RL have unremarkable hair:rolleyes:. I never really thought to bring up hair care...y'all have given me food for thought.



...peace 2 the GOD :)
 

SimpleKomplexity

New Member
It just depends on the product. i still don't consider keraCare a "black product" and I use that a lot and love it. Some which conditioners I use, but I've noticed that a lot of them have Sodium Laureth Sulfate, and I don't like how it makes my hair feel dry so I don't use it. NTM is good for me though becuase I have thin fine hair, and it doesn't weigh my hair down like a lot of "black products" I'm nto hair product racist I'll use whatever works!! ....:grin:
 

graCeful_89

New Member
Exactly. And I think that makes a big difference. That's probably why a lot of their shampoos seem harsh or drying to our hair.

Then again, I know white girls who do hot oil treatments once every few weeks, especially since they flat iron they're hair alot. Keeps the hair shiny and definately stronger.
 

graCeful_89

New Member
Either or. But I only let the white people do my hair. Sorry. Can't have the cullered folks in my haid:nono: They just don't understand.

Wow interesting, that's the first time I've really ever heard that. Do you think its because some of those black hair dressers know how to do hair but think all hair is same just cause you're black?
 

glamazon386

Well-Known Member
Then again, I know white girls who do hot oil treatments once every few weeks, especially since they flat iron they're hair alot. Keeps the hair shiny and definately stronger.

Yeah but that's to counteract the damage from the heat. Not because of their texture.
 

glamazon386

Well-Known Member
It just depends on the product. i still don't consider keraCare a "black product" and I use that a lot and love it. Some which conditioners I use, but I've noticed that a lot of them have Sodium Laureth Sulfate, and I don't like how it makes my hair feel dry so I don't use it. NTM is good for me though becuase I have thin fine hair, and it doesn't weigh my hair down like a lot of "black products" I'm nto hair product racist I'll use whatever works!! ....:grin:

Keracare/Avlon/Affirm is a black product.
 

leleepop

Well-Known Member
I dont believe in Black/white products, but I know exactly what your saying. I consider them professional and nonprofessional. Some of the these so called "white" products are developed by black ppl,like Paul Mitchell. I have almost always used the professional ones, until I came the forum, and found out I can get the same results with cheaper condish,poos,etc. I now realize that the professional products are more concentrated. I'm talking about the ones you get at salons,and professional beauty salon ,distrubuters, the companyswebsite and such. I dont trust the professional ones at grocers, because I was always told they were dilluted. To answer the ? I like them both and the professional ones are good for quick deep conditioners.
 
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kiesha8185

Active Member
I can use Indian products (Ayurveda), "white" products (Nexxus, Pantene, NTM), "black" products (Motions, Keracare, ApHogee). Who is Fermodyl made for :spinning:

I dunno, I can't say that hair products are biased, it just doesn't make sense to me. Some people say that black hair products - products geared toward those with coarser, naturally dry hair - are full of bad ingredients but I don't buy it :nono: If black products are so bad, why do some of them agree with our hair? If all these white products are chock full of great ingredients, why don't they ALL work for our hair? Some white products do contain sulfates and mineral oil just like black products :ohwell: Even natural products like Aubreys Organics, Aveda, or Giovanni Direct....who are those made for, and why don't they all work for my hair since they're full of such good ingredients???

The same percentage of the "black" products that I have realized that don't agree with my hair, is the SAME PERCENTAGE of "white" products that don't work for my hair.

I'm not gonna lie...when I first read this thread I was like :rolleyes::nono: I mean, I thought by coming to this site, we actually learn something.

It's crazy how much of us fell into the advertising and marketing ploys many companies use (and evidently, some of us on this very site are still falling for it). I was one of them. But thank goodness for this site for introducing things to me that I used to walk by in the store (and go right to "the ethnic section" :lachen:). If I still had that mindset, I wouldn't have found any of my staples today. Actually, I wouldn't even have regimen right now!!! :look:
 

taytay86

Well-Known Member
I really don't want this to be about race - and it seems some of you took it the wrong way. I simply used black and white to differentiate between the different products out there. Hair is hair in the sense that it’s all made from keratin, however the characteristics and care is much different for us. I personally don't have issues with either type of product, however I noticed a few of my hair dressers never use Nexxus or Joico because they aren't perceived as black hair care products and this is where the discussion begins.
 

GOD

New Member
I really don't want this to be about race - and it seems some of you took it the wrong way. I simply used black and white to differentiate between the different products out there. Hair is hair in the sense that it’s all made from keratin, however the characteristics and care is much different for us. I personally don't have issues with either type of product, however I noticed a few of my hair dressers never use Nexxus or Joico because they aren't perceived as black hair care products and this is where the discussion begins.
I doubt these "white" products are in the places where the hair dressers get their "black" products from. Also, those companies may purposefully not make an effort to target black hair dressers also. I dunno. :perplexed
 

JustKiya

Well-Known Member
I really don't want this to be about race - and it seems some of you took it the wrong way. I simply used black and white to differentiate between the different products out there. Hair is hair in the sense that it’s all made from keratin, however the characteristics and care is much different for us. I personally don't have issues with either type of product, however I noticed a few of my hair dressers never use Nexxus or Joico because they aren't perceived as black hair care products and this is where the discussion begins.

Ya know, a lot of black people (trained or not) don't BELIEVE that products marketed to white people can even WORK on black hair - so, I'm not really suprised that black hairdressers aren't using those products - why would you even TRY to see if something different works if you have already convinced yourself it doesn't? Esp. as a small business owner, always triple-checking the bottom line....... :ohwell:
 

Brownie518

Well-Known Member
Black and white hair products are just categorized by who they are marketed to. If a product marketed to white folks is good on my hair, I'm getting it. (We all know that there are plenty of them out there who would do well to use some of the products marketed to us)
I use the products that I my hair wants me to use.
 

Saida

New Member
I've used black, white, indian and animal hair care products...whatever works for me!

Your skin color and hair texture doesn't automatically dictate which products you are supposed to use. The sooner some people understand that, the better! :yep:

Well said :yep: I just agree with everything :grin:
 
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