While you consider so-called quintessential French girl beauty, does a girl rocking an Afro or Bantu knots come to mind? Probably not — but there are people working to vary the misperception that each French woman is born with effortless waves and a penchant for minimalistic makeup. The natural hair space — also often called the “nappy” movement in Francewhere the word doesn’t have the identical historical connotations because it does within the U.S. —  has been gaining momentum over the past decade and shows no signs of slowing down. Just like the American natural hair movement, it goes beyond higher products and more readily-available styling suggestions — it’s about self-acceptance and an unwavering sense of pride.

The movement is now so central to Black French culture that there’s an annual festival attended by 1000’s called the Natural Hair Academy. This event, which happens in Paris and celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2022, is equal parts educational and inspirational. Attendees are invited to pay attention to panels featuring experts and influencers from across the globe — as an illustration, Felicia Leatherwood, the stylist behind a few of Issa Rae’s most iconic looks, participated in a panel this yr — and offered a possibility to find recent brands and fill up on their favorite products. Curated spaces like this give Black-owned brands the chance to fulfill their community where they’re, and further their collective mission to encourage women with textures which have historically been deemed unworthy to walk in self-love.

“I loved and will relate to most of the origin stories of the opposite entrepreneurs on the show. All of us had a particular issue that wasn’t yet solved within the industry, and we took the initiative to repair that,” Whitney Whitefounding father of hair-care brand Melanin Haircaretells Allure. She spoke at this yr’s festival and was moved by the range of self-expression inside the French natural hair community, noting that “there have been so many looks [at the event] starting from chic to boho, baddie, edgy, and every part in between.”

After I attended the event this summer, three other brands stood out to me: Beauté Insolente, Mango Butterfull, and Secrets de Loly. All have purpose-driven founder stories and products which might be formulated to handle the unique needs mainstream hair-care corporations had long ignored. Better of all: They ship to the USA too.

Insolent Beauty