Growing up there were very few women I saw on television that looked like me, except for Tracee Ellis Ross on one of my favorite tv shows, Girlfriends and Tia and Tamera on Sister Sister. Thankfully, as the natural hair movement progressed, slowly the perception of beauty and how women were portrayed in media shifted as well.
In case you missed it, Tracee Ellis Ross broke the internet earlier this week with her major announcement about launching a natural haircare collection, Pattern, specifically for curly, coily, and tightly textured hair. The haircare collection will include a shampoo, three different kinds of conditioner (Medium, Heavy, and Intense”>,Leave in Condtioner ($9-25″> , two hair oil serums ($25″>, a wet brush ($17″>, clip to hold your hair in place ($10″>, and a microfiber towel ($19″> — basically, everything you need on wash day to ensure you have a flawless wash day that can make it through the week. In addition to its affordability, Pattern also offers its shampoo and conditioners in different sizes — that means three, 13, and jumbo 29-ounce conditioners, y’all. Prices start at $9 for 3-ounce bottles of the shampoo, conditioners, and leave-in, and peak at $42 for a 29-ounce bottle.
To kick off New York Fashion Week, she invited me and a group of beauty editors into her beautifully branded Pattern penthouse shower suite for a memorable wash day experience. Y’all, I literally showered with Tracee. Ellis. Ross. This still seems like a dream, but it was most certainly a very real, intimate and of course funny experience. Tracee was everything I ever imagined and so much more. Her vibrant energy, witty personality and humble spirit filled the room as she demonstrated her new line of Pattern products step by step and shared her journey and inspiration for the line.
“The goal is to give people access to their best curls in the bathroom,” she explained. The shower is where she says she gets her best curls, so she made sure in playing with the formulations that the products could give the slip, hydration, and definition highly-textured hair needs before styling. “I don’t believe that people should have to be dependent on a professional to feel their most beautiful and for their hair to be healthy.”
Wash Day Tips from Tracee Ellis Ross
She also shared a few key tips to getting the most out your curls such as using the squish to condish method when applying conditioner and leave-in be sure you get as much moisture into your hair shaft. Grab a wet brush and detangle your hair in the shower to clump your curls for maximum definition. Rinse out conditioner fully with cool low water pressure to lock in moisture and avoid frizz. While in the shower, apply leave-in conditioner using the squish to condish method. Flip head over to seprate curls, squish in leave-in, but do not rake. Then, squeeze out any excess water and dry with a microfiber towel.
Tips to Refresh Curls
She recommended to mix her leave-in conditioner with the jojoba oil to strecth wash day and pineapple at night.
Thank you Tracee for reminding us the power of natural beauty and honoring our history with your brilliance. You have officially changed the natural hair game for the better and I can’t to get my hands on your new line, Pattern.
You can purchase the new collection on Sept.9th on her website Pattern and Sept.22nd at Ulta Beauty.
Will you be trying her new collection? Let us know your first impressions in the comments.
