Ethnic hair design facing the '90s with style, flair

Drug Store News,  Oct 9, 1989  by Jocelyn T. Amador

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Ethnic hair design facing the '90s with style, flair

The beginning of a new decade brings with it exciting shapes, textures and colors for black hair design.

New technology has produced innovative products which make it possible for today's stylists to turn their design visions into reality.

What will be popular in 1990? What maintenance products can retailers expect to see a demand for?

At Sophisticate's Black Hair Styles and Care Guide, the leading black hair consumer newsstand publication in the nation, we see a number of things happening.

Right now, the dominant hair fashion is, as it has been for the past several seasons, variations of the "high hair" design, looks with volume plus height.

With the advent of the 1990s, we will see a movement toward sleeker, neater styles which will take their clue from the slim clothing silhouettes so prevalent in the fashion industry.

Emphasis will be placed on horizontal movement, with more fullness extending out from the sides and "flatter" head shapes as opposed to the vertical silhouette of the past.

'90s look will be customized

Gone are the days when only one cut dominated hair fashion. In the '90s the look will complement an individual's life-style, fashion preferences and available maintenance time.

Taking their cue from the changing demand of customers, manufacturers are now formulating products that either stylists or consumers can use to cater to specific needs. For example, Be Natural Products, a subsidiary of Pantresse, Inc., has introduced the Short Cuts Salon Styling System to aid in styling cropped cuts; and Soft Sheen Products, Inc. has its Wave Nouveau body perm system, which stylists use to create designs that have the look of a relaxer but with the versatility of the curl.

The new popularity of wigs, such as those designed by the Naomi Sims Collection, Afro World and The Hair Factory, also give consumers their choice of a wide variety of individualized looks with minimal fuss.

The looks to come

As editors at Sophisticate's Black Hair magazine see it, the new styles this season will be soft, sleek and swingy.

Shapely little cropped cuts, reminiscent of the dome or bowl shapes which hug the head, will dominate.

Scalps, in turn, will have to be kept healthy, and to manage this, it will be necessary for consumers to use deep-penetrating conditioners, such as the Estolin Castor Oil Treatments.

Shape is now more important than length. The latest cuts complement the facial structure. Tresses are shaped to move forward toward the center of the face, with the help of clipped bangs and fringes.

You'll soon be seeing variations of the shag cut, in particular, the "square shag" crop, so named because it gives extra volume at the sides while the crown area is kept flat for a squared-off silhouette. Controlled looks like these can only be achieved with products that keep the line of the cut such as Worlds of Curls Phase 2 Home Care System.

Moving with the flow

In order to achieve the necessary movement in the hair, these new streamlined designs require the mane to be at least partially relaxed.

Hair care manufacturers are responding to this trend with improved relaxer formulas which are gentler on the hair while providing the added bonus of a conditioning treatment. Pro-Line's Soft and Beautiful Volume Plus No-Lye Relaxer, Luster's PCJ No-Lye Conditioning Creme Relaxer, and Revlon Realistic No-Lye Creme Relaxer are just a few examples.

High shine

The sleeker, smoother textures that are emerging now for the '90s require that hair be healthy so it can reflect a high, shiny gloss.

Styling aids such as Revlon's Realistic Finisheen Oil Sheen & Conditioning Spray help enhance gleam.

In addition, products that help prepare the hair for styling, such as Luster's Pink Oil Moisturizer, Lustrasilk's MoistureMax Oil Moisturizer Hair Lotion, LeKair's Styling Gel and All Ways Natural's Super Gro, along with a complete maintenance line like Knight Hair Care's Knight Nutritional Hair Supplements, American Beauty Product's hair care line, and Dorum's Leisure Curl line will encourage customers to follow a regular maintenance program at home.

Great lengths

The popularity of hair extensions will also continue to be strong into the next decade. Complete easy-to-use kits such as Pro-Line's Weave Re-Nu Weave Maintenance System and Gentille's Hair Weaving Maintenance System are just some examples of the types of weave care products that consumers will be looking for.

Color innovations

Hair color will continue to play an important role in the year ahead. The trend now is leaning toward darker, deeper, richer hues which play up the simple silhouettes of the season.

Manufacturers such as Carson Products' Dark & Lovely and Clairol's Nice & Easy are developing new color collections which will include this rich color spectrum. Carson Products' Reviving Colors is also popular with women who want to enhance the natural color of their hair.