From Afro Sheen to SheaMoisture, Black hair advertisements have played a pivotal role in shaping beauty standards inside our culture. Through commercials showcasing a variety of styles from blow outs and relaxers to extensions and braids, these minute-long videos subtly convey messages about our identity. Black hair commercials deliver implicit cues not only in regards to the latest beauty trends, but in addition in regards to the emotions and perceptions tied to our own looks.

As time has progressed, we’ve witnessed the evolution of those beauty trends, adapting and reshaping in with the changing times. What initially began as a movement characterised by empowering products geared toward maintaining the Afro, eventually transitioned right into a concentrate on relaxers, perms, and the pursuit of a luscious S Curl.

Proceed reading to delve deeper into the profound impact of Black hair advertisements on the perception of Black beauty.

Afro Sheen Ad (1978)

Today’s beautiful Queen uses Afro Sheen. The descriptive narration within the Afro Sheen commercials added a serene, majestic, and powerful statement for Black hair ads within the Seventies. Founded by George E. Johnson Sr., the sweetness industry remembers the legendary influence of Afro Sheen ads. From the assimilation to white beauty standards with the Ultra Sheen Relaxer (1971), to the commercial of natural products with the Afro Sheen Shampoo (1978), these commercials have had a robust impact on hair care within the Black community. 

PCJ Relaxer Ad (1987)

Nevertheless, White beauty standards within the late Eighties and ‘90s were promoted with Hair Relaxer ads. A boom in chemical relaxers advertised Black hair as difficult to administer and time-consuming. These commercials from PCJ, Raveen, and Only for Me, amongst others, promoted relaxed hair for the “soft and silky, and really easy to comb” results. Within the TCB Relaxer (1986) industrial, the hair care company advertised relaxer and mousse because the missing puzzle piece in Black hair care routines.

S-Curl Ad (1992)

From Jheri Curl to S-Curl, the usage of chemical treatments didn’t end with relaxers. Other chemical treatments, like perms, were predominately marketed to men within the Black community. “Long-lasting stronger curls with Classy Curls” was the jingle for the Jheri Curl industrial. The Classy Curls Ad (1980) promoted texturism using words like “higher curls” to explain a loose, curly hair texture. Classy Curls enlisted Ola Ray, known for her role as Michael Jackson’s girlfriend in “Thriller,” because the face of their campaign to advertise the curly perm, making it accessible for Black men to attain the identical perm style that Michael famously sported. 

Within the S-Curl Ad (1992), the product is advertised as “The Man’s Look” with a ladies man industrial. The person within the ad looks at photos of girls with relaxers he dates throughout the week, ending with “Sunday’s Girl”. S-Curls were promoted as a hairstyle to draw women, much like the commercial of relaxers for ladies to draw men.

Celebrity Endorsement Ads (2000s)

The usage of celebrity endorsements for hair ads, like Ashanti for Herbal Essence, gained popularity within the 2000s. The paparazzi boom resulted in celebrity-endorsed hair ads, not only in commercials, but in print magazines next to photos of our favourite celebrities. The continued promotion of relaxers included a SoftSheen Carson ad of Kelly Rowland for Dark and Lovely® with the celebrity-endorsed “Finally, a relaxer I can consider in.”

SheaMoisture Ad (2023)

Black hair care commercials of today primary concentrate on overall hair health. Of their most up-to-date ad, SheaMoisture introduced a latest Scalp Care System including an Anti-Dandruff and Scalp Moisture collection. The promotion of those products weren’t on an afro or relaxed hair, but scalp-exposed braided hairstyles to market a routine for dry scalp and dandruff. Their latest ad represents the Black community’s interest within the protection, treatment, and condition of their hair. These ads, from the Seventies to today, symbolize the evolution of how we care for our hair — and influence how Black hair is cared for in the longer term.