11 Ways To Celebrate ‘National Black Beauty Week’

This month, we’re kicking off the first-ever “National Black Beauty Week!” The inaugural celebration will take place August 21-27, 2022 and is designed to help change how the world sees, celebrates, and experiences Black beauty.  

[SEE ALSO: Black Women Make Up Nearly 90% Of Ethnic Hair & Beauty Market]

The disparities in Black beauty abound in everything from underrepresentation in the beauty workplace and race-based hair discrimination to lack of access to product choice, marketing, resources, funding, and more.

“Black buying power and influence do not correlate with how we experience beauty and are perceived in the beauty industry — whether as consumers or brand owners,” says Stephenetta (isis) Harmon, founder and EIC, Sadiaa.

“While much has progressed over the past decade, there is still much to do,” continued Harmon. “National Black Beauty Week represents a focused opportunity for the entire beauty world to help normalize Black beauty and go beyond statistics and feel-good declarations to actual equity and representation. We also want to empower Black women and men to embrace their beauty and to help change the perception of beauty through conversations and actionable game plans.” 

To get the conversations started, we’re sharing 11 ways brands and consumers can help celebrate National Black Beauty Week. Read on below.

1. Listen To Black Women

Before we even get started on anything, the first thing is to actually listen to Black women (and men) and their experiences. Don’t discount their stories, pain points, or call-outs.

2. Create Campaigns

Create company campaigns and host panel discussions aimed at changing how Black women experience beauty while shopping, building brands, or living their everyday lives. 

3. Create Space For Brands

Make space for and highlight Black-owned beauty brands in retail outlets.

4. Increase Visibility

Increase the visibility of Black men and women in beauty campaigns, especially for products not specifically made for Black people.

5. Hire Black Beauty Professionals

Hire Black beauty professionals and increase employee representation at all levels of the beauty world, from the floor room to the boardroom. 

6. Encourage & Empower

Encourage and empower everyday women every day to share how they define and hope to impact conversations around Black beauty. 

7. Host Events Centering Black Beauty Professionals

Host events, such as fashion shows, hair shows, and pop-up shops with a focus on Black models, beauty professionals, and/or brands.

8. Provide Access To Black Beauty Education

Host education workshops on such topics as how to style all hair textures; how to tattoo darker skin tones; how to find and color match foundations for darker skin tones; and how to light and edit darker skin tones in photos.

9. Clean Up The Beauty Aisle

Brands can remove or reduce the number of toxic ingredients in beauty products marketed to Black women. Consumers should actively read labels and avoid products with toxins known to cause cancer and other health issues.

10. Invest In Black Beauty Businesses

This really should have been number one. It’s the most obvious and most pressing issue for Black-owned beauty brands and entrepreneurs.

11. Bonus: Love yourself

Self-care is still a radical concept for far too many. This is the perfect time to prioritize self-care and wellness which are at the foundation of beauty.