As the natural hair trend continues to make waves, many beauty brands are finding themselves switching gears and are reaching for new ways to innovate the market and maintain their spot on consumer shelves. One familiar African American haircare brand, Dr Miracles, has found its niche; not in promoting natural hair, but by promoting healthy hair and camaraderie among women.
[Related: Doctor Publishes Book to Empower Young Girls to Love Their Natural Hair]
A new campaign titled, Undo the Hurt, lead by Kimberly Hairston, DRM-JPC Brands chief marketing officer, plans to focus the brand’s efforts toward repairing damaged hair of all kinds, and on mending the broken relationships between natural and relaxed women. Hairston believes the #TeamNatural movement speaks more to an unspoken rift between women of various hair types, creating more of a divide than a sense of togetherness.
“For us, we really want to bring women back together to say, ‘it’s ok.’ You can be natural. You can be relaxed,†said Hairston. “We want to break down all those stereotypes. We want to break down all those painful things from our past and not have another divide. So this really is about a movement.â€
As a veteran brand strategist, Hairston has more than 20 years of experience under her belt and has worked for companies such as Coca Cola, L’OREAL USA, and Alberto Culver, where she served as global marketing multicultural director. She anticipates consumer concerns, such as price point and ingredients pertaining to product lines–and though Dr. Miracles is not a “natural†product, Hairston says they plan to compete by only using the best ingredients in their formulas while keeping the prices affordable.
“We put the best ingredients [in our products] and we want to do the innovation for our consumer,” said Hairston. “Dr. Miracles is a treatment brand. Our goal is to always give . . . [women] healthy hair.â€
The brand’s new Renewal System includes a relaxer that’s said to have been tested against non-relaxed hair for damage control. The brand has brought a medical doctor on board to build credibility surrounding the hair care formulations and their respective uses. With beauty-focused entrepreneurs emerging every day, this senior brand leader offers a few words of advice to new companies trying to compete in the somewhat over-saturated market and for those looking to develop a better brand.
“You have to be authentic to who you are. Trends come and go, but why you started the business and who you are [stays the same].â€
To learn more about Undo the Hurt, visit the Dr. Miracles.com.