Chinese-origin hair products find their way into the black hair industry, with tariffs potentially influencing the prices of braids and wigs.
In the sweltering spring of Atlanta, therapist Brittanee Sims usually treats herself to a fancy braiding session at a salon to maintain her healthy mane before the summer heat kicks in. But with costs soaring this year, she'll only be able to splurge on her teenage kids and leave herself to deal with haphazard hairdays.
"It ain't no fun," Sims says, "having to figure out what to do with my hair every damn morning after the gym and sweating it up."
Donald Trump's tariffs are taking a toll on the wallets of Black women who consider many hair care products essential, pushing them further towards the brink as they scramble to keep up with inflation and skyrocketing rent. Synthetic braiding hair, human hair for extensions, wigs and weaves, styling tools, braiding gel, and other products are predominantly imported from China, which was stuck with a combined 145% tariff in April. India is a significant global supplier of human hair as well[2].
Black women often sport hairstyles that need special attention and are willing to shell out hundreds of dollars per month on salon services for extensions, weaves, wigs, and braids[1]. The AP spoke to a slew of hair industry experts, beauty supply store owners, wholesalers, and dreadlocked, frustrated stylists who might have no other choice but to hike up their prices as business declines.
Last Thursday, a federal appeals court reinstated most of Trump's tariffs on imported goods, reversing an earlier ruling[3]. Earlier this month, the United States dropped the 145% tax on Chinese goods to a more manageable 30% as tensions between the two economic juggernauts simmer[2]. Nevertheless, prices for many goods have already increased substantially, and there's no telling what will happen if negotiations hit a wall.
"Bad things are coming," says Marty Parker, a supply-chain expert from Georgia University who's worked in the hair care industry[2]. "Prices rise real fast and fall slow."
Costs on the rise for Atlanta's stylists
Several stylists have been feeling the pinch. They're paying more for Chinese hair, and their costs for shipping are creeping up[1]. Atlanta stylist Yana Ellis, who also sells wigs, pays a total of $245 more in shipping for 52 bundles of hair since January than she did in December[1]. AaNiyah Butler's shipping costs for human hair more than doubled from February to May[1]. Even the usual $6 to $10 cost of a pack of synthetic hair has gone up[2].
Salon owners and stylists are considering passing these increased costs on to their clients. After all, as Dajiah Blackshear points out, her clients don't appreciate low-quality hair that she can't vet for quality[1]. And Janice Lowe is now forcing clients to bring their own hair, struggling to afford the products she usually stocks[1].
"I can't pay my bills, and I barely have enough to get by," Lowe admits[1].
An uncertain future
Experts can't agree on how much prices will go up, when the hikes will happen, and how long the pain will last. But one thing's clear: it could get much worse[1].
The global Black hair care industry is valued at $3.2 billion[4], and Black women are six times more likely to spend on hair care compared to other ethnicities[4]. Black stylists often purchase professional products through distributors that source them from overseas[1]. Recent price increases have made obtaining these hard-to-get products even more challenging, especially for leading Black-owned hair care brands like Design Essentials[1].
Manufactured in Atlanta's McBride Research Laboratories, Design Essentials is hoping to avoid passing on significant prices to consumers until 2026 or 2027[1]. But even with the best-case scenario, the costs keep piling up. And as Hawa Keita has learned, there's a limit to how many financial sacrifices she can make for her customers.
Keita and her mother run Eve's African Hair Braiding in College Park, southwest of Atlanta. They usually charge between $160 and $250 for braiding, but due to soaring prices, they've been taking a hit[1]. The cost of a box of 100 packs of braiding hair from China has gone up for the first time in years[1].
"It's tough out here," Keita admits[1].
For many Black women, maintaining their hairstyles is not just a luxury; it's a matter of identity and survival[3]. The chemical straighteners and synthetic hair popular with the Black community have been linked to health problems like baldness and cancer[3]. And the pressure to sport Euro-centric hairstyles in professional settings can be overwhelming[3].
"It's a classist, racist issue masquerading as a beauty standard," Georgia State University law professor Tanya Washington says[3].
With heightened income disparities between Black and white American women, the price of Black hair care becomes all the more unbearable[3]. The median income for white households in Atlanta is more than double that of Black households[3].
"It's an inequality problem, plain and simple," stylist Mitzi Mitchell says[3]. "And we have a responsibility to keep prices reasonable for our clients, who are predominantly Black."
- Atlanta stylists, such as Yana Ellis and AaNiyah Butler, are currently paying more for Chinese hair and experiencing increased shipping costs for their supplies, which have resulted in additional expenses.
- With higher costs on the rise, salon owners and stylists, including Dajiah Blackshear and Janice Lowe, may pass these increased costs on to their clients due to the need for quality products and the inability to afford the rising prices of hair care products.
- Many Black women feel that maintenance of their hairstyles is not only a matter of identity and self-expression but also a survival issue due to the chemical straighteners and synthetic hair popular within the Black community being linked to health problems like baldness and cancer.
- Experts predict that the global Black hair care industry could continue to experience significant price increases, posing a challenge for Black-owned hair care brands like Design Essentials and forcing stylists like Hawa Keita, who owns Eve's African Hair Braiding, to make financial sacrifices to keep prices reasonable for their primarily Black clientele.
