carol's daughter

Whether you're holding onto those straight ends or already committed the big chop, you can find relief from your Afro woes with Carol's Daughter Transitioning 1-2-3 Kit ($40). The three-piece set (which includes a shampoo, scalp spritz, and conditioner) is meant to simplify the lives of recent natural hair converts. While the shampoo is packaged as low-poo, there was still an impressive amount of suds, and the conditioner made detangling a breeze. But the standout star is the Renewing Scalp Spray. Sugarcane extract, biotin, and vera fruit extract help to heal a scalp burned by straightening chemicals, creating a healthy environment for hair to grow. The spray bottle allows you to easily get the product on, and the refreshing tingling massage gives that clean, cooling feeling — it's like a sea breeze facial for your scalp. And despite an adept knowledge of the beauty industry, I still stand by the belief that, if it tingles, it's working.

If you don't want to spend any money right now, then stay away from Carol's Daughter Monoi hair care ($18–$29). Because here's the thing: after you smell the shampoo, conditioner, or mask, you will pretty much be powerless against its sway. It smells that good, like a perfect tropical blend of suntan lotion and a salty breeze. (This makes sense, considering its star ingredient is Tahitian monoi oil, a blend of coconut oil and tiare flower.)

The products promise to dramatically reduce breakage, but I haven't been using the collection long enough to tell whether that's the case. However, the formulas are incredibly moisturizing — seriously, you could easily confuse the rich shampoo for conditioner — and they've left my hair smooth and shiny without weighing it down. Still, considering how amazing this stuff smells, it could turn my hair green with purple polka dots and I'd still rush out to buy another bottle. Obsessed.

In developing its new promotional approach, Carol's Daughter took a look at the latest US Census data, which reveal that more people are checking the "other" box (or multiple boxes) when it comes to race. To reflect the diversity of the population, the beauty brand has launched a polyethnic campaign. "When I say polyethnic, I mean women who are made up of several ethnicities," the brand's Steve Stoute told WWD. "If you ask them what they are, they're going to use a lot of different words to describe themselves."

The new campaign will feature Selita Ebanks, who is of African, Indian, Irish, and Jamaican heritage; Solange Knowles, who is of African-American and French Creole descent; and Cassie, who is of Filipina and black ancestry. "Today, people are blended, and I think the three of us are a prime example," Selita explained. "Women in my family range from vanilla to the deepest chocolate."

Expect to see the models' ads out in June, along with a complete repackaging of the line rolling out by next year. Also, Mary J. Blige, who enjoyed much success with her Carol's Daughter-aligned My Life fragrance, is set to follow up with a flanker scent, My Life Blossom, slated for an August release.

If you love Carol's Daughter and Mary J. Blige, then their latest collaboration should make you mightily pleased. My Life, a new fragrance, is named after Mary's first hit, which she says led her to begin "speaking truths about my life, and everything around us."

When asked about the inspiration for the fragrance, Mary tells WWD that she designed My Life for her fans, as "a special tribute to us as women . . . we’re soft, we’re edgy — we’re all those things. And I wanted this perfume to represent every female’s everyday life."

If you're interested to know what a day in My Life smells like, it's apparently a fruity floral (like most other celebrity scents). The fragrance's notes include gardenia, pear, and freesia to open; a blended floral heart with tuberose, jasmine, and lily; and a woodsy, candied drydown with a base of incense. Both hateration and drama are absent from the scent, which will be sold on HSN at the end of July. Are you interested?

If you watched Oprah yesterday, then you saw Mary J. Blige announce her new charitable partnership with beauty brand Carol's Daughter. Mary announced that to celebrate their collaboration, today 30 percent of all online sales from the Carol's Daughter website will go to FFAWN (the Foundation For the Advancement of Women Now). The charity, which Mary founded, raises money to send disadvantaged young women to college. So if you're considering restocking on some of your favorite Carol's hair and skin care, this is a great day to do it — along with doing some good.

This October, Carol's Daughter is launching a new bath collection to celebrate Disney's next big release, The Princess and the Frog. The film, due in December, has raised both excitement and a bit of controversy over the narrative for Disney's first African-American princess. (I'm reserving judgment until I see the movie, although I do think the movie's creators initially made some missteps.)

Carol's Daughter founder Lisa Price is among those excited for the film's launch. As reported in WWD, she says the film is “an event with significant social importance. I’m thrilled and proud that African-American girls everywhere will see the movie and see someone to identify with.” The Carol's Daughter bubble bath, detangler, shampoo, and conditioner celebrate the new princess, Tiana, by featuring moments from the film on their packaging. Like other products from the line, these will include ingredients aimed at pampering African-American hair in particular, although they're said to be suitable for everyone. Each item in the collection is nicely priced at $10. Although I'm not sure what to expect of the movie yet, I do love Carol's Daughter — the products are inexpensive and the ingredients are sure to be high quality, so I might check these out.