It’s Time To Rebuild The Relationship That Built Haircare

There’s been a shift in Black beauty—and if your products aren’t hitting the same or your hair feels like it’s missing something, you’re not alone. What we’re seeing isn’t just about trends or techniques—it’s about a broken connection.

[SEE ALSO: ‘Legacy Isn’t Given—It’s Built’: Inside Sadiaa’s Black Beauty Panel At IBS New York]

For generations, the relationship between consumers, stylists, and product companies formed the foundation of how we cared for our hair. Stylists weren’t just service providers—they were educators, translators, and trusted gatekeepers. But somewhere along the way—accelerated by the pandemic—that trust loop got disrupted. Stylists were benched. Consumers went DIY. And product companies realized they could go straight to the buyer with a trending post and a promo code.

And just like that, the professional was written out of the story.

The pandemic didn’t cause the disconnect, but it did speed things up. Once salons were forced to close, beauty professionals were no longer able to care for their clients in person—and consumers had to figure it out themselves. What once was an in-salon conversation turned into a wave of DIY tutorials, and social media influencers were quick to answer the call.

That opened the eyes of product companies that quickly learned they didn’t need professionals anymore to sell. They didn’t have to spend time educating or building relationships—they just needed someone with views and engagement. Product reviews became the number one type of beauty content on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. It didn’t matter if the product worked—it just needed to be trending. And the more direct the line from product to consumer became, the further professionals were pushed out of the conversation.

Before this shift, education was the standard. Brands had to explain their products to professionals who would then recommend them to clients with confidence. Now, it’s about influence over intention. According to a recent report, the global direct-to-consumer personalized haircare market—valued at $2.21 billion in 2021—is projected to reach $10.55 billion by 2030, reflecting a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 19.3%. This surge shows how brands are prioritizing direct access to consumers over salon relationships.

There was a time when products like Dudley’s or Design Essentials Almond & Avocado were only available through salon doors. Now, with a few clicks, anyone can get them—but that doesn’t mean they know how to use them. The educational gap is real, and so is the professional disconnection.

During our Building Legacy Brands panel at the IBS New York, Nu Standard founder Autumn Yarbrough spoke directly to the damage that’s been done.

“I think the biggest issue with these brands is that they allowed themselves to become complacent. They didn’t want to reinvest in innovative products to support the professional community, and that was a big miss.”

She recalled a personal moment with her stylist that stuck with her. “I was the client in the chair looking at my stylist like, ‘What can you do?’ And she said, ‘I have nothing. Nothing has been made available to us.’ The products were being marketed directly to consumers—us—and we didn’t even know what to do with them” said Yarbrough. “That moment was frustrating and pivotal for me. I realized this can’t happen anymore. I need an expert. I’m not the expert on my hair or my crown—my professional is. And that connection was breaking.”

That disconnect led Yarbrough to launch Nu Standard, a product company intentionally rooted in rebuilding relationships with professionals. “Now, when someone reaches out, we don’t just ask, ‘Do you need to reorder?’ We ask: ‘Do you need more education? More support? Help balancing work and life, or understanding how to profit better? What do you need to take care of yourself and your clients?’”

She understands that if Black haircare is going to evolve it has to start by reconnecting with the people who built the industry from the inside out. “I’m here because I allowed myself to be vulnerable. I was taught that by my great-grandmother—Comer Cottrell’s mother—and it changed my life. I made myself approachable. I asked for help. And when I heard ‘no,’ I understood it was just ‘no for now.’ Or that it might become a ‘yes’ somewhere else. Vulnerability is power. Trust yourself enough to show up with it, and trust that whatever comes next, you’ll overcome it.”

So where do we go from here? We stop chasing trends and start rebuilding trust. We stop overlooking the professionals and start investing in them again. Because the truth is, Black beauty has always started in the salon—and if we want it to have a future, we have to start there again.