MANIFESTO
At Hairtage, we commit to regulation, empowerment, and access for all Black women of all hair textures and hair style preferences. Regardless of heritage, there’s space for you here.
MISSION
We are here to protect Black women from unregulated chemicals in hair products and their environment that disrupt their body's hormones and lead to increased risk of breast cancer and other conditions.
To improve breast cancer mortality rates for Black women as they are 42% more likely to die from breast cancer compared to all other ethnic groups.*
*per research conducted by the National Institute of Health. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-20301-6_3
VISION
We want a world where Black women are not unnecessarily exposed to toxic chemicals in their environment and more likely to die from breast cancer.
A world where the environment does not suffer due to the effects of toxic chemicals on our wildlife, water quality, and air quality.
A world where Black women are empowered to make healthier choices to improve their life and health.
OUR
SCIENCE
ANTI TOXIC is the only regulation for hair products that does not expose you to toxic chemicals that disrupt your hormones and put you at risk for health problems.
Absolutely zero ingredients that are known hormone disruptors (or what us nerds like to call endocrine disrupting chemicals).
No toxic chemical ingredients that have been linked to conditions prevalent among Black women (breast cancer, fibroids, etc.).
No undisclosed chemical ingredient that could be masking a known toxic ingredient (no general “fragrance” allowed).
A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDER
Hey, what’s up, it’s Dr.K or Dr. Kelly-Ann McCleary, if we’re being fancy.
Welcome to your safe space in this toxic hair world. I am honoured to be the founder of this wild endeavour that highlights the intersection of beauty and health from a prevention standpoint.
From my background in behavioral health and as an academic researcher, I became far too aware of the health disparity problem to stay as unbothered as I was about it. So, I decided, upon graduating, that my next step was to take an overwhelmingly huge bite out of the root cause of the problem. The toxic hair industry. The industry that Black women spend the most in but get the least out of (unless you consider health problems to be a win for us).
And while I will be the first to admit that the health disparities Black women deal with is a multilayered issue that involves various structural inequities, the reality is many of these issues are beyond our control. So, let’s focus on what we can control. Our behaviours.
By making one simple change in the hair products that we use and the brands we choose to support with our dollars, we not only take our power back from the hair industry (as we should) but we are taking power over our health too.
What I’m here to do is make your transition to these safer hair products much easier with an online space that has all the regulated certified anti-toxic hair products you could possibly need to maintain your hair.
There's much more I could say but I’ll leave you with these last words.
It’s more than just hair,
Doctor K,
Founder of Hairtage