A new survey reveals the striking differences in women's hair experiences in the United States and that consumer hair care needs, largely that of women of color, are being unmet.

The hair experts at All Things Hair (a publication by Unilever) conducted a survey targeting 2,000 U.Y. women of different ethnicities above the age of 16 to investigate hair inequality. The survey reveals the striking differences in women’s hair experiences in the US and that consumer hair care needs, largely the hair care needs of women of color, are being unmet.

Visiting the Hair Salon

The survey reveals that a quarter (24%) of American women don’t even go to hair salons, while Multiracial & Biracial women are the least likely to go:

The survey also showed that when African American women visit the salon the most: 5.9% of Black women go to a hair salon once a week (double the consumer average of 2.9%). Adding to this, African American women have to travel the furthest to get to a hair salon that really caters to their hair type:

Hair Salon Appointment Lengths

The survey also reveals that Black women spend the most time at hair their salon appointments while White women spend the least amount of time:

• 18% of African American women spend more than 3 hours at hair salon appointments (triple the average of 6%)

• Almost half (46%) of Caucasian women in the US spend less than 1 hour at hair salon appointments (higher than the average of 40%) 

Hair Salon Spending Habits

The survey reveals that almost a quarter (24%) of US women spend more than $100 in hair salons. African American women spend the most money, with 36% spending more than $100 at salons. 

Additionally, women with 4c hair spend the most money at hair salons while women with straight hair spend the least:

Collectively, these figures show that African American women are spending more money in hair salons, visiting hair salons more regularly, and spending more time at hair salon appointments despite having to travel the furthest to find a hair salon that really caters to their hair type. 

Nelly Ghansah, Natural Hair Editor at All Things Hair, comments: “In a society where we have progressed so much, hair inequality remains a huge issue. Our goal is to shed light on the inequalities that black and brown women face in the haircare space and the many strides that are being made to combat this issue.”