Career Diaries: How Whitney White’s YouTube Subscribers Inspired Her to Create Melanin Haircare
September 29, 2020
What inspired you to start your own brand, and how did you know it was the right time?
My community inspired me to start Melanin Haircare. They loved my DIYs but just didn’t have the time or resources to make the products themselves. At first I fought it because I wanted my DIYs to motivate my community to be self-sufficient with their hair care and not rely on expensive hair products and/or services to succeed in their natural hair journey. But after countless inquiries, I realized that it would be a service, not an exploitation, to provide my creations ready-made. I made sure that my original recipes were enhanced for shelf stability, elevated performance and undeniable value. We wanted to help grow and nourish the hair, be all-natural and non-toxic and remain affordable. This challenge took us six years to master.
What were some of the biggest challenges and most rewarding moments during the creation of Melanin Haircare?
Creating Melanin Haircare was a trial-and-error process. It took us six long, hard and expensive years to get it right; we certainly paid our dues, emotionally, mentally and monetarily. The hardest part for me was not sharing my journey online because I couldn’t let anyone know what I was working on, while sharing literally everything else unrelated to what I was creating. It was such a huge part of my daily experiences during those years, so all I could ever say was, “Woo, a long exhausting day, guys!” but no one ever knew why I was so exhausted. Our biggest challenge business-wise, was putting our team together and finding the right balance of support. You need people who you can trust and who get and trust you and your vision.How do you balance working on Melanin Haircare and working on your channel?
It’s a daily, weekly, monthly, non-stop challenge to balance my daily responsibilities while running Melanin Haircare with my co-founder/sister, Taffeta. But I’m like a duck, smooth sailing on top when you see me on social … and paddling like hell on the bottom when I wrap and log off. I also have two school-age children, so it really is a juggling match of what is the most important fire that I need to address each day. And trust me, there are always at least three fires to address each day.
My online community is my second family. I truly love them, as weird as that sounds. I’ve had a relationship with them for more than ten years, I’ve met many of them in real life at events or in everyday life, and they just feel like my extended family. I care about them, and I’m so blessed and thankful that many of them truly care about me, too. I can’t, nor do I want to, just walk away from my family. I think I’ll always be here to connect in some way, shape or form.
How are you feeling regarding the beauty industry and the Black Lives Matter movement? How has it impacted your brand?
It’s been a hard year all around. I feel a mixture of sadness, frustration and fear for the safety and positioning of our community in this country, along with empowerment that, finally, the world outside of our community is starting to acknowledge the truth of our experiences. While it’s been a sobering year, we’re thankful for the rise of Black voices and Black businesses that is a byproduct of uplifting the Black community as a whole.
What do you hope to see in the beauty industry in terms of diversity, representation and inclusion?
I think we’re on the right track. The past few years have been amazing for the Black and Brown communities regarding increased representation on screen, in product development and in media and advertising. Going forward, I think we’d all appreciate seeing the representation to also happen behind the scenes, on the executive and creative levels. We need more people directly from the Black and Brown communities getting the opportunity to sit at the table and to help build and shape the stories and projects that we’re seeing — otherwise it’s all just a façade.
What are some of your favorite Black-owned beauty brands?
I have so many, honestly, I’ll just rattle them off: For hair care, I obviously love my company, Melanin Haircare, along with the BrushWithTheBest's detangling brush and HennaSooq’s natural henna and ayurvedic products. For beauty, I love Habit Cosmetics, Pat McGrath Cosmetics, Plane Jane Beauty, The Lip Bar, Mented Cosmetics, Danessa Myricks Beauty and Fenty Beauty. For clothing, it’s SammyB Designs, FeNoel and ElevynThirty. I’m sure I’m missing some; I’ve literally been exploring and discovering so many great new Black-owned-brands, not just for beauty, but for everything!
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