If you’ve ever owned one of SheaMoisture’s products, you’ve probably read their origin story on the back of the bottle: “Sofi Tucker started selling Shea Nuts at the village market in Bonthe, Sierra Leone in 1912.” On the surface, this makes them look like a great Black-owned business with humble, sustainable roots. But is that the truth?
I’ll be honest with you up front, I love SheaMoisture’s hair products. Their conditioners just work so well with my curls. You might remember from my post I’m NOT Zero Waste, that I was using their Yucca and Plaintain Hair Masque as a leave-in conditioner (and I’m sad to see that they no longer make it 😭) and I have the Wash N’Go Defining Gel-Oil but I don’t like it that much. Of course, I don’t love that all their products come in virgin plastic packaging, so I’ve been trying to wean myself off SheaMoisture recently.
With that out of the way, it’s time to ask: Is SheaMoisture greenwashing and pandering to the Black community?