TPH by Taraji launches in Target this month and according to the actress has been more than 10 years in the making. According to People Taraji said she was like a mad scientist creating what she calls a solution-oriented line
“I was like a mad scientist,” says Henson of creating the solution-oriented line, which she started concocting in her own kitchen.
The collection consists of 18 products that cater to all hair types and was inspired by some of the challenges the actress faced when trying to keep her own hair healthy.
“Women think that just because you have your hair braided up under a weave or wig that you don’t have to [do anything else]. But you have to take care of it.”
What Henson personally noticed? “My scalp wasn’t being cared for,” she says, adding that her ah-ha moment led her to begin developing a product specifically for the scalp, an area “no one was really paying attention to” at the time, she says.
Not only did Henson test the product on herself, she’d ask friends to give it a shot. When one enthusiastically replied, “Oh, my God, my scalp feels amazing,” Henson says, “I knew I was onto something.”
What set Henson’s scalp product apart from others on the market? Says the star: “I created applicators that deliver the product to your scalp. It’s not compromised on your fingertips or wasted on your hair.” Now, TPH has four scalp products: Never Salty scalp scrub and Master Cleanse scalp wash (below) and Ultra Chill cooling serum and mint condition tingling conditioner.
If the names (and gorgeous packaging) make you want to go out and buy the entire line, they’re two of the personal touches Henson worked tirelessly to perfect.
“Everything is color-coded, we wanted themes,” says the star, who describes her $5-$15 dollar line as “luxury at an affordable price point.”
As for the names, “They’re me, they’re who I am. And when you read them, you believe it’s my line.”
Most of the time, Henson relies on the five products above to maintain healthy hair. “I keep my hair braided down most of the time because I’m working. Sweat builds up from the braids and the wigs, so [every time I take the braids out] I want to make sure my hair is in the best possible condition before I braid it back down again. So Sundays [are] like a spa day. I start with my scalp scrub, and sometimes I’ll use my Master Cleanse, too, so my hair is squeaky clean.”
Next, Henson says, “I follow that up with one of my shampoos and masks, then we braid it down with my Glow Up oil so that my hair doesn’t feel brittle and deprived when I take it out.”
When she rocks her natural hair, Henson turns to the Hustle & Co cowash and Make it Rain conditioner.
Henson says she’s always been a hair guru. “I know that if I didn’t go into acting, I would have been a cosmetologist. Thanks so social media, her fans know she takes hair care seriously, too. “My fans trust me, so this is me sharing with them.”
But being a celebrity didn’t make achieving this dream a breeze. “It’s challenging when you have a dream, because you’ve got to sell it to the world.
And though her vision is coming to fruition, Henson still can’t “fathom” seeing her hair care on shelves. “It’s so close, but so far away. And the buildup of having the nerve to say, ‘I’m going to do this one day,’ then making it happen is just like…wow.”
We will see how this goes! Will you be trying TPH by Taraji?
