THE JOURNEY FROM ‘POKER STRAIGHT HAIR’ TO THE EMERGENCE OF A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR ‘WILDLY CURLY HAIR’ INDUSTRY

By the Urban Love Team

60% of the world’s population has curly and / or wavy hair, however, the ideal standards of Indian beauty have always been silky straight hair and that has manifested itself into our societal beliefs and perceptions. The Bollywood industry, that plays a huge part in influencing young minds, portrayed curly-haired women as rebellious, wild, quirky and undisciplined. This irrational obsession was fueled by the advancement of technological availability of salon-quality hair tools.

A majority of people around the world believe that Indian women are born with naturally silky, smooth and straight hair. These people cannot be blamed as the Bollywood industry has already set the standards, with straight hair that blows across the screen in slow motion. Watching these women on the screen might have persuaded you into buying a few hair extensions, straightening tools, or even those newly famous Sugarbear hair gummies trending on Instagram and other social platforms. Let’s break it to you; South Asian women are known to have naturally wavy and curly hair.

It is an enthralling time within the world of entertainment. Inclusivity has become more apparent in the fashion and beauty industries, however, Bollywood – well let us give it some credit for at least trying. From an ‘Oh haseena zulfein wali jaane jaha’ to Badshah rapping ‘Zulfein hain zalim’, to Diya Mirza’s ‘khuli latein’ in Zara Zara, Bollywood has always glorified long luscious silky-smooth hair to the point where it is has been romanticized and even sexualized.

The Bollywood industry has now started representing real women on big screens. Actresses are demanding to showcase their actual selves, instead of the surface-level divas their roles claim them to be. Inclusivity in terms of body types, skin color, and facial structures have become ever so prominent in today’s world.

Taapsee Pannu was given absolute freedom to keep her hair natural in Badla. Katrina transformed her hair into soft curls for Bharat. Mithila Palmar has been seen in one of the famous Netflix shows, Chopsticks, where she has left her voluminous bouncy curls as natural as possible. The real women of India have imperfectly perfect curly and wavy hair, and it is time we see that on the big screens as well.

The Indian hair care market has forecasted to reach USD 4.89 billion by 2025 growing at a CAGR of 6.58%. With 60% of the global population having curls, coils and waves, amongst which two-thirds of women with textured hair use four or more hair care products each month. 90% of Indian hair is curly, wavy or textured, and now with the onset of acceptance of curly hair, 1.2 lakh monthly online searches by Indian users on managing curly hair have been noticed on various e-commerce websites.

Gone are the days when women would put hours and hours of effort into straightening their hair and making it look sleek and poker straight. Now, an increasing number of women are embracing naturally curly hair with the ever so popular ‘curly girl method’ (CGM).

Whether your hair is bouncy, big, tousled, or tight, textured hair, it is paving its way in style. Whether you have been tightly combing it down with oil or lathering it up with gel to tame it down, it is finally time to pull out that mane and strut the street as naturally as you can.

If you are thinking about embracing your textured hair, but do not know where to begin, do not worry yourself, because The Urban Love is here to your rescue with its unique blend of all-natural herbal hair care products.

You must use clean products without any harsh chemicals, sulfates, parabens, and silicone that are typically found in shampoos, and a lot of curly hair products. These products eventually lead to damaged hair and will strip the natural oils from your curls, leading to dry frizzy and dull hair. Aside from stripping away the natural texture of your hair these chemicals are also linked to more severe conditions, such as breast cancer.

As you start discovering the beauty in your curls you will find yourself appreciating a lot more things that you might have resented over time. Just like the natural curves of your body, it is important to embrace the natural curls of your hair as well. Let it bounce and come to life, let the Diva in you Shine through with The Urban Love hair products.

It’s time we liberate ourselves from the predefined notions of beauty set by our society and embrace the glory of our uniquely diverse hair that has been passed down from generations while exploring the potential within us to the fullest.